by Flow, February 6th, 2013

This week in our new Interview With A Flowgi series, we catch up with Amy Hope-Gentry. Like so many of our ace instructors, Amy first practiced at Flow, then attended teacher training and now teaches in both Leesburg and Ashburn. We’re proud to have so many recent graduates on our teaching roster, and wanted to get a more in-depth perspective on what that process is like.

1. What was Flow’s teacher training program like for you?

INTENSE!  But in a good way!  There is so much ‘overview’ that occurs for the 200-hour teacher training that it’s like a tease. You get a wonderful base of knowledge and a thirst to continue that education after it’s all over.  I can now see why so many teachers move on to 500-RYT (Yoga Register Teacher) – to get more into the nitty gritty details. I’ll forever be a student of the practice.

2. What were some of the challenges and how was the overall curriculum and instruction?

For me, I feel my only challenge was time.  Those 200-hours fly on by, and before you know it it’s over.  I’m a horrible note-taker, but in class, I was fascinated and felt like a sponge – just absorbing as much as my wee-brain could hold.  I really enjoyed the hands-on teaching method.  Not just always reading material and discussing – but actually being able to ‘feel’ the poses, sequences, energies…..Flow’s teacher training also allowed plenty of time to discuss and get opinions on how things feel, individually, for each of us.

2. What did you think of the teachers and your fellow students?

Teachers were phenomenal – but I knew they would be.  I had waited a year or so before actually deciding that Flow’s teacher training was for me.  This gave me time to continue to be a student of Flow and understand how they teach Vinyasa flow.  I feel that it would be a challenge for a student to come into Flow’s teacher training without ever practicing at the studio.  You need to have the trust in your teachers and by being a student first, you have that opportunity – to get familiar with their methods. You get to know the different personalities which allows you to have more of an open communication on different topics.

3. Was there a particular moment, class or assignment that you can recall where teaching yoga started to click for you?

I remember our weekend together when we began learning about assists and adjusts.  I remember feeling very natural during that whole process – learning how to aide students in deepening their practice or making sure they aren’t in a ‘danger,danger’ mode. The fact that just a gentle touch or a verbal reminder can improve a pose; that’s so crucial.  To this day – I still LOVE touching students!  I know as a student I LOVE being assisted or adjusted so maybe this is why it feels so natural for me to do as a teacher.  Yoga is so very personal – if I can help just one student release more, I’ve done my job. :)

4. Is there a method or style of yoga that you’ve come to prefer?

I really enjoy rotating students around the mat.  When I do my personal practice, it just feels natural to move the body around the mat vs. only moving forwards and backwards.  When teaching classes, I want the student to feel that the whole body is getting opened; including the mind – always including the mind.  So, the Universal Yoga method is what I would say has helped me learn more about the mandala method of teaching.

5. Now that you’re an instructor at Flow, which aspects of teacher training do you most frequently think of to help guide your classes?

Easy – LISTEN TO YOURSELF!  Teacher training isn’t just about learning Yoga – but it’s also learning more about who you are.  I constantly struggle with having the brain lead when I teach.  I am noticing that the more I teach, that it’s coming from the heart.  That you need to have a ‘relationship’ with the students.  You’re guiding them on their own personal journey.  The more you can tune in to that vibration of energy and not pay attention to getting your sequence taught in the EXACT manner in which you wrote it down – you’ll notice the unfolding of a beautiful dance between teacher and student.  It’s really quite fascinating!

6. Since graduation, how have you been engaged in expanding your practice, or do you have any new goals as an instructor?

I just know I want to learn it all!  Yet, patience grasshopper, right? I’ve taken Andrey Lappa’s Universal Yoga training (part 1). Michael Gannon has opened me up to more knowledge regarding Ashtanga. Cora Wen and her wonderful ways of incorporating yoga therapy; that was excellent. Having amazing discussions with Tori Lundock and hearing about her training in Aryuveda….the list goes on and on.  We have such wonderful studios that I feel so very lucky to be a part of it all.  Each year we have these Master Teachers who come in for their training.  Next on my list is to delve into Yin/Restorative, Yoga Nidra training.  I cannot wait to see where that leads.

7. Any advice for people thinking of attending Flow’s next teacher training session?

Just to come in with an open mind.  Just like in Yoga – if you just relax, breathe and allow yourself to be open – the possibilities are endless. :)

8. Thanks Amy, great interview!

My pleasure!

Categories Interviews
by Flow, December 6th, 2012

I love hot yoga.

But I wasn’t so sure I’d be interested in reading a book about it, much less one which dealt with Bikram Choudhury and competitive yoga. Of the times I’ve practiced that style, I’ve left his so-called torture chambers unimpressed with the 26 poses, rote instruction and kitschy decor. Turns out, what’s not necessarily relevant to my practice, is fascinating subject matter for Benjamin Lorr’s smart new book Hell-Bent, in which the author immerses himself in the hottest and most hostile regions of Bikram Nation.

The result is, first and foremost, a searing portrait of a singular character; a trenchant biography of both a compelling yoga super hero and megalomaniacal arch villain; a man Lorr hilariously describes as the “prom king of the apocalypse”. But bad Bikram stories are a dime a dozen. What Hell-bent does particularly well is reveal the depths, complexities, nuances and emotions of a polarizing individual who has arguably done more for the worldwide growth of yoga than anyone. We see his sensitive, giving side nearly as much as the tyrannical, selfish one. It is an account with color, contrast, insight, humor and honesty.

When Lorr is not profiling “Boss”, he is practicing. A lot. A dedicated wall-walker, regularly attending extreme back-bending summits, Lorr sacrifices his spine for the sake of his story. He sweats out a third of his body weight for the 2011 Asana Championships. And he somehow survives a farcical, 9-week, $11,000 Bikram teacher training odyssey. Throughout his tour of this yogic underworld, we meet all manner of earnest student, ex-acolyte, obsessed instructor, besieged studio owner, Bikram groupie and lost soul. People who worked with Bikram at the outset. The ones who endured the wild, celebrity-driven formative years at his very first studio in Beverly Hills. The ones who either left, or were left behind in the churning wake. These are the Hell-Bent of his title. Lorr meets and practices with all of them, and they are the ones who help fill in the the most telling, and eventually damning details on this unique sub-culture of yoga.

Perhaps best of all, though, the book is able to shift its focus away from the carnival sideshow that Bikram can be. Hell-Bent is most compelling as a yoga memoir depicting Lorr’s personal practice with his friends, and his observations on the transformative powers of any type of yoga. He astutely examines its origins, its growth and the physiological benefits it offers. In the end, this book is not meant merely for the Hell-Bent few, but any of us who feel that a big part of any great practice should be a great story.

Written by Tom Cartier

Categories Book Reviews
by Flow, January 31st, 2012

I’m not in denial about being a deeply analytical person. I come from a background of philosophy and the hard sciences, so over time I’ve been trained to ask for the “why’s” and seek concrete answers.  Like many people, I started practicing yoga asana because it made my body feel good.  But then, over time, I noticed that yoga classes made me feel good in OTHER ways—but I couldn’t clearly identify “why” or even “how.”  So, being true to my inquisitive character, I decided to jump into yoga teacher training, to explore those questions further.  I hoped that by getting a grip on these questions, I would be able to share my experience with others, and also serve as a more informed advocate of the practice in my community.

I came into the first weekend feeling a little like the outcast…you know, the “sciencey” person, who was seen as giving primacy to thoughts over feelings.  I wasn’t sure how I would fit in, or how I would merge my analytical tendencies with the art of yoga.  But my experience wasn’t anything like that—yes, I had to swallow my dissatisfaction at not having questions like “why are we here?” or “what is our purpose” answered in concrete terms when we discussed the Yoga Sutras (which, by the way, was so refreshing).  But you know what, finding the answer to those questions wasn’t what I came to training for.

I came to teacher training to learn about teaching yoga asana.  And I got precisely that, in a way that fed my analytical tendencies.  My teachers had a well-rounded understanding of yoga asana and sequencing. There was always some type of logic behind a sequence. I also loved that my teachers did not see a yoga class as limited to just the sequence.  Part of the answer to why yoga made me feel good, I learned, is that there is a strong psychosomatic component to yoga asana; and needless to say, I really enjoyed learning about ways to add to student experience, beyond asana.

So that fear that I came into training with—that I would be an outcast—ended up easing away as the training progressed.  I found that when I opened my horizons to topics that were important to my teachers (but often foreign to me), they opened themselves to mine—and we were able to arrive at intersecting grounds.  This was the component of the training that made it personally meaningful to me, because it gave me space to develop a voice, as a teacher, that was sincere and unique to me.  And my appetite for asking questions?  It was satiated and made more hungry at the same time.  Sure, I got answers to a lot of the questions I entered training with, but I also developed a whole new set of questions that are sure to keep me moving along this beautiful journey called yoga.

Namaste.

Yasmin Pourkazemi

Categories Reflections
by Flow, November 17th, 2011

Sharing the Lessons Learned Along the Way – A Journey Through Yoga, Books and Community by Chris Newcomb

Being a lifelong student of literature, it was a natural transition for me to create a Book Club at Flow Yoga to share the incredible lessons that are available to enhance the practice of yoga through reading the philosophy, foundations and history that has come before us.

As a child I recall having a difficult time learning to read. With an impatient, young and frustrated mother as a first reading teacher, my early experiences with reading were not the most pleasant. My personal drive and discipline made this childhood experience a catalyst for what has become a complete escape, joy and therapy through the various stages of my life.

As a grade school student, I thrived in the humanities, with English being my favorite subject. I loved to write and was a complete Catholic school grammar freak!  When I entered college, I started out as a Business Major and quickly found through my economics class that the English Department is where I belonged. After changing my major to English, everything began to flow and feel natural for me.

My love for reading spread as I created Book Clubs in two of the Loudoun County neighborhoods that I have lived: Stratford and Lansdowne. As a student of life in this area and as a Book Club leader I found myself lost in a sea of shallow and meaningless “Book Club” discussions which revolved more around the food, wine and gossip than the literature. The intellectual stimulation I missed was found again as I began a new journey in my life becoming a yoga teacher.

Many of you know through my bio, that I began practicing yoga to deal with a difficult time in my life at the recommendation of my ex-husband’s aunt. Little did I know that when I walked into the Flow Yoga Community that I would discover so much about this beautiful practice, myself and others through breathing, poses and meditation. After one year of practicing at Flow, I signed up for teacher training.

As a student of yoga for over four years and as a yoga teacher for over 2 years, I have loved the process of self-discovery, the relationships and the beauty of the practice of yoga and how I see it transform lives every day. I am honored to be a part of the “Flowgi” community and I hope to continue my journey with you as a student, teacher and friend on this journey together.

Please join us for the next Book Club at Flow on December 11th from 1:30-3:30 where we will discuss: The Laws of Spirit by Dan Millman and The Diamond Cutter by Geshe Michael Roach. We will be having a Potluck Lunch at the December Book Club and collecting donations for a local charity. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the studio.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to discussing some of the following books in the 2012 New Year: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz  and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Namaste,

Chris 

Categories Events
by Flow, May 4th, 2011

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone! We will have modifications this weekend to our schedule:

Sunday – 4pm Mixed Level – Canceled; Monday – one class only 9 – 11am with Tori

Starting in June: Friday 6am PH will be cancelled for the summer; 430pm Thursday Mixed Level will now be Flow Chill

For these changes and more details – visit us online – online schedule.

Categories Announcements
Flow Yoga – Leesburg, Virginia Yoga Studio
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