What is Soulflow Yoga?

What do you mean, “check in with my parts? How does that fit into a yoga class?”

In the past, questions like these would have made me think twice about my decision to combine Internal Family Systems therapy and yoga. However, my parts were too excited to let anything stand in the way. They finally felt seen, heard, and even validated. That feeling was too sweet to keep to myself.

Have you ever been in Down Dog and thought to yourself, “Why does this feel so hard today? I kind of want to stop, or come down to Child’s Pose,”? When you’re first settling in for class, has your mind ever wandered to thoughts of something that happened yesterday, or an interaction that’s upcoming? Do you ever find yourself craving a different pose, but sticking out the one you’re uncomfortable in because you don’t want someone else to notice that you’re not following along? These are all instances of your parts popping up, trying to get your attention. What if (and stick with me here), we took a moment to acknowledge those parts as they presented themselves? How would it feel to sit with those parts, to notice how they feel, and to gently ask them for space during the rest of your practice?

That’s Soulflow: A class in which we acknowledge the fact that distractors, critics, and anxiety-ridden parts commonly accompany us onto our mats. And that’s okay.

The best part about IFS is that all of these parts are welcome. It’s not about quieting these parts, or even trying to get rid of them. Instead, we flow (yes, pun intended) with these parts, inviting them to be present when they want to be heard, giving them space, and then allowing Self energy to step back in to guide us through the rest of our practice. When we come to rest at the end of class, we check back in with all of our parts. Many parts find comfort in knowing that we weren’t trying to silence or abandon them, and they start to see that they can trust us when we ask for space. You might find, over time, that your parts are quieter when you begin your yoga practice, because they realize that you will come back to check in.

So, when you attend a Soulflow class, and are invited to go inside and see what parts are coming up, there’s no right way to do it. Maybe you meet the part that rushed you out of the house so you could be at the studio on time. Your parts might express judgement when a pose isn’t very accessible for your body. Or your parts could be excited and interested to try something new. Remember, there are no bad parts, and whatever parts show up for you that day are worth getting to know.

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