In 2019 I trademarked the term Find Your Flow at which point I felt clear about the method that I was applying to help people find more flow in their training and their movement. Since then, I have advanced this method to help people find more flow in their activities outside of training. A method which I am using with my 1:1 and small group classes today.

This clarity and ability to find flow helped me enormously when, due to Covid-19, I had to close the studio and overnight, set up an online studio and adapt my skills to support and coach clients over video conference.

What is Flow?

Put simply.. It is the sweet spot where challenges and abilities are equally balanced. In this space, the mind is clear of all distraction and is engaging only with what is happening in the moment. Flow is not predictably a good or bad state but it is well known within sport and performance as a state which has been shown to increase creativity, productivity and performance. 

What is it like to be out of flow?

When a task or situation is more challenging than we are able to deal with then we can become anxious or irritated by the barriers. Equally when a task is not challenging enough then we can become bored often leading to distraction. 

Finding Flow in Pilates

Finding Flow in Pilates was a challenge for me when I first started classes because, being new to the approach, I found it difficult to focus on what were the most important points to help me to complete the movement as instructed. I found that many experienced instructors would ask me to do movements that looked simple and graceful but when I attempted them I found that achieving the same flow was impossible. 

At the same time, I found some of the foundation movements too simple. I thought that there must be a way for me to target the optimal level for my abilities that day and, carrying this into my own teaching and coaching, make the benefits of Pilates accessible to everyone. My desire to overcome this struggle led me to break down the process of finding flow in my own training that later would help so many of my clients.

What is Find Your Flow®?

With the Find Your Flow® Method we engage in a process starting with identifying our Focus, illustrating and finding the desired Form (that is, the Form that is right for your body, on that day), creating space for Flow and finally Framing what we have done. 

Focus – Form – Flow – Frame

It is this method that leads our clients to look at the clock in disbelief when they hear that the training is over. Clients report that it felt at the time like they were doing very little but by the end of the class they often report “jelly legs” as their muscles have been working more than they were consciously aware of at the time.