Have you heard of Inside Flow?
On 18 November 2022 while scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a reel of Rebecca Rasmussen @dancinbecka, performing a style of vinyasa yoga to Sia’s ‘Saved My Life’. Inside Flow Yoga … A fusion of mindful movement in perfect timing with the beat of inspiring modern music. I was intrigued, curiosity sparking my interest watching Rebecca so elegantly convey emotion with movement to the melody, embodying the words of the song. From that moment, I craved to experience first-hand this heartfelt connection of movement through music and wanted to learn more.
As a child I participated in many sports, tried Tae Kwon Do and callisthenics, eventually becoming an Australian representative in rhythmic gymnastics. I found my passion in blending graceful movement with flexibility, skill with self-expression to music. I enjoy discovering new approaches, styles and techniques which offer unique and positive movement experiences and Inside Flow reminded me of my childhood. This journey led me on the path to becoming a physiotherapist, yoga and Pilates teacher and Polestar educator, specialising in movement and rehabilitation.
Inside Flow was created in 2008, by Young Ho Kim, @insideyogaofficial as an evolved style of vinyasa yoga on beat, with music as the driving force. It looks and feels like a fusion of yoga, dance and tai chi or martial arts. Over the summer of December 2022 and January 2023 I stalked Senior Teacher, Rebecca’s social media for snippets of Inside Flow, desperate to find a class near me. As it turns out, Inside Flow is popular through Asia and parts of Europe, however is still relatively new to the US and Australia and at the time there were no certified teachers in Perth. In June 2023, I embarked on my first Inside Flow Teacher Training course with Rebecca in Connecticut, USA, as I realised that if wanted to share the joy of this practice, I needed to grow a community here. Since then, I have attended the Inside Flow Global Summit in Bali and Fundamentals training in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur with Young Ho Kim, along with countless zoom sessions with teachers from around the globe. I am now an Inside flow Gold Instructor with over 200 hours of training, teaching 1 class each month and have choreographed 3 approved Flows.
Pilates, like traditional yoga is an ideal foundational practice for Inside Flow, teaching alignment, guiding awareness of breath, on the road to achieving control and strength within functional movement. Pilates has been an avenue of access for many of my rehabilitation clients to be able to experience movement in a ‘safe’, supervised and controlled way, with the use of Pilates apparatus providing assistance. As a movement facilitator, the Pilates studio can sometimes feel constrained when challenging a client’s capacity to participate in a less structured or ‘controlled’ environment, for fluidity, ease and enjoyment of functional movement.
The use of music in Inside Flow highlights the concept of ‘Spanda’ in yoga, the Sanskrit term for pulsation or vibration which gives energy or movement for life. Inside Flow music choice uses an 8 count, the 1, 2, 3, 4 indicating expansion, or inhalation and the 5, 6, 7, 8, contraction, or exhalation, which also informs the movement and transition between yoga asanas, or postures, on beat. There is a unique balance between challenge and skill, finding ease with an element of novelty, affording participants freedom from distraction, allowing them to experience a Flow State during Inside Flow practice.
In each one hour Inside Flow class, participants are led through a gradual vinyasa warm up, building up sequences comprising the Flow, to a graduated beat of modern or popular music. Once the arrangement is complete, the main song is revealed with a perfectly choreographed Inside Flow routine. The element of surprise and the use of music combined with exercise is a feature of Inside Flow, delivering a dopamine hit, along with a rush of ‘feel good’ endorphins and serotonin. The larger the class, the closer the mats and under the influence of swarm intelligence, another ‘happy hormone’ called oxytocin is released, fostering a sense of community and connection. We like to call this the ‘Flow Glow’ 🤩 which I found to be a profound and highly addictive experience first-hand! While in Flow, I am fully immersed in a moving meditation, it’s almost impossible for my mind to drift, my thoughts consumed with remembering the sequence, the intensity and direction of movement inspiring the need to breathe, and a feeling of complete joy, all on beat. Inside Flow is my favourite avenue to access a conscious Flow State ✨
Inside Flow is enjoyable for both the participant and the teacher, although undergoing the instructor training process can be an arduous albeit fulfilling process. Acquiring the skills of musicality, teaching, leading groups of 50 to 100 students in the practical exam, moving and cueing on beat, along with remembering the Flows and build up for each class is an accomplishment. It has undoubtedly been the most challenging brain training and skill learning experience that I have undertaken, yet incredibly rewarding and so much FUN 🎉
The concept of Flow and smooth transition between Pilates exercises has been explored mostly on the mat with movement integration encompassing movements on apparatus. The integration of music and moving on beat though not so much, which could also prove to be more challenging. Very few rest breaks are taken during an Inside Flow class, with 15 to 30 minute intervals of sustained, fluid movement, which I haven’t managed to recreate in the Pilates studio environment, not to mention a change of apparatus or spring tension in the studio disrupting the flow. The Inside Flow sequence choreographed to the highlighted main song follows a particular rhythm, or beats per minute (bpm). With Pilates programming there may not be sufficient uniformity of bpm, with some exercises requiring an accent, change of tempo or focus on control.
When working with apparatus and height off the floor rather than bodyweight on a mat and music dictating pace, there is an element of compromised safety and risk. In addition, some of the choreographed routines of Inside Flow are advanced and unsuited to my clients who undertake Pilates for rehabilitation. Inside Flow is not taught as an alignment class, rather an opportunity to encourage healthy lifestyle through movement, challenging balance, coordination, memory of the movement sequence and most importantly, to have fun!
My Inside Flow journey has been rewarding for me both personally and professionally. An Inside Flow class is an enjoyable way to exercise and practising my own Inside Flow routines is a form of HIIT training. I love sharing this style of mindful movement in the safe and supportive environment of our studio at Performance Pilates & Physiotherapy, a crucial step in building confidence and assisting my physio clients to return to mainstream group fitness classes and yoga.
With 12 certified @insideflow.global teachers currently listed on the official website, our local community is starting to grow. Now that you have heard of Inside Flow and as a fellow movement enthusiast, I hope to have ignited your interest and curiosity to experience this uniquely joyful class. You’re welcome ☺️
Audrey is a physiotherapist with a holistic approach to movement, special interest in Women’s & Pelvic Health and treatment of the hip and pelvic girdle. She has been a Pilates teacher of 26 years and a member of Polestar Pilates' faculty.
@audreyphysioflow @performancepilates @insideflowofficial @insideflow_australia
Photography: @yongsubi