The Slow Flow Yoga Trend
There’s a big trend right now towards slow flow yoga.
On the surface, it sounds more mindful, more nourishing, more nervous-system friendly.
But often what’s being called slow is still quite effort-heavy.
From what I’ve seen, it’s long holds, strong shapes and either very little movement, or there is no focus on the breath. There appears to be less pace… but not necessarily less strain.
From my perspective, real slowing down doesn’t come from holding poses longer; it comes from slowing the breath.
When the breath slows, the body follows.
When the breath softens, the nervous system settles.
When the breath leads, effort naturally reorganises itself.
If we slow the sequence but keep gripping the breath, we haven’t truly slowed down; we’ve just changed the tempo, not the state.
This matters whether you’re teaching yoga or practising it.
For teachers, it’s a gentle invitation to reflect:
• Are we slowing the breath before we slow the movement?
• Are students being given permission to move through poses rather than hold them?
• Are we watching for breath-holding, tension in the jaw, fixed effort?
And for practitioners:
• Does “slow” in your body feel calm… or controlled?
• Are you staying because it’s helpful, or because you think you should?
• What happens if you let the breath set the pace instead of the pose?
Slow yoga is being accompanied by the breath rather than challenged by the shape.
Sometimes the most nourishing practice isn’t about staying longer; it’s about letting go sooner.
Slower breath.
Softer effort.
That’s often where the real downshift happens
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The Slow Flow Yoga Trend
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