Flow Fam - please meet our beloved guest Mahalakshmi! Mahalakshmi is a dedicated Flowgi, and we are so honored that she chooses Flow as her yoga home. Learn more about her below, and say hi if you see her around the studio!
What inspires you to practice at Flow?
I am inspired by the energy, creativity and the warmth and affection shown by all my teachers and my fellow yogis at Flow. Flow brings all the best people in one place!
What was your first yoga experience like?
My first experience at Flow was a Friday community meditation class back in January 2017. The Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha mantra singing by dear teacher Brittanie DeChino was so moving and uplifting, I couldn’t stop my emotions from silently flowing for the entire duration of the class. And needless to say I couldn’t stop coming to Flow.
Who are some of your most influential teachers?
Every class I’ve taken at Flow has had a salutary influence and I’ve been consistently drawn back to practise with Alicia Moyer, Aqeel Yaseen (Viveka Om), Brittanie DeChino, Caroline Weaver, Chelsea Xeron, Cory Bryant, and Sam Breschi. I’m especially grateful for Dharma Yoga offerings that integrate pranayama and meditation and Kirtan because these devotional offerings build community in ways asana practice alone doesn’t. I’d love to experience more of these at Flow.
What is something the Flow community may not know about you?
People may not know that I go by the nickname Machimi (pronounced Match-mee) among family. Or that I have a darling 6 year old daughter who loves to sing and dance but is not so much into yoga. Or that I grew up and went to school and college in Kollam, a small town in Kerala, South India, famous for a spiritual leader of humble origins, Mata Amritanandamayi (in other trivia, it’s also known as the cashew capital of the world). Currently distressing news is coming out of Kerala as it grapples with the worst floods in a century; every little helps rebuild homes and lives destroyed in the deluge. The international community can make donations to the State’s distress relief fund here: https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/
Thank you so much for sharing, Mahalakshmi!