“A beautiful life is not stumbled upon, it is built. It is chosen. It is nurtured over the years. A beautiful life is made from the heart, not the head. It is not one we can rationalize our way into, it’s one that must be felt. A beautiful life is not one that is immediately comfortable, but one grown through the acknowledgement of what is worth being uncomfortable for. It is not one that is easy, it is one that is worth it.”
And just like that… Flow turned 20 this year.
We’ve spent a lot of time reflecting and reminiscing this year— connecting with beloved staff and teachers who’ve since moved away, our incredible team & community of practitioners, some of whom have been with us since we opened our doors in 2004, and with each other.
Twenty years of running a family-owned small business becomes woven into the fabric of everyday life. (I opened Flow when I was 35 years old and a year in, I realized that I needed a lot of help and my husband Ian left his job to help run it.) Since we opened our doors (up the purple staircase to the original space on the 3rd floor of our P Street home), there hasn’t been a single day when we haven’t been working on, talking about, arguing over 😉, dreaming, and thinking about Flow. We got married in the same month we opened, raised our kids (now 13 and 15) in the studio, and have held thousands upon thousands of classes and special events. Our walls have witnessed marriage proposals, weddings, best friendships formed, concerts, fundraisers, and has held the stories and dreams of so many of you who’ve made Flow your home for practice. Shared laughter, tears, hugs, countless down dogs and handstands, and thousands of peaceful savasanas. Sometimes, I still can’t believe we’re here, and always… I am so grateful.
While I could write a book about the countless stories of Flow, today I find myself reflecting on the deeper power of yoga—a practice that nurtures and transforms not just our bodies, but our hearts and minds.
If you’ve been practicing for a while, you know that in addition to helping us feel better, especially when we get to Flow together in a class, yoga offers a path to pause, breathe, and reconnect with ourselves and those around us. It’s more than just something we do; it’s a way of living, a way of finding clarity, beauty, and purpose amidst life’s messiness.
What keeps me going after all these years is seeing the profound impact yoga has on our lives. It’s taught me patience, empathy, perseverance, resilience, humility, and trust. It’s helped me navigate both grief and joy, the beautiful and the chaotic. More than teaching me how to perfect a handstand, these are the lessons I want to share with others—and with my kids. I want them to understand the power of pausing before reacting, of listening deeply, of standing up for those who can’t, and, most importantly, of embracing who they are.
Yoga isn’t about perfecting poses for me anymore. It’s about staying strong—mentally, physically, and emotionally—so that I can keep building the life I dream of. A life where I’m paddle boarding with Ian well into our 90s, chasing our dogs on the beach, and dancing with my future grandkids in my arms. Through practice, I care for the body that carries me through all of life’s moments. And I’m committed to taking care of myself because there’s so much sweetness yet to come.
A beautiful life doesn’t happen by chance; it’s intentionally created, shaped by the choices we make, and nurtured with care over time. Yoga has been a vital part of that unfolding for me, and I’m honored to share its power with our community and my family.
If you’ve ever been to Flow, I want to personally thank you for being part of our dream, and I hope that you’ll continue to explore the power of yoga in your own life, through all of its seasons.
xo
Debra