As college students, the burden of endless exams, essays and projects lead to our individual stresses and anxieties. For me, yoga has become my way of releasing any physical tenseness and negative emotions.
After sitting all day in class, and then continuing to study at the library for hours, yoga is the perfect break to settle your mind and calm your body. Yoga is a form of relaxation for your muscles, as well as the cluttered thoughts in your brain.
If you’re not interested in hot yoga, yet crave the relaxation and serenity yoga provides, Bliss Flow Yoga & Wellness is a great place to start. The studio is only a bus, Uber or bike ride away from campus, and a few minutes from downtown Madison off of Midvale and University Avenue.
According to the recent buyer of Bliss Yoga, Jennifer Braun — a former staff member of 10 years, Bliss Flow makes it easy to care for your mind, body and spirit. Braun believes that if everyone practiced yoga, the world would become a sweeter place.
“Feel the energy change as you breathe, flow, transform,” Braun said.
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Braun explained that Bliss Flow is not just another yoga studio, but a significant part of the community. A unique aspect of the studio is giving back to the community, whether that is by providing services, helping out around the city or giving donations. The studio partners with various local businesses, typically food and wellness companies like local tea brand, Cha Cha Tea, which is located off Monroe Street.
The yoga studio is in the process of launching an organization called the Karma Foundation, which will strive to connect communities through yoga by removing barriers and extending the accessibility of the practice. During teacher training, the studio is working on creating a more diverse staff, according to Braun.
Bliss Flow teaches a sobriety course to students in charter schools and teaches classes at every Middleton school to encourage teachers to teach mindfulness to their students in the classroom.
The studio offers a variety of classes like power flow, bliss flow, yin yoga, gentle yoga, slow flow, exhale flow and candlelight yoga. There are various events — like Yoga for Anxiety, a six-week series that offers supportive practices for those struggling with stress and anxiety. The classes incorporate discussions about the physiology of anxiety and how to manage stress.
The Yoga of Eating teaches about mindful consumption and specific healthy foods that contribute to longevity.
“Flip Your Asana” joins the slew of class opportunities, teaching how to build strength and flexibility to do inversion poses, such as headstands and handstands.
Currently, Bliss Flow is offering a happy hour class featuring Ayurvedic food from a local chef. Ayurvedic cuisine focuses on whole-bodied wellness that nourishes the mind, body and soul. The studio’s unique activities, events and classes offered to contribute to the tight-knit community.
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If you need a method to relax your body and mind during the intense and demanding school week, yoga is arguably one of the better ways to do so. For new members, Bliss Flow offers an introduction membership, which includes 30 days of unlimited classes for $30. There’s also a student rate of unlimited yoga for the semester — which expires on Dec. 20, for $350.
While Bliss Flow is a yoga studio in the very traditional sense, according to Braun, it is more importantly dedicated to improving the community.