Technological advancement has brought huge change to human lives. But this advancement is not without its drawbacks — only a small percentage have the time to take care of themselves, that is, their health and fitness. Be it hitting the gym, fitness centres, or exercising at home. In this competitive, break-free world, keeping the body fit is a significant challenge. And this is where Animal Flow comes in. It can play a big role in shaping you up physically, mentally, and spiritually.
“Animal flow helps in hitting various muscle sections of the human body. This strengthens mobility and comes in various forms like Scorpion Walk, Spiderman Pushups, and more,” says Ibne Rushood, a France-based Indian origin martial artist.
What is Animal Flow?
The Scorpion Walk Shutterstock
It’s a ground-based workout where every inch of your body – from every muscle fibre to the very structure of your bones gets utilised. It allows a person to become more flexible and move in ways that traditional powerlifting fails to provide. It improves mobility, which is beneficial in everyday activities, especially when people reach their mid-30s.
Animal Flow relies on the body’s centre of gravity, and as a result, balancing becomes one of the most important aspects of this workout. Apart from enhancing muscle conditioning and recovery, it relieves back pain, increases range of motion, improves heart health, and ultimately, helps to maintain a fit body.
What makes Animal Flow stand out from other workouts is that it doesn’t require repeating the same old weighted squats or throat-choking deadlifts followed by heavyweight bench presses. In terms of strength and conditioning, very few focus on resistance band pulls and isolation exercises before hitting the rods. Also, on days when you have little time, but the body demands a full-fledged workout, Animal Flow can be the answer.
Emergence of Animal Flow
Animal Flow improves mobility, which is beneficial in everyday activities, especially when people reach their mid-30s Shutterstock
Animal Flow was the brainchild of Mike Fitch in 2010, a USA-based fitness educator and movement coach with 20 years of experience. Using animal movements, he wanted to achieve a superior way of how the human body functions. It has six components — Activation, Flows, Wrist Mobilisations, Form Specific Stretches, Travelling Forms, and Switches & Transitions, that can be mixed and matched to your workouts.
Several fitness centres in Kolkata offer Animal Flow classes, such as Fit-Wit Delta, Fit-Wit Zeta, and Flowing Monkey Fitness, with certified trainers.
Soumajit Sengupta, an L1-certified Animal Flow instructor at Fit-Wit Fitness Studio, said that the best version of animal flow is when performed “with mindfulness and intention.” He added, “When you’re fully focussed on your breath, body awareness, and fluidity of movement, it becomes a meditative practice.”
Benefits of Animal Flow
- Mind-body connection: You stay in the present by tuning into how your body feels during each movement
- Rhythm and flow: Repeating sequences or flowing between moves can put you in a meditative, almost trance-like state
- Focus: It requires concentration, which pulls your attention away from mental chatter
- Breathwork: Many flows incorporate conscious breathing, which enhances the meditative effect
- If you approach Animal Flow not just as a workout but as a way to feel, explore, and express through movement, it becomes a powerful movement meditation.