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UnWINEd 2.0: A Night of Stillness, Connection, and Energy

Rachel Larson · May 18, 2025 ·

If you’ve ever wished for a moment to just pause — to breathe, to reset, to feel completely held in the present — this evening was that, and more. UnWINEd 2.0 brought together yoga, Reiki, sound bath, and community in the most grounding way. Here’s what it felt like to be in the room…

Recap of the UnWINEd Evening

We started with Flostate Yoga Restore Flow.

As I guided the class through Restore, a steady rhythm began to take shape — breath by breath, pose by pose. There was already a sense of connection building in the room. As we moved, we started to feel those tight places — in our necks, shoulders, hips, knees — begin to soften. The stress of the day faded into the background. We began to release. To unwind.

Even as I was teaching, even as I was giving energy to guide others, I could feel myself receiving. The energy in the room was powerful. We were in sync — and we were ready for Reiki meditation.

Reiki Meditation was calm, centering, and gentle.

When I passed the experience to Elle and sat down to join in, something shifted. Her voice was quiet and grounding — it made the space feel safe. I felt such relief to be cared for in that moment. I wasn’t leading. I wasn’t planning. I didn’t have to anticipate anyone’s needs. I could simply be. I could listen. I could rest.

There was a stillness calling me — not one I had to create, but one that was already there, waiting.

Then, the crystal singing bowls began to fill the room.

As Elle continued the Reiki, April started the sound bath. At first, it was subtle. A soft hum. And then I felt it — not just in my ears, but in my body. The bowls weren’t just playing sound. They were transmitting energy.

The vibrations reached through the air like invisible threads, pulling me deeper into presence. I literally felt my body lean toward them. It wasn’t effort. It wasn’t focus. It was surrender.

My body, my breath, my thoughts — everything settled. I wasn’t trying to be mindful. I simply was. Rooted. Calm. Completely here.

I’ve read about how vibration impacts our nervous systems — how we absorb the hum of a city or the hush of a forest without even realizing it. We are always receiving energy, whether we mean to or not. But here, in this room, surrounded by yogis, friends, and open-hearted people, we got to receive energy that was healing. Intentional. For us.

When the sound bath ended 15 minutes later, it felt like it had just begun. No one jumped up or rushed to speak. We just sat in it — still, grounded, connected. We weren’t in a hurry to return to the noise. We stayed with the peace. And we didn’t want it to end.

Eventually, someone whispered, “I need more of this.” Heads nodded. Eyes glowed. We all felt it — that deep reset. That longing to hold onto this feeling.

Then came the food, the wine, and the conversation.

No one rushed out. We lingered. We chatted about everything and nothing. Laughter came easily. Phones came out only to exchange numbers. Hugs were shared without hesitation. There was warmth in the room — real, human, heart-centered warmth.

At one point, I noticed how hot my hands felt — as if energy was pulsing through my palms. People have told me I have “magic hands,” that I help release tension and pain. That night, I felt it more than ever. Like the experience recharged me. Reconnected me to what I’m here to do.

Forty-five minutes after the event “ended,” there was still a group of us standing in the parking lot, still not quite ready to leave.

I want more of this. We all do.

We’re so grateful to our partners at Mindful Body and Skin for helping bring this experience to life. UnWINEd 2.0 wasn’t just an event — it was the ultimate relaxation experience. A deep exhale. A reminder of what it feels like to come home to your body, your breath, and each other.

And we can’t wait to do it again.

Want to be part of the next one?

We’re already dreaming up the next UnWINEd experience — and trust us, you won’t want to miss it. If your body and soul are craving more evenings like this, make sure you’re on our text list for early access and updates. Just reply JOIN to 1-833-216-3161 and we’ll keep you in the loop.

When to Slow Down and Listen to Your Body

Rachel Larson · April 23, 2025 ·

Because sometimes the most powerful move is the pause.

We live in a culture that glorifies hustle—early mornings, packed schedules, late nights, repeat. It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of pushing forward, grinding harder, doing more. But eventually, that pace catches up with us. We end up feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and completely burned out.

What if we didn’t wait until we were running on empty to take a breath? What if slowing down wasn’t something we earned, but something we integrated—regularly and intentionally?

Mindful movement practices like yoga, tai chi, stretching, and Pilates offer more than just physical benefits. With their emphasis on rhythmic breath and intentional focus, they create space for us to reconnect with the present moment. Tuning into our breath is a simple yet powerful way to shift out of autopilot, quiet the mental noise, and truly check in with ourselves.

Here’s the truth I’ve had to remind myself of more than once:
Sometimes, we need to slow down to speed up.

When we keep pushing through stress, the universe often intervenes with a little nudge—or a full-on shove. We get sick. We trip over the dog. We spill coffee on our shirt as we’re racing out the door. It’s our body’s way of saying: Hey, maybe now’s a good time to pause.

Chronic stress raises cortisol levels, and when we’re overtraining or undernourishing ourselves, it can sabotage even our best fitness goals. Slowing down, in this case, isn’t just okay—it’s necessary. Balance is everything. Listening to your body and adjusting your pace isn’t giving up; it’s getting smarter about how you move forward.

If your body and mind are asking for a reset, we’ve got something for you.

Join us for UnWINED 2.0 on May 15 – an event designed to help you slow down, restore your balance, and reconnect with yourself.
Maybe this is the pause you’ve been needing.
[Learn more and Sign up here]

5 Reasons You Need To Strength Train Today

Rachel Larson · November 4, 2024 ·

Strength training benefits go beyond the mirror muscles and how we look. Building strength increases our mental acuity, helps to balance our emotions and mental state, promotes healthier food choices, acts as a natural pain reliever, and builds resilience and overall confidence.

Strength Training Improves Mental Acuity: Want to think better? Move more.

There is a misconception that we don’t have time to exercise and in the process, our productivity and ability to accomplish tasks and “find our flow” diminishes.

Fact: When we exercise, BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) increases leading to improvement in mental processing, creativity and productivity. This means that you will get more done in less time, with more creativity, and feel better about the work that you accomplished.

This can feel like an impossible task and a tough corner to turn especially when feeling stressed and overwhelmed. But if you take the plunge and do it, you will feel the shift in your mind and body. Perhaps there is an unhealthy habit you can stop doing to free up some time for exercise. Binge watching Netflix perhaps?

Strength Training and Exercise Helps to Balance Emotions and Mental State: Move more, feel better.

Did you know that exercise had been proven to be equally as effective as antidepressants? We are not saying that you should drop your meds and rely solely on exercise, but imagine how amazing you will feel if you really devoted some time to working out?

Feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or depressed? Get in a solid sweaty workout that challenges you physically and you will feel the weight of the world lighten a bit. The impossible becomes possible and we feel more in control of our lives again. It’s pretty powerful stuff.

Working Out Improves Food Choices: Want to eat better? Start working out.

When we feel better we naturally want to eat better too. After a solid workout, your body and mind are more centered. When we are less stressed and reactive we are less vulnerable to making poor food choices. You are more likely to make a healthier food choice. For instance, a protein and antioxidant rich fresh smoothie sounds more appetizing than a donut after a good sweat session.

Exercise Acts as a Natural Painkiller: Skip the Advil – workout instead!

We often associate muscle soreness and pain with exercise – and it’s true that we can feel “sore” after a good workout. But, the natural painkiller I’m talking about is more systemic. Workouts boost your endorphins, causing your entire body to feel less pain and prompts overall feelings of wellbeing. News flash: Sitting around actually makes us hurt. And the more we sit, the more we hurt. The more we hurt, the less likely we are to exercise. So stop sitting around! Get up and move. A general rule of thumb is to never let more than 72 hours pass between workouts. After 72 hours we more easily fall off track and “forget” how good exercise feels.

Workout Habits Build Resilience and Confidence: I move because I can. I can because I move.

Movement and exercise – especially when we push ourselves to do hard things – builds mental resilience and confidence. Studies support that regular exercises are more resilient to acute stress and handle it with a more positive attitude. It is the more positive/less negative response to the stressor that helps protect us from chronic disease. Think diabetes, obesity, depression, heart disease. Our response to stress and life in general is what forms our lifestyle and habits. Our lifestyle and habits put us on a path to chronic disease or to a more vibrant disease free life. Exercise increases our resilience to these stressful events that could otherwise take us off course. Consistent exercise habits keep us physically and mentally stronger.

In summary, we were designed to move, to expend calories, to do hard things. So let’s do them and get on track or stay on track to the good life of vibrancy and possibility. Think about your lifestyle and habits. Where does healthy eating and exercise land on your priority list? If it’s not in your top 5, it’s time to rearrange your priorities. Think of strength training and exercise as the firm foundation of your mental and physical wellbeing. With a strong foundation under your feet, you can stretch to higher targets, maintain your health and be a positive influence to those around you. So, pick up those weights and let’s get moving.

5 Benefits of Chair Yoga for Everyone

Rachel Larson · September 16, 2024 ·

Curious about chair yoga? Wondering if it’s worth trying out? Read on to discover a fresh perspective on this yoga class variation and benefits it has to offer.

1 – More Approachable

The more streamlined sporty vinyasa style classes that are popular with able-bodied younger adults definitely have their place, but for those that find it too challenging or intimidating to try these styles of yoga, chair yoga may be a better fit. Others may like the idea of chair yoga simply because they are too mentally and physically exhausted at the end of a stressful day to approach a higher intensity class.

2 – Build Awareness

Yoga is more than just exercise; it’s a gateway to increased awareness of our thoughts, emotions and a link to our physical abilities. It’s a way to connect our mind (thoughts) to our body and where we are holding tension.

3 – Benefits of Variation

Chair yoga is an approachable and effective way to to mobilize our joints and muscles, link those movements with our breath, and build awareness of our physical abilities and areas of challenge. For those of us that exercise or do yoga on a regular basis, chair yoga provides variation from the usual yoga postures.

4 – Get Deeper

We can find a deeper stretch in Side Angle Pose or in Standing Big Toe to Head because of the support and balance assist that the chair offers. We can get better at breathing in poses because we can sit up taller in Warrior 1 and Warrior 2. With our spine straighter, the lungs have more ability to expand. We can get deeper in our lunges because we don’t have to support our entire body weight.

5 – Great way to start or end the day

Chair yoga is an accessible, inclusive and “can do” form of yoga that can be a stand alone workout, a way to unwind at the end of a stressful day, or a way to wake up in the morning and gently ease into the day. It’s also a great option for those with limited mobility or that spend long hours sitting at a desk.

Interested in giving it a try? Here is a Flostate Chair Yoga class you can do today. If you like these poses, you can incorporate them as modifications into the workouts we do together virtually. Just keep a chair nearby and slide it over during classes!

How to Resume Workouts After an Extended Break

Alice Halvorson · August 29, 2024 ·

Weeklong cabin trip interrupted your exercise routine? Recovering from an illness or injury? Or maybe you’ve just been so busy with the activities and commitments layered upon your work that you just haven’t gotten to the gym lately. There are lots of reasons why we may have taken a longer than intended break from our workout routine. It can leave us feeling sluggish, down on ourselves or just plain out of sorts. So how do you get back to it? What’s the smoothest re-entry?

The best way is just starting. Rip off the Band-Aid.

You need to start. Make the decision that you’re ready to get going again and then pick a specific date as your start date. (Tomorrow is good. Today? Even better!)

There’s more to it than just ripping off the Band-Aid however. Let me break down some simple steps to help you really get back on track.

Step one, make a plan

What type of workouts do you want to do? Did you sign up for a race that you haven’t started training for? Or long to get back to those fitness classes you love? Figure out what type of training you want to do.

Next, decide a workout frequency that’s realistic for you. Can you truly make it to the gym two days a week, even though you keep trying for five? Work on being consistent with what you can actually do first. In this case, realistic is better than optimistic.The last thing you want to do is make an elaborate plan to work out every single day and then burn out or get discouraged because it’s not happening – and quit. Don’t self-sabotage.

Next, get out your calendar and identify slots of time that will work for you to workout. Block off that time like any other meeting. Schedule a workout class with Flostate or make a plan to go for a hike with a friend during that time. Get specific, like “Take Alice’s Total Body Strength Class” or “Walk for 45 minutes at Afton State Park” from 10-10:45 am, etc.

You might have to ease in

Do you already have a routine established or a training plan you’re supposed to be following? Depending on what that is and how long you’ve been gone will determine whether or not you can simply jump back in or if you need to ease yourself back in.

If you’re a beginner exerciser you’ve been out for more than a few weeks or are recovering from injury or illness, you need to take things a little bit slower. Start with maybe a third of what you would normally tackle in your workout week. If you’re used to taking six classes at the gym, you take two and see how your body responds.. If you’re used to resistance training in the weight room, maybe you ease back in by using just bodyweight exercises or picking up lighter dumbbells.

Ramp up like this for a few weeks to reacclimate your body, build your confidence, and also reduce the chances of extreme soreness, or worst case – a relapse in illness or injury.

If you’re an athlete or fitness enthusiast with years of training under your belt and it hasn’t been an extended break, you’d probably be safe just reducing the weight you are lifting, mileage or minutes exercising for a week and then get back to it.

Be patient – you’re in this for the long-haul

In the end, think of this as a marathon and not a sprint. You don’t need to do everything perfectly or expect yourself to be right back where you were. it may take a little time, and that’s OK. Focus on consistency – even if it is different or less than your normal routine. Time really does move fast so before you know it, he will be right back where you left off.

Start now! Take a Flostate Fitness Class today! Visit our Livestream Schedule or our On-Demand Library today to view classes.

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