ABOUT

floga yoga was set up in order to create safe spaces where everyone has the opportunity to connect to their body, their soul, each other and the planet through their yoga practice.

FLO CROSS

Flo Cross is inspiring, passionate and hardworking, and she has made it her mission to make yoga accessible to all, so that everyone can experience its benefits.

As soon as I started practicing yoga, I knew it was something I wanted to share, I needed to share.

Yoga has touched and improved every part of my life; it’s helped me develop and strengthen my relationship with my body, it’s given me more confidence and self-belief, it’s helped me to recognise the importance of rest and time alone, it’s given me tools to deal with stress and anxiousness, and it has answered a longing in my heart to connect.

I feel that yoga is a practice that, at its core, is meant to be shared, so I embarked on my teaching journey by starting a small yoga club at my school. Teaching yoga inspired a passion in me that I could not ignore. The pure joy of putting a smile on someone’s face, of helping another person, even if just by providing them a safe space to be themselves, made me want to teach as much as I could. So, I took the next step, and trained to be a yoga teacher, at just 15. This has to be the best decision I’ve ever made!

Since I discovered yoga, I have had the privilege of working with the Teen Yoga Foundation to speak at two of their Instil Yoga conferences (on the impact yoga has on body image, and the importance of yoga in the education system), and to create an international survey documenting the way young people perceive yoga. I’ve worked on projects training students to set up yoga clubs within their schools, created ‘Wellbeing’ resources for schools and individuals, ran yoga workshops in schools, made yoga videos for local businesses, been a guest co-host on Radio Gloucestershire, interviewed on youtube channels, and podcasts and invited as a guest speaker on teacher training courses to share my expertise on teaching yoga to teens.

My current focus is the pleasure of co-running and teaching on the Shift project. This awesome project works at getting yoga into schools by running workshops, school clubs and a brilliant training course for educators (primary and secondary schools) to become Wellbeing Ambassadors to share yoga and wellbeing to a high standard within their school. This project is something I'm super proud of if you want to find out more have a look here: (https://shiftmovement.org.uk/).

As well as teaching, I am dedicated to my personal yoga practice, and not just the poses you see on instagram. As well as having a regular movement and meditation morning practice, I make sure that I continue to learn about yoga’s rich philosophy, heritage and cultural background. Yoga is more than just having a stretch, yoga is a state of mind and a way of life, which I am always mindful of maintaining.

Yoga is my passion and I'm determined to share this precious practice in an accessible, inclusive and authentic way, so that everyone is able to experience the profound benefits that I have and can have the tools to face whatever comes their way.

Flo X

Question Time!

We asked Flo some questions to help you get to know her....

What is your favourite yoga pose?

I get really tight hips so I always include a low lunge or a pigeon in my morning practice. For my favourite pose though, I think I'd have to say Tree pose, as it helps me to feel grounded and connected to the natural world.

How would you describe your style of teaching?

I like to think of my teaching as kid's yoga for adults - I love using lots of fun imagery to get people to be playful and let go of their self-consciousness while also teaching useful tools for the ups and downs of life as well as the beliefs and science behind them. I create flows that loosen and strengthen the body so your body can feel as fluid as a wave and as strong as an elephant, and leave your mind feeling as tranquil as a clear blue sky, with the knowledge of how to cope with a thunderstorm.

What is your favourite way to practice yoga off the mat?

Life happens off the mat, so yoga should too. I think my favourite way of doing this is to pay attention: by simply noticing the world around you, the ugly and the beautiful bits, with wonder and gratitude you can embody some of the key elements of yoga.

Where is the coolest place you have done yoga?

I once had the absolute privilege of going on a trip with school to Northern India and I got to practice at a monastry on top of a mountain at sunrise - which is pretty cool! (that's where the photo on my home screen was taken)