I will admit, before Saturday I was vaguely unaware of the Flow Arts community. I’d seen fire dances at events, but I had no idea the community at large was so vast and so intricately connected.

The library is a fascinating place to work because it brings in eclectic and passionate people on the regular. We are blessed to have a recording studio setup in our location (and yes, it’s free to use – how awesome is that!?), which attracts all sorts of people using it to record music, make movies, stream podcasts, launch videoblogs, etc. This is how I met Chris and Raye, the co-hosts of the Flow and Grow Podcast.

In the Podcast, Raye and Chris talk a lot on how flow has helped them in their everyday lives to keep a positive mindset and connection to a community.

“We call this Flow and Grow Podcast because without flow both of us would not be at the point of our lives that we have grown to love.” – Chris

The Power of Flow Arts as Positive Replacement Habits

One of the first things I noticed when I met Chris was his genuine kindness and openness to sharing and spreading his passion for flow arts. When I asked him about their podcast, he shared how flow arts has helped him stay sober for 5 years now, and he wants to share the freedom and community it brought to his life with people he meets.

“Growth is a huge part of our life and I personally believe #flowarts can help anybody find a higher outlook on life!” – Chris

When Chris feels the urge to drink, he spins instead. He calls this “trigger tying,” or replacing negative habits with positive ones. Instead of participating in something that only takes life from him, he repurposes that energy into creating something that gives life.

Spreading the Fire

When I met Raye, her smile alone was evidence enough of just how much joy the flow arts bring to her life. Raye got her start in flow while participating in the Cincinnati Circus, and eventually made her way to Denver to be around more sunlight (Denver averages 245 days of sunshine per year, can you blame her?).

When I told Raye that I was new to flow and didn’t know much about it, she immediately took out her fire stick and brought me into the green room to have me TRY IT OUT FOR MYSELF. (Don’t worry, there was no fire involved.)

Before doing anything else, here she was was taking the time and generously sharing her talents and equipment for me to experience the power of flow first-hand.

When life gets hard, Raye says she “just keeps spinning.” And I love that.