We Tried It for You: Box + Flow
MAP MY RUN—Life is about balance — and this includes your workout. If you’re always going hard with heart-pumping, calorie-blasting HIIT classes, you might be neglecting a side of yourself that needs something more gentle, low impact and less intense overall. This was the thought-process behind New York City’s latest boutique studio, Box + Flow, which opened last November. After a decade of boxing and 15 years of yoga, founder Olivia “Liv” Young decided to combine her love of those two activities and address the duality of human nature.
“People have two sides: We’re a mix of grit and softness. In boxing, I can be super focused, fast-moving, sweaty, intense and aggressive, which is great for the body and the mind. In yoga, I’m forced to slow down, be more introspective and learn to listen to my body and intuition,” says Young, 30, who moved to New York City from Miami to attend culinary school at French Culinary Institute in 2009. “You build confidence with one and compassion with the other. Boxing closes off the body — for example, your shoulders are hunched inward — while yoga opens up your chest, heart and mind.”
