Flow & Balance: Find Your Own Rhythm! – We spoke with Barbi Molnár about immersive yoga

At CODE, we take movement to a whole new level: thematically structured yoga sessionsare accompanied by light background music and atmospheric projections, blending the flow experience with the fundamentals of spinal yoga. The class concludes with a singing bowl relaxation session—the vibrations of the singing bowls release tension and aid in inward focus. Why should you start practicing immersive yoga now? This is one of the things that comes out of the conversation.

I’ve been practicing yoga for over ten years, and for the past five years I’ve been working as a yoga instructor specializing in spinal, flow, and sound bowl therapy, and for the past three years here in Veszprém. 

It’s hard to sum it up in just a few sentences, since there are quite a few arguments in its favor. If I had to highlight the most important benefits, they would definitely be stress reduction, improved posture, core muscle strengthening, and increased flexibility. 

It has a wealth of positive physiological effects on both a mental and physical level. I don’t think there’s a single person who doesn’t feel stressed, rush around, or try to maintain a balance between work, family, and friends in their daily life. Yoga offers a solution precisely for this: it brings you back to the present, calms the nervous system, and, last but not least, brings about physical changes as well. Breathing exercises are also of particular importance to me; they bring you even more firmly back to the present, helping the body relax and improve focus.

The lights and sounds help practitioners focus inward; they make it easier to quiet their thoughts and bring them back to the present moment. I believe that in today’s world, it is particularly difficult to switch off your thoughts, but these special effects provide tremendous help in doing so. 

As I have mentioned, what makes the immersive space unique is that not only sound but also light cues support inward focus. At the same time, these stimuli can sometimes pose a bit of an extra challenge, especially during balancing exercises and asanas. The open space and the collective movement can be a huge motivating force for me: there’s a completely different energy when so many people are practicing together in unison. By taking advantage of the space’s unique characteristics, a kind of supportive, sustaining environment is also created. 

I think starting with an immersive lesson can be a really great experience, because it makes it much easier for them to get into the practice. The unique space, the lights, and the sounds help the participants 'relax”'from the very first moment, and not worry about whether they’re doing the poses correctly. This whole experience provides a kind of support: it’s easier to let go of tension, it’s easier to connect with your own body and breath, and the kind of presence that is the foundation of yoga develops much more naturally. This way, beginners don’t just get a class, but a positive first impression, which can also shape how they feel about yoga later on.

It’s important not to worry—you don’t have to be flexible to do yoga, and everyone has to start somewhere. The key is to dare to give it a try; the rest will come with regular practice!

Unique, flowing, soothing.