Life in Flow vs Flow in Life: What’s the Real Difference?

Life In Flow Podcast

Always in Flow?

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Always in Flow?

Is there a difference between life in flow and flow in life?

Yulia Bogdanova, Life In Flow, Irina Mishina, and CoachingbyPolina

Jul 24, 2025

Greetings from Polina, Yulia and Irina!

We’re back with the second episode of Life in Flow podcast.

This time, we’re asking a simple but slippery question:
Is there a difference between life in flow and flow in life?

At first glance, it sounds like wordplay. But once we got talking, Pandora’s box opened.

For Yulia, living in flow meant not that things were easy, but that they felt aligned:

“The challenges feel more coherent. It’s like—this challenge belongs.”

Polina wondered if “challenge” was the right word at all.

“Challenge has a certain frequency in the nervous system. Sometimes I reframe it as: what’s the opportunity here? How can I have more fun with this?”

Irina brought in a metaphor:

”Surfing life—not forcing it, but tuning in to what wants to emerge and gently steering. A dance between surrender and co-creation,” she said."

And what about free will?

Do we choose to live in flow—or does flow choose us?

Yulia described lying down by a tree after wandering aimlessly, lured by strange fern shoots that “looked like aliens.”

“I didn’t plan it. I just followed. And then I ended up exactly where I needed to be.”

Irina responded:

“To me, that is exercising your will. You allow yourself to surrender. And your energy becomes part of the flow.”

Polina added another layer:

“But even focus—what we pay attention to—can be shaped by forces beyond us,” she said. “Is it really my will that I’m following, or something that’s already been shaping me?”