Flow Your Way to Happiness

Flow.jpg

Flow Your Way to Happiness

By Dr. Emily Splicha, Evidence Based Fitness Academy


Flow. Animal Flow? FlowFit? Vinyasa Flow?

Everyone in the fitness industry is "flowing," but is a movement flow state the same as a mental flow or a superfluidity state?

Does flowing through a series of yoga poses do the same to the brain waves as when a base jumper jumps off a cliff or when a surfer rides a 100 foot wave?

I would argue no.

Achieving a true flow state of mind does not simply mean you are doing a movement meditation.

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FLOW YOUR WAY TO HAPPINESS

Flow state of mind is a higher state of consciousness that lies between the anxiety caused by a challenge being too difficult and the boredom caused by the challenge being to easy. The mental state of flow is marked by peak creativity and a timelessness that is driven by risk, deep focus, and balance between challenge and skill. And then most importantly, flow is associated with a deep feeling of happiness.

"Happiness comes from within oneself." - Mihaly Csikszentmihaly

As the brain enters a flow state, brain waves shift from beta to alpha: theta border which is the only level in which gamma waves can exist. RGamma brain waves bind together far reaching ideas in our brain allowing faster creative processing and strategies.

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A great article! I miss that state I used to get from spearfishing at a high level in my 20's in South Africa. Many dives thinking am I going to make it out in one piece?, punching sharks, rough sea conditions. Now I only get it from running if I am going into mountains or pushing my limits.
Punching sharks?
 
Punching sharks?
Yeah, there are a lot of sharks in our seas, and sometimes they get up really close fast. Couple of mates have even had to punch Great Whites, or as we call them Great Frights! My uncle is one of the very few people to have had two Great White attacks.

Hope this does not go off topic, but when you have to be so hyper aware of your surroundings, including how every fish is reacting all the time, you are totally in the present moment and you get into a very Zen state. Plus add long slow deep breathing with very long breath holds. And do that for 6-9 hours in a session, you get massive flow.
 
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Yeah, there are a lot of sharks in our seas, and sometimes they get up really close fast. Couple of mates have even had to punch Great Whites, or as we call them Great Frights! My uncle is one of the very few people to have had two Great White attacks.

Hope this does not go off topic, but when you have to be so hyper aware of your surroundings, including how every fish is reacting all the time, you are totally in the present moment and you get into a very Zen state. Plus add long slow deep breathing with very long breath holds. And do that for 6-9 hours in a session, you get massive flow.
Where do you punch them? Nose, eyes, gills?

I guess the tend to swim away after that? What am I saying, I guess?!

Was your uncle attacked on two separate occasions or by two sharks at the same time. Either way, wow!
 
Where do you punch them? Nose, eyes, gills?

I guess the tend to swim away after that? What am I saying, I guess?!

Was your uncle attacked on two separate occasions or by two sharks at the same time. Either way, wow!
When a big shark charges you in 5m visibility water, you hit whatever you can!
My uncle was attacked on 2 separate occasions. http://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1983.08.20.a-Louw.pdf
But I stopped this as i got out of my 20's and matured abit (LOL). Out of my circle of dive buddies, there was one great white encounter every weekend. It was pretty hectic and only later once you speak to normal, well adjusted people do you realise how hairy the whole thing is. But for perspective, I have always claimed that the most dangerous part of diving is the drive to the coast, it just that we think travelling 100kph in a tin can is normal.
 
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Cool that they have a library of shark attacks detailing the event. Love the drawing of the bite wounds. Would be better if they showed pictures of the real boo-boos. Teasing!
 
be so hyper aware of your surroundings, including how every fish is reacting all the time, you are totally in the present moment and you get into a very Zen state.

Exactly,
Free diving gives you exactly the same sensations. If your not 100% zen and on the present moment, you loose concentration. Than any mistake or over reaction drive you to à one way to depths....
 
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Exactly,
Free diving gives you exactly the same sensations. If your not 100% zen and on the present moment, you loose concentration. Than any mistake or over reaction drive you to à one way to depths....
Exactly the same! I once shared a flat with a guy who had a freediving world record and we dived a lot together but my nerves weren't up to those crazy depths.
 
for me "flow experience" needs at least 15 to 20 minutes of barefoot running on forest or wild path where debris or chaotic type of path need total concentration.

before those let's say 20 minutes, I'm not on to it, or enough unplugged from my day.
after that it's quite quick, your body and brain know you're there to have fun.

during long runs or trails, after one and alf hour on this kind of environment, i begin to loose focus. a too or two start to hit roots, or rocks.
it's usually a signal, to refocus again, or to find a quick short cut ;-) or to walk a little bit to find more energy.

RV.
(15 years of freediving in a previous life;-)