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.
***
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.
Read the full article!