What is Flow?

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Flowing Water…to issue or move in a stream, CIRCULATE: to move with a continual change of place among the constituent particles.

There is also a psychological state of Flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines Flow as the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.

After a year of learning about the Alexander Technique, which is a method of proper use of the body, I believe the concept of “flow” is also applicable to the body. “Proper” posture is not a position to be held statically, but a flow of alert poise from moment to moment.

Can these concepts be joined in a gestalt theme covering body, mind and spirit? I believe so.

Let’s start with the use of the body. The Alexander Technique examines body use from a natural point of view, that is, taking the animal state of poise each of us inherits and learning to apply it consciously. When actor and F. M. Alexander lost his voice repeatedly after long soliloquies, he learned from painstaking self-examination that his neck was contracting into a “startle” position, like a frightened animal, during the stress of acting performances.

Further experience demonstrated that simply relaxing the neck into its natural position wasn’t enough. He had to remain in the pilot’s seat, what he later called “primary control”, the “the central co-ordinating agency built into our very essence and fundament.” (from David Gorman) Mr. Gorman continues by describing how primary control originates evolutionarily from the dawn of organized species. From the slug on up, primary control directed them as it still directs us.

The part of the brain which controls this body awareness is primitive, buried deeply in the middle of the brain. Normal consciousness, with its analytical process, cannot touch it. One cannot “think” themselves into this central state of awareness. The subjective experience of this state feels like “letting into a flow”. A flow of what? That’s where is becomes more complicated. A flowing body with no where to go gets bored quickly!

I have found that as I gained balance and poise in my body, I was able to be more present mentally as well. My mind followed my body’s lead, and relaxed into the moment. My whole being now has a better chance of evolving from this gained awareness.

After reading much of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s wonderful book, Flow, The Psychology of Optimal Experience, I believe the three parts of body/mind/spirit are really just different angles of the same structure. Just as a box cannot be a box with a side or two missing, we cannot be reduced to one part without losing the entire meaning of “a life”.

Mihaly defines flow as a state of concentrated but contented occupation, with clearly defined goals, reasonable challenges, and evidence of achievement. He interviewed thousands of people about what they feel when they are experiencing optimal enjoyment and absorption in an activity. No matter what someone is doing, from sex to sports to chess; if they are focused and directed, they are fulfilled. Having a goal is not the reason for their contentment, it is the process. Personal descriptions of this state include: transcendence, unselfconsciousness, alertness, confidence, enjoyment, satisfaction and fulfillment.

Seen from this view, the subjective feeling of our lives gains meaning and quality. People who have meaning in their lives are fulfilled. It has nothing to do with money or fame or power. Happy people are happy because they are fulfilled. Period. And those people are more loving, peaceful, forgiving and generous, all of which are symptoms of a rich spirit.

So, we started with the importance of poise and flow in the body, then explored flow for the mind, which, in turn, creates flow for the spirit. Three balanced sides completes the equation.

It may seem like a cop out to define a healthy spirit in terms of a healthy body awareness and life direction. As a person becomes grounded and connected to the world around, her ability to reach out and heal others becomes a natural inclination. As deep fulfillment grows, the more universal Self begins to supercede the personal self. If the goals are shallow and selfish, then he cannot tap into that goodness so easily.

Once again, the idea of spirituality can be defined by observable and knowable concepts. A spiritual person is one who has found balance and poise in their body, mind, goals, talents and desires. As each part comes to life, the whole being is enhanced, and their spirit grows accordingly. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Happiness is not a goal, it is the path.” Perhaps that could be rephrased as, “Happiness is not in the goal, it is in the flow”.

May your body, mind and life flow toward fulfillment and a glowing spirit.

My Second Blog Birthday (belated)

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March 13, 2005 is the date of my first post on this blog. Since I am famous for not finishing things, I’m proud to be here two years later, still writing, creating, thinking, “glittering”. I almost lost touch a few times, but each time I return, it feels more solid, like something I can keep doing.

Blogs are a wonder of the Internet. They help people get in touch with themselves, with others, even create new identities through which to find their true selves, for better or worse. “Garnet” has helped me cultivate a healing part of myself. I hope the little sparks I create here do their part to change the world a bit, one post at a time.

Sincerely,
Garnet David

Uniqueness

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Now that it’s almost Spring, I thought I’d honor my favorite part of Winter…
Snow Crystal 1

Snowflakes swirl down from a midnight sky,
whipped cream spirals in a bowl of indigo.
This glowing cornucopia unravels into silver needles
of splintered light, tiny crystalline doilies, saucered tales
from Pacific swells, Gulf Streams eons old,
phantom cauldrons rising up to bitter cold,
churned by Alberta Clippers, El Niños, Nor’ Easters,
mountains of air with volcanic force
as vicious and blue as hurled steel beams; yet
these latticed keys from distant rooms ride as
lightly as butterfly wings. Each hexagonal dream,
uniquely knitted by whispers of thought,
giggles down and adds its price to the muted ground,
to perhaps be wondered at briefly
before disappearing forever.

Snow Crystal 2

The Perfect First Post Ever

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Since I just wrote a post on the importance of the Breath, I did a search for other posts which mention breathing. Up came my friend Liz’s first post, ever, from July, 2005. It’s called Breathing Room. One of my favorite quotes ever comes from the end of this short little post. Liz writes, “When I give my soul a little breathing room . . .everyone I know gets nicer.” Thank you, Liz, for your part in helping me find my way. ghl

The Cycle of Breathing

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Breath HemispheresAs I lay in bed one night, unable to sleep, I decided to watch my breath as a mediation. Not only is breathing vital to living, it holds the path to relaxation and ultimately can help us gain control over our lives. Symbolically, it represents various cycles of life: birth-death, day-night, Summer-Winter.

The delicate complexity of natural breathing is easily flummoxed by attention from the breather. It needs to be observed rather passively. It’s like looking for a star in the night sky which can only be seen by gazing slightly away from the actual object of attention.

If you wish to observe your own breathing cycle, you first need to be “in the room”, completely relaxed, present in the space you fill. Be aware of the parts of the room you cannot see, to the sides and behind you. Now you can sense the three-dimensionality of your breath from the breath and body itself, rather than from any “ideas” you read in this post. Keep your mind out of your body’s way while you observe it.

While lying in bed, I relax my awareness into the room (with eyes open). I allow my body to soften to the point I feel I am melting into the mattress. I feel heavy. My mind stops thinking, and I allow my body to do its own thing. My eyes, nose, sinuses, throat, chest and abdomen relax deeply, sinking into the bed. All my limbs follow suit. (It is possible to do this sitting in a chair or standing, but it’s harder to allow the body to relax as deeply.)

I take a huge breath and sigh out. Near the end of this exhale, the breath seems to stop for a few seconds. It does not, in fact, stop. The breath naturally lingers at its end. The exhale slows dramatically, but continues almost imperceptibly for a number of seconds. So there is no “end” of the breath, really. It just slows to a dead calm as the body prepares for the next inhalation. Be gently aware of this beautiful sighing diminuendo and enjoy it. Let it linger as long as it needs to build the energy for the next inhalation. It may be surprisingly long, anywhere from one or two seconds to 20 seconds or more, depending on how relaxed you are and how deeply you are breathing.

Before the inhalation begins, there is a desire, a warm yearning behind the heart. This “need” is a wonderful, deep and satisfying feeling, especially just before the inhalation beings. It’s impending fulfillment gives it a glowing anticipation. As this need begins to fulfill itself, the breath will appear to fill from the inside out, as if by itself. The reason for this feeling is that the body and mind are not interfering with the process. The muscles are working naturally. When this happened to me, I felt giddy, as if witnessing some rare, shy bird emerge from hiding within a tree.

The breath will fill effortlessly. Give in to it. Relax into it. This is tricky during observation. Depending on how relaxed and calm you are, the back will expand and fill along with the stomach and pelvis. The breath will fill under the arms and up into the tops of the shoulders. Remember to “let” this happen, don’t interfere. It’s amazing how much the body can expand and open to accommodate a full, deep breath. You may notice the neck and spine “gathering”, shortening. If lying on a bed, your head will slide down the pillow as the body expands.

Remember, don’t “make” anything happen. Just notice. Keep the attention in the room as this miraculous process of breathing happens. Keep the chattering, possessing mind from scaring the shy bird away. If it does interfere, that’s OK. There are more breaths to come. Look forward, not back. This is a wonderful process. Enjoy it. There’s plenty of air to go around, at least for awhile longer.

Now we are at the top of the breath. The inhalation can take anywhere from 2 to 15 seconds. As with the out breath, it will slow as the lungs fill. What happens now?

The turn from inhale to exhale is subtle. It is merely a change of angle, not backtracking the path of inhalation. Again, the breath never stops, anytime. It moves in a circle, or perhaps a wave. Try not to hold the breath at the top. I think of this part of the breath as being at the top of a slow motion roller coaster ride. There’s a moment where you feel weightless. It’s fleeting but unmistakable. The greatest “lift” is right after the top. So it is with the breath. There will be a floating sensation at the curve from inhale toward exhale, and before you know it, you are deflating. Here again, the feeling will come from behind the heart, as if the air is just disappearing from inside you. There is no pushing, no effort.

As you ride the breath down again to the bottom curve, your may notice your body elongating as it closes into the next cycle. This is natural and normal. The speed of exhale will slow gradually as the lungs empty. We are again at the bottom of the breath, the sweet diminuendo before the next cycle turns.

There is no beginning, no end. The breath is like a wave, or a turning wheel. Learning to be aware of something so intrinsic to who we are can engender a calm attitude and deep satisfaction. From there we can direct ourselves almost anywhere.

May you Breathe Deeply and Live Deeply.