State of Flow

Dear Friend, Have you ever experienced a certain phenomenon when you’re so involved in what you’re doing that time seems to stretch unendingly? It’s as if the fabric of time stretches and somehow you have a LOT of it because you’re so focused. It’s as if you lose yourself in the activity because it is so enjoyable, and/or requires so much concentration that time stops. There’s actually a name for this state of being. It’s called “Flow”.

In 1975, a Hungarian psychologist (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) coined this state of consciousness “Flow”, and a lot of research has been done around this since then. He discovered that people find genuine satisfaction during a state of consciousness called Flow where they are completely absorbed in an activity, especially one which involves their creative abilities. This state has also been recognized in the sports field as “being in the Zone” resulting in the complete transformation of one’s sense of time.

I’ve especially experienced this while painting and being creative; in fact it’s happened that I look up to see the clock, and several hours have gone by without me realizing it! It’s fantastic when this happens! I highly recommend it.

"When you're in a state of Flow, the ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost," Csíkszentmihályi said in an interview with Wired magazine in 2017.

If you're interested in aiming for Flow while dancing, join me for a joy-filled hour of movement/music to get you started Join me for:Sunday morning Nia class. 9am Pacific, 10am Mountain, 11am Central/Mexico Can't come? No worries! Register anyway, and you'll have the replay available for 3 days to dance at your own leisure. Remember: no experience necessary. Just a deep desire to move and take that first step.