Fresh back from a flow walk for the first time…yes, a walk with the intention of putting me into flow which truthfully worked so I thought write this post use that flow creativity and get it on paper.
Listening to Steven Kotler who has written much about flow also the founder of the flow research collective on the Feel Better, Live More podcast by Dr Chatterjee and was inspired to give it a try right there and then.
So what is a flow walk well essentially it’s a walk with intention of putting you into a flow state. Now you may ask what is flow? You might have heard of it before as something that extreme athletes can achieve, or real creatives can access but we all have experienced it from time to time if only for a fleeting few seconds.
Flow is the state of mind where your completely immersed or in the zone. Where you’re performing some activity where your fully immersed and have an energised focus, full involvement and your enjoying it. Coined by positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Flow (1990). The state occurs when we are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter, your so present and you enjoy it so much that the world, problems and life melt away. Its so enjoyable most people will seek it out or continue doing the activity that induces flow at great cost just so they can continue (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
You may have caught a glimpse if in your life when you were so immersed in an activity at work, reading, sport or leisure that the world seemed to melt away, you lost track of time and you found yourself smiling throughout. It fosters pure creativity and joy. It’s the experience you have had at work where everything was clicking you effortlessly moved from task to task or where you had idea upon idea flow out of you without real effort. Studies have found that the people who experience flow on a regular basis lead happier, healthier and more satisfied lives.
So back to my walk with the intention of cultivating flow. I have had flow experiences numerous times more often when I am running, swimming or exercising for extended periods (back in my long-distance triathlon days) and although I don’t think I was fully aware of how joyful and powerful the experience was I now recognise that flow was a big driver of my commitment to distance sport – I was trying to get into flow. I also have found it can occur when I am immersed in creativity from writing to creating jewellery or crafts – I can easily lose track of time become fully immersed and live-in flow briefly.
After listening to this podcast, I thought I definitely need more of this in my life and set out for a walk with the intention of creating flow. Steven Kotler prescribed on the podcast how to do this quite simply.
1. Go for a walk/hike or calming activity in nature for about 20 minutes or until its ‘quiet upstairs’. Soften your mind, no distractions, walk with the intention of listening the sounds, nature. As you walk your mind will soften, you will discover the birds, the air, the nature around us.
2. Move vigorously – in my case I ran hard so I was breathing hard for a few minutes; anywhere between a few to five minutes is sufficient to release natural painkillers.
3. Finally do something that is new/novel or risky to get a small dopamine release. New/novel could just be a new activity or skill and risky meaning you may hurt yourself when executing the skill. I found a log and tried standing on it an rolling which was new/novel and difficult with slight risk of falling and so quickly I found myself in flow – smiling from ear to ear.
As we move into flow stress hormones are flushed out of our system – aka you’re automatically resetting the nervous system, which also boosts the immune system. It heightens creativity, motivation and increase overall wellbeing and satisfaction. Flow is when we feel most alive, (Kotler, 2021).
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”
- Csikszentmihalyi, 1990
References:
Steven Kotler – The Art of Impossible on Feel Better, Live More podcast with Dr Chatterjee. Episode 189.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1990. Flow