How to Find More Flow - And a Free Live Event

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Flow - The Art of Effortless Absorption

And Your Invitation to a Free Live Event - Details Below

At some point during our sessions together, many people ask to work on what we might call ‘being in flow’. This can be a wide and vast exploration, but to some extent we can all recognise what it is to be in something of this state, and what it is to feel our flow is becoming stuck or blocked.

Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.

~Lao Tzu

We can observe the concept of flow from both a scientifically researched perspective and from a spiritual or energetic one - both pointing to a state which when we find it can feel enormously creative and fulfilling, opening and enlightening, and from which we can find ourselves being carried simply yet powerfully toward our desired destination.

When in flow we open to the possibility of something - and get out of the way to allow it to happen. 

I work with people from all walks of life, many who are involved in performance and the arts, or who are leaders in their profession and who are familiar with the flow states necessary for high-level functioning. Often people who need a particular kind of clarity of thinking - to be able to convince others of projects and funding needs, to make speeches, to write, to perform, to compose and make art, to solve high-level problems - but who still hit up against blocks and stuckness in certain areas, sometimes in front of hundreds or even thousands of people, or just as an important deadline is approaching. And isn't this all of us? At some point we can all hit up against something that could be described as blockages to the flow.

It's not ideal. It can be incredibly painful even. And often that’s exactly when I get the call to help.

In order to write this I had to dive deep into what I know about this state for myself. And in examining it I came to my description of 'flow’ below. I'd also love to know yours if you'd like to share it.

The point at which you become so absorbed in an activity that your ‘personal’ self disappears into the background, allowing a moment by moment intuitive or unconscious adjustment of the action, in order to move forward towards a goal.

It’s those moments when we are able to let something other than ‘us’ take the lead; flow has a quality of timelessness, of no-self, and of a deep and satisfying absorption.

It is best not try to do something called 'flow', but instead, become open to being the flow.

There are many who have spent entire careers dedicated to understanding this process. In his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi gives us this description:

“Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.”

Even in his cerebral approach to the subject, there are times where the science of what he describes gives way to something harder to describe.

This morning, in a show of wonderful irony, I dived into a flow of writing and became so deeply absorbed that I almost missed a class I was teaching at lunchtime. It’s a state I know well and teach my clients to know too. And my note to self and to you - if you have something to get to, an alarm pulling you out of a flow state can also be helpful.

Why More Flow? Many of my clients are already familiar with flow states, but would like to access them more often, more reliably, and more easily. When flow feels blocked, people often describe a sense of frustration: becoming distracted easily, struggling to get to grips with a project, feeling unable to focus or getting pulled off course. But ultimately, they're not unfamiliar with flow itself, just unable to access it reliably in certain contexts.

You'll already be aware, I'm sure, that learning to access flow states effectively can support us in many areas of life, increases a sense of settling into life, contentment, and for many, a deep sense of joy. Importantly, it brings a greater sense of ease and effortlessness to our activities and tasks, along with access to a wealth of creativity for those who want more of that too.

Finding the Perfect Balance into Flow Csikszentmihalyi offers us a model in which he shows that one way ‘flow’ can be accessed is through a perfect balance of challenge (or stress) and skill. It is in the zone that we can most easily drop into what can be experienced as flow.

Too much challenge and a person pops out of flow into anxiety; too little and one becomes bored and the mind can wander.

When you consider it now, where are you on the chart when flow is hard to find?

Increasing Your Chances

The first step is to notice what is going on for yourself. What do I want to achieve here, and what feels like the tension or block? And to ask, if this changed, what would be better about that?

And then these points can be helpful to consider:

Remove distractions - in order to drop into flow you will need a clear stretch of uninterrupted time.

Find the stretch - pitch the task to just beyond your current ability, then chunk down the task if the challenge is too great and you’re tipping into anxiety, or step it up if there’s a sense of too much ease.

Use ritual, anchors and transition cues - I don’t love suggesting lucky charms (if you’re a sports person or a performer you’ll understand that a reliance on anything external can be a problem if you mislay or forget it at some point), but a playlist, a short breathing practice or a tidy desk, signals to the nervous system that it’s time for business, and you can shorten this or let it go over time.

Set a clear immediate goal with fast feedback - know what you need to do, trust your sense of whether it’s working as you go, and adjust accordingly. (you can think of a rock climber - the foot goes on and tests for solidity, if not, it automatically looks for another hold. The body and mind sensing and adjusting what’s needed)

Work with your natural energy rhythms - my magic time is always before 1pm. I am far more energised, inspired and focused in the morning and can drop into a flow state far more easily during this window. What about you? Notice when focus comes more easily and protect that window for yourself.

You Are Invited

Free Event: Accessing Flow States: A 45-Min Teaching and Guided Practice to Help You Clear the Path and Find Your Flow

If this exploration interests you, I’m holding a free live event on Insight Timer next Thursday 6th August at 7pm.

You can sign up here: https://insig.ht/Kk9KqYX964b

You can either join from a desktop connection or via the Insight Timer app on your phone. Just search for my name or click the link above. I recommend setting a reminder in your calendar as Insight Timer doesn’t generally send reminders for scheduled events.

I also hold weekly non-sleep-deep-rest sessions, which for the next month are on Thursdays at 1pm BST/8am EDT/10pm AEST. Just click this link HERE to to follow me on the platform, or search for my profile ‘Kirsty Macdonald', to see the schedule on my Insight Timer profile directly. '

It’s similar to a webinar format. When you join, do say hi by typing into the comments box and feel free to ask any questions as we go, or feel free to drop me a note after at kirsty@infinityrising.org. 

This has been a long email. If you've read to the end, thank you! If this has stired something in you and you're interested in how I can help, do get in touch. Just hit reply to this email or book a free initial conversation and we can take things from there. And feel free to forward this to anyone else who might be interested.

Book a Free Conversation

With warmth,

Kirsty

Kirsty Macdonald Transformational Coach, Therapist and Embodiment Teacher www.KirstyMacdonald.co.uk

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