What Is Flow & Why We Need It?
Flow is “An optimal way of being and consciousness.” Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi -
It’s a way of being & doing that means we befriend fear and go from force to flow.
Why am I passionate about Flow?
Because it’s our path to our best selves, it’s a way of being, doing, and reaching our best selves rooted in science and ancient wisdom. We move from force to flow and freedom to unlock our unlimited self.
It’s the way to unlock the neuro-physiology that allows us to activate and access our innate wisdom, intuition and peak performance and allows us to quieten the critical mind and be present in the moment. A beautiful Zen state.
9 Conditions for Flow, but can you regulate your nervous system to achieve it?
Flow is an optimal state of being and consciousness where we feel and perform at our best - as state formally written about by Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and the path to self-actualisation. Many sports people refer to this as being in the ‘zone’.
By awakening your flow, you can become unlimited, whole and intuitive. It is our natural, joyous, creative state, and we all deserve to live in it. There are nine parts or components to achieving flow. In summary, it feels like time slows down, your focus is fully on the item, you have no fear, and some say that you become the thing you are doing. I.E., you are the surf.
The second part of Flow is the ability to connect with others for the highest good.
But not all Flow is equal: Passive vs. Active Flow
Some flow can be thought of as passive flow. This is when we unconsciously consume things like food and drink and endlessly scroll social media or TV that do not add to our cognitive abilities or relaxation. Instead, these are sensory overload and can bypass our need to get to the bottom of emotions when we do it to numb pain.
‘Going with the flow’ in a resigned and helpless state of mind should also be avoided. This comes from a shadow, child or victimhood place and will deplete your energy and power. Have you ever been in a meeting or at home with a parent or partner, and rather than stating your point, you say nothing as if you feel you won’t be heard? Or worse, you're in the habit of giving too much and often find yourself people-pleasing and saying yes when you want to scream ‘NO’, then feel depleted in your energy. This is a resigned flow, and it’s unhealthy for you, your health, and others, especially if you are a parent or leader.
“Your yeses mean nothing if you cannot say no.” - Gabor Mate
Active or Positive Flow is the real Flow that I hope to help you create in your body. This will help you ground, cultivate calmness in chaos, and become playful and curious. Flow is the means to open to your genius and is a way of being that leads to positive and optimal states. Then, we can ‘positively go with the flow’.
Flow is scientifically proven, this state is cultivated by high-performance individuals and embodied by unique, adventurous and enlightened souls.
Research proves that:
Strategic Problem-Solving increased 500x with a state of flow (McKinsey, International Consultancy – Decade Long study, 2013).
A plethora of research proves that effective meditation techniques positively change the cranial brain structure and provide increased cognitive flexibility, creativity, memory and attention.
The Way: Flow is a way of being & doing.
What does Flow mean for you?
For me, Flow is an archetypal energy that has chased me all my life. In the end, I stopped and began to be led by it. Now I work and co-create with it.
Have you met your Flow? Where have you felt it?
The invitation is to extend that to all the parts of your life and ask, ‘What in me needs to shift so I can invite flow into my life?’.
What in me stops me from being in the flow?
Can I befriend Fear to get into this beautiful state?
Can I regulate my nervous system & energy to get into a Flow state? ‘ Flow starts in the body, not our mind.
We cannot force the mind, but we can navigate it to enter the right brainwave state from a regulated place. Learn to encode your mind, body, and energy to flow. Learn the AFLOW method.
“Be the Flow. Be in the being of Flow. Cultivate flow through your whole being to make the doing easy. That is active Flow: That is the way” - Nila.
What else do I teach to awaken flow?
With Neuroscience, I teach you how to effortlessly switch the gears of your brain to flow to your chosen task and empower you with effective embodiment tools to flow, create, and manifest.
Somatic Work & Vagus Nerve: These techniques ease your nervous system, which holds your stress and where your brain receives 80% of its information. There is a brain-body connection, but it is afferent, which means the body sends the information to it first. I focus on Vagus Nerve regulation, the emotional regulation nerve and the one area that predicts long-term health recovery and self-mastery in the moment. This work is foundational to flow.
Ancient Wisdom & Intuition and non-local intuition.
Intuition is our natural superpower, gifts, and central compass to our authentic truth, but we have forgotten how to use and train them over the years. Learning to switch on your (non-local) intuitive intelligence means you’ll never second-guess yourself. Non-local intuition goes beyond the level of our five senses. It is a ‘knowing’ from a source outside you, backed by the science of Intuition. However, we cannot trust our gut intuition if we are not regulated, and that is why somatic work is so important to flow and intuition.
To learn more about Flow, its components, how I link it to unlock our best self, and how to activate them in your life personally or for the team, reach out. I have a course or talk for you.