Yesterday we spoke about the flow state. You know, that magical place where you are fully present, and everything seems to happen effortlessly. It appears as some higher intelligence powers your entire human expression.
It gets better. Interestingly enough, even your mind happily joins the party. So, instead of another random mind attack about something even more random, you may get this type of thought:
So, what do you feel like effortlessly doing right now?
Seriously, it’s a magical place to be. It makes the human expression feels so wonderfully perfect. But then, you may notice a familiar “how to” type of thoughts. Now, that you tasted the sweet flow state elixir of the gods, you want more. And a lot of it. So, you find something that appears attractive to you, and decide you want to “effortlessly” have it. After all, in this flow state, everything is effortless, right?
Next, you realize you need to do something about it. You know, to get things in motion. But then, you face the other side of the human expression. The non-flow side. The how to part. All of a sudden, the flow is gone. You are stuck. And, you have absolutely no idea what to do next. Congrats! you are now officially in the non-flow state.
“What?!?! You promised me flow state”, says the mind. “Well, I could not expect anything less…from you”. And before you know it, a little grey cloud is covering the sun. In fact, it seems a bit foggy now. A new storm is coming?
Not today. Let’s take a deeper look at this mysterious flow state. Now, that we know how much we enjoyed our stay, will we be accepted as permanent residents here?
The Thoughts Hunter
Have you ever tried to meditate in the midst of the day? Right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle? Seriously, sometimes I feel like everyone can hear my busy noisy mind planing all sort of plots and schemes. Or in other words, extremely “important” insignificant random things.
“I need to apologize again for waking you up this morning. But, it wasn’t entirely my fault. I tried to meditate, but my mind was busy. I swear, it will never happen again.”
Well, Oops!…I Did It Again! Today, as a part of a group meditation, right after my morning workout. Did I mention I also took a new pre workout?
So here’s my experience. Right into the meditation. (Notice how thoughts come sometimes with I, and sometimes with you).
I close my eyes, feeling this familiar loving space. Yup, feeling good.
Then, a very important thought about my favorite spicy peppers came.
“Should I go the store and get them?”
Well,” another thought came. “Its after Christmas. They won’t be fresh, and it’s not on the way home. You will waste your time”.
“Yes, but the store I usually go to never has these peppers…” (Mind is right, I mean, it’s the same chain, just a different location, and yet, no peppers. Common guys, what is up with that?!?!)
And my mind was keep analyzing the situation back and forward with such impressive consistency and attention to details, that I am sure NASA can really benefit from it too. (A note to NASA guys…If you guys read this, and want to offer me a position to join that research team that doesn’t exist, there’s a possibility I will not say no).
I think I can stop here. You get the picture. (Even though these chocolate habanero peppers are a true wonder.)
It’s a Beautiful Mind
This simple example teaches us something truly amazing. It’s about the beauty of observing our thoughts. In particular, when we do not place any judgement. This means we strip down all meaning from thoughts. Just looking. Just letting your mind be. And, this is where the magic happens.
Because now, without meaning, there are no good or bad thoughts. Just a pure beautiful human expression which you can watch. And, it’s a very unique experience. It’s your own human mind!
Think about this for a minute. How exciting this is! We have access to such incredible “technology” that actually “think” and we can witness that. In fact, our mind demonstrates more intelligence than any supercomputer we currently know. Holding mysteries the finest human minds of our time are not even close to uncover or figure out. It’s our beautiful mind.
Now, it is very likely you will notice thoughts that judge the previous thoughts. And that is even more intriguing. Why? Because you can then even experience that side of the human expression. The side that qualifies, analyzes and judges. This can expose all sort of beliefs and ideas you may have picked unconsciously over the years. And, there’s no effort on your behalf. Just let your mind “speak”. Sit back, watch, and enjoy the best show in the universe.
Well, to be 100% accurate, there’s one thing you need to do. The only thing you need to do, is to pay attention to these thoughts. And if you find yourself drifting off or thinking about spicy peppers, that’s fine too. Because you are aware that you “lost your attention” which means you got your attention back. Life is good. Especially when there are chocolate habanero peppers on your plate for dinner.
Me, my Mind, and I
I have found that this simple exercise significantly helps minimizing these instances where my mind just wander around, jumping from one thought to another. Even more, I would even be brave enough to say this practice optimizes my entire cognitive function.
Perhaps, when you place no judgment or bombard your brain with all sort of goals you are strongly attached to, you create a safe place where the mind can freely express itself. Apparently, this includes the release of tension in the form of thoughts. Perhaps, this is where you also enter the flow state.
On the flip side, what happens when you put a goal to your mediation? A desired outcome, or something you would like to experience, if you will. For example, in today’s meditation, I want to have no thoughts at all. I want to be empty. Or, I want to experience this or that. A mystical experience, or this out of body thing.
Well, would you agree then, that by doing so, you are basically inviting your mind to the party? And don’t be surprised if it also brings “how to” type of thoughts with it. Perhaps with a bit of the critical voice infused with a not-so-gentle sarcastic mind attack. Are these “unwelcome” guests you don’t want in your party? Not necessarily. Remember, there are no good or bad thoughts. They all serve a purpose. They all a part of the human expression. Just a different experience. Our mind is wonderful. It’s a true wonder.
Tapping into Higher Intelligence
So now, let’s talk about the flow state. After having a few profound “flow state” experiences, one thing became very clear to me.
The end results were not typical to me. And, the results were secondary to the experience. In fact, it felt almost as the outcome didn’t matter at all. It was all about the experience. And it was simply wonderful and perfect and whole. It’s like when you’re smiling and the whole world smiles with you. Effortlessly.
As I mentioned, there was very little effort on my behalf. The “how to” thoughts didn’t come with a question mark. On the contrary, there was barely any debate of how to do things. Things just seemed to happen and I was happily playing along.
This reminds me a perfect ocean day. You know, when the water is so clear you can see everything in HD. Then, the temperature is just so right, you constantly have to check if your bathing suit is even on. You find yourself swimming (effortlessly of course) with turtles, dolphins, and other gorgeous sea creatures. In fact, what did I just see? Was that…a mermaid?
The Keys to the Flow State
So, no effort, yet, impressive results. “Hmmm”, wonders your mind. “I want more of this please. In fact, I want it all. How can we recreate this? How can we live in this flow state all the time?”
Indeed, after you tasted the sweet “flow state” nectar of the gods, you want more. You want it all the time. But before we jump into the drawing board and carefully work on a blueprint with all the steps, a question arises.
Is the flow state even real? Or, maybe, it is just another idea or belief we have. Think about it. The mind always looks for cause and effect in order to better understand life. As such, it recognizes patterns. Cleverly, it recognizes all these events that happen with less effort as outliers. It sees that they all occur spontaneously. Clearly, there is very little effort from the observer point of view. (By observer, I mean you, me, us.)
So now, after further examination, a new realization comes. You now recognize that there are commonalities between all these effortless events. It’s not what happens, it’s not the result. It’s the actual process that matters. The key to this flow state, is to be fully present in the moment!
But then, as it often happens, there’s also a more subtle voice in the background. Is this true, or maybe, this is just a new belief? Wait, it gets “better”. Now that there’s this desired outcome the minds seeks, is it even possible to be fully present without thinking about the result? Without thinking about you want to be present?
Let the Mind Go
These types of things used to make my mind spin so fast, I suspected I may have caused some electromagnetic anomalies. So much noise, it can be recognized from deep space. (NASA, where are you?) Turns out, there are some huge gaps between knowing something spontaneously, to actually understand it intellectually on a mind level. I experience it often when I write my meditation experiences. It’s a journey you take from an abstract knowingness that is just perfect as is, into a world of words, bias, and multiple interpretations. It’s a true miracle our minds are even capable of making some sense in this chaotic ecosystem.
But then, a simple self inquiry seems to clear all this noise. All of a sudden, the smoke screen clears, and the truth reveals. The sun is out shining again. If the flow state is just a belief, and if you remove this belief, what remains?
There is only way I am aware of to truly grasp this. Simply, give enough space around this discovery, and let go. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the midst of another magical experience sometime later. “Yes! I am in the flow state again. Wait, now I am not. What just happened?”
