I recently read a book titled “Fatal Tide” written by David Leach. The story is about an adventure race (Run/Mountain Bike/Sea Kayak) that goes wrong in New Brunswick and more specifically the Bay of Fundy. If you are into adventure racing or outdoor activities in general this is a fantastic read. I want to share a paragraph describing the idea of FLOW in movement.
The concept comes from the research and writings of American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who described Flow as an elusive mental state, a kind preconscious harmony of mind and body that comes with intense psychic focus, physical mastery, and the ideal balance between skill and challenge. It can be found at work. It can be felt in sex. It can be experienced through art. The human activities most associated with Flow tend to be sports and games. Csikszentmihalyi’s earliest research studied rock climbers, and his theory of Flow, which has been embraced by dozens of researchers, echoed the concept of “peak experiences” articulated by psychologist Abraham Maslow. A competitive outdoor event such as an adventure race seems purpose-built to manifest moments of Flow. “When a normal physical function, like running, is performed in a socially designed, goal directed setting with rules that offer challenges and require skills, it turns into a flow activity,’ Csikszentmihalyi argued in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, his 1990 popularization of the theory. “Whether jogging alone, racing the clock, running against competition, or-like the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, who race hundreds of miles in the mountains during certain festivals- adding an elaborate ritual dimension to the activity, the simple act of moving the body across space becomes a source of complex feedback that provides optimal experience and adds strength to the self.” Flow, he emphasized, is not some drug-like stopper or escape from reality. Rather, it is that state of joy that arrives when body and mind work as one to control the chaos of our environment. Flow isn’t a means to an end, to a future reward. It is, like children’s playing, its own reward.
What activities do you associate with this description of flow? Can you remember the last time you experienced flow? If you are perplexed by these questions you probably haven’t found an activity that you truly enjoy or you haven’t been able to connect your mind to your body during movement. StayFitAnywhere’s Building Blocks Program is designed to teach individuals the essential movement patterns necessary to achieve any goal imaginable. By learning primal movement patterns you will connect your mind to your body and have the opportunity to experience the joy and pleasure of flow.
A perfect example of this is the Kettlebell Swing. Kettlebell swinging requires mobility and stability throughout the body especially at the hips and shoulders, the two areas of the human body that are “asleep” due to excessive amounts of sitting. When performing this movement you must consciously be aware of exactly what your body is doing, and due to the ballistic nature of swinging a Kettlebell every rep must be executed with perfect technique, there is no taking a rep off. Take a look at the following video and watch as the entire body is used to move the Kettlebell around the hips in an arc shape, with each rep flowing one after another.
Kettlebell swinging is one of many ways to experience flow, take part in our Building Blocks Program and start reaping the rewards of enjoying movement as if you were a child again!
Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1
jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com
Monday and Thursday #FitTip at http://twitter.com/stayfitanywhere
