What Is "The Flow"?

Photo by Marianne

Hoopers talk about the flow a lot. It can mean a million different things but generally is understood in two ways. 
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1. An inner creative state that sweeps you away, you're "in the zone", 
2. OR, (quoting Khan) an overall style of someone's hooping when the transitions are smooth/unexpected.
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Khan started a discussion on hooping.org about the flow and I weighed in with my thoughts on the matter too, regarding the understanding #1. This is my post:.

I like what Heather said about flow being "in the zone" with or without hoop. The trick is you don't even think about it at the time though. As far as I understand, as soon as you intellectualize any emotion you're experiencing, you lose it that instant because it just moved to the past. You can only experience what's happening now. Because that's the only thing that exists, right now, or ever, the present. If you think "I'm feeling great!" That's how you felt 2 seconds ago and it's different now. Now you're actually experiencing 'focusing on what's going on in your mind' and 'reminiscing how good you felt'. Where did the great feeling go? To the past. In the flow you're like surfing, riding the wave, not looking back and just riding the moment, on the brink of the future, cozy that way. (hmm was all that way ethereal...at least it's logical)

I've met many hoopers who wonder about the flow, and a few don't even like it being discussed or emphasized. Anyhow I'll talk about flow a bit more because maybe it helps to hear many different hoopers' take on it and furthermore because I was so in it last night I can't stop talking about it sorry.

I just raved 9 hours straight (and I'm straight edge) so there has to be some powerful organic element that keeps you dancing although your whole body hurts and your head is falling asleep. With the risk of sounding like a bunch of cliches I'll say that it's the Bliss of FLOW! Unexpected movements that spring from you as you're sensitive and in sync with the music or the moment. Even if the movements are awkward, insane, embarrassing, unfeminine, unmasculine, ugly or out of tempo, it's the flow that then ties it all together, and makes it STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL to witness! I think most everyone will think so and can't even help it? It may not look conventionally pretty or something out of a music video or a "conventional" hoop video but when you see someone in the flow, it's their absorption, surrender, passion and sincerity that makes you smile, wow, or tear up. You can see that some kind of an offering is taking place here. There's a sacredness to it when you're expressing something from your heart.

And your absorption results in a healthy indifference in what other people think of you. If someone comments on something you do while in the flow -- it's easy to let it go or take it in, as you wish, because when you're flowing it's coming from an honest place inside of you that you know for sure no one has no control over anyway. Then you can take criticism with gratitude and point more toes or move arms more dynamically. Or you can say ok thanks whatever.

What do you think? Have you experienced flow? What is it?
I remember washing dishes one time and being in the flow about it :) 
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PS. Yesterday I told you I was going fairyspotting and indeed, I spotted some last night, even brought some home, and interviewed one today about treasures that she makes. I'll put the video up tomorrow!

Do You Have a Camera? A Tip on How to Live in the Moment

We got into talking about cameras, and our friend Mathura had a good point. He used to be a photographer but gave that up in pursuit of organic farming and self-sustainable living (I wrote a bit more about that in a previous post). We agreed how nuts it is that nowadays everybody, including myself, is almost like obsessed with taking photos or video of anything even a little bit extraordinary. 

He said, “You’re not living in the moment when you take that photo - you’re thinking that you’ll enjoy that particular moment in the future. Then in the future when you’re looking at those pictures, you’re living in the past, thinking about that time you were there. So in either case you’re not living in the moment. For God’s sake, live in the moment!”

(Here is a perfect example. We happened to be in Washington DC on July 4th, when they had huge fireworks on the National Mall, polluting the air for miles. I watched some of it, and of course, took a bunch of videos and photos, with which, I doubt, I'll ever do anything at all.)

If you think about it, satisfaction can only be experienced in the present. As soon as you think “Oh, I’m having a good time” - it’s gone, because the time you announced having as “good” has now moved to the past and now you’re having some other type of time. More precisely, you’re now having a time of reminiscing how good your time was half a second ago, and, in reality, you have lost the satisfaction you then had because you’re now lamenting for something you used to have in the past.

I feel tempted to dive into a spiral of more and more examples, details and elaboration on the subject but will resist - this is enough food for thought for me for the time being. Heehee.