Flow, the psychology of optimal experience, is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s oft-referenced work thoroughly researching that blissful, focused state of being “in the zone.”
Lessons for Yogis:
1) Flow is when you are absorbed in the present – unaware of time or the story about yourself. You can find yourself engaged in flow in your livelihood, or in any active task. Maybe the flow of a yoga class can give you this kind of feeling? It’s what people describe as the most fulfilling, happy experience.
2) The idea of flow is like the yogic idea of an edge – you want to always be at a place where you are being challenged just the right amount. You want to approach the edge of your abilities so you’re engaged, but not overwhelmed. This nice balance helps you be fully immersed in your activities. So, how can you add challenge? How can you increase your abilities?
3) Some people are autotelic – they easily find a task to be enjoyable in itself. We can learn to be autotelic. Having a yoga practice, in which we try to just be present, and not pursue any goals, might be a good way to develop this.
It’s very well organized and enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about finding flow at work.
Find it at a library near you.
These days the ebook is available on Oyster (click here for a free $15 when you try it out! I love this e-library app!) They’ve got some of his other books, too!!
GROUNDING YOGA 