What Does It Mean to Be “In the Flow?” Here’s How to Access the Elusive Flow State

The flow state, the zone, feeling tuned in, being in your element – these are all ways to describe that feeling when everything is going smoothly.
 
Everything is unfolding with ease, you’re content, trusting, and relaxed, because regardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, you have surrendered worry and control enough so that you are straight chillin’.
 
And because of this chill mindset, things are flowing.
 
It seems like the most ideal place to be at all times: in this state of flow. So how do we get in it and stay in it? What does “the flow” feel like when we’re there?
 
 

What Causes You to Lose the Flow

Lately, I had been finding myself worrying about other people – what they were doing, how they were feeling, what they needed. I was overthinking quite a bit and many of my thoughts were creating distance and disconnect from myself, which is (you guessed it!) a sure way to get out of the flow.
 
Identifying the lack of chill disguised as fogginess, misdirection, or even loneliness is the first step to get back in it – and I made it my mantra to get back into the flow as soon as possible.
 
After acknowledging my out-of-the-zone state, I knew I had to seek the things I love wholeheartedly, get out of my overthinking mind by getting my physical body moving, and tap into a place of feeling and being present.
 
 

The Power of the Present

Ultimately, the reason we fall out of our flow state is because we drift far from being here, right now. When we get too caught up in our minds, we aren’t enjoying what’s in front of us, which is the only thing that really exists.
 
The present is where the flow is, and can only ever be – right here, right now.
 
We live in a world that perpetually tugs at the mind, prompting ceaseless stimulation through factors as pervasive as noise, technology, and a one-way life track shooting for success before death.
 

The present is where the flow is, and can only ever be – right here, right now.

 
Social media platforms, fostering a potent breeding ground of comparison, egotism, and the absence of living in the moment is a commanding present-day dam inhibiting the flow of the now.
 
The consumption of processed and genetically modified foods, animal products, toxic cosmetics, chemically-infused hygiene products and medications are all examples of factors that deter us from our natural connection to ourselves, our bodies, and our intuition – all working components of the flow.
 
 

The Power of Silence and Stillness

It is this same world full of distractions that aims to carry us away from ourselves. This world neither praises nor encourages silence, stillness, or reflection.
 
However, this silence and stillness of the seemingly incessant mind is the only way to get into flow.
 
When I am in my flow – when I am present – I am significantly more alert, sharp, and clear-minded.
 
It’s as if all of the energy I’m letting seep out (by focusing on others, thinking about the past or future, or looking at social media) returns to me. I can actually feel the energy re-enter my body and my mind when I choose to be present and focus on the now.
 

 
 

Connect to the Flow

A simple practice to tune into this sensation is to imagine all of the vibrations, or your aura, projecting out from you directly to the outside world. Then, with a deep inhale, imagine all of that energy returning close to you and back inside your body.
 
Feel it enter through your crown, return to your mind and third eye space in the center of your forehead, and disperse through the rest of your body.
 
Feel the inner excitement that arises when you return to yourself. This experience is awareness. This, is being present in the now.
 
When we are here, we are not worried, stressed, or unfocused. Everything is simpler, in the light, and manageable in the now. It is all in our control – at least the things that we can control.
 
Here’s what we can control: our breath, our mind, our thoughts, our focus, the extent to which we show up for ourselves fully, and our ability to do so for others.
 

Feel the inner excitement that arises when you return to yourself. This experience is awareness. This, is being present in the now.

 
While the sensation of flow unwavers across the board – because it is simply living in the now – it may look different for everyone. It is important to tune into your own body and needs to identify tools to maintain your personal state of now.
 

 

Find Your Flow

To find your flow, feel into your body. This can be as simple as paying attention to breathing or as assertive as going for a run. While time is a social construct of the mind, the body exists in the moment of each cellular breath, which makes tapping into it one of the most effective tools to implement in reaching the flow state.
 
You can drop into your state of flow while being mindful about the food you’re eating, expressing gratitude, being in nature, tuning into how your chest, stomach, or another body part feels, or by simply stretching or dancing around.
 
You may be surprised to see when you harness your fluid, seeping energy back into your own body and mind, you can breathe deeper.
 

The body exists in the moment of each cellular breath, which makes tapping into it one of the most effective tools to implement in reaching the flow state.

 
I can feel my chest, my heart, and my ribs open up to receive more sweet air when I practice these tools to get into my flow.
 
I can feel my frontal lobes and cortex release in relief. They soften when I allow myself to be in the present – and soft and in the flow is exactly where I’d like to be.
 
So, to find your flow, ask yourself these questions:

• What do I love so much that causes me to lose track of time?
• Where am I when I’m most filled with joy?
• When am I the most patient, kind, at ease, and living in love?

 
Go find that. Go do that. Go get with your own flow.
 
 

The Takeaway: How to Deeply Access the Flow

This flow state sounds incredible, but it may also sound elusive. However, it really doesn’t have to be.
 
Here are some tangible ways we can access, get into, and stay in the flow:

• Drink more water – the source of life – to connect back to earth and the body
• Meditate to create space between thoughts
• Dance to harness energy and presence out of the mind and back into the body
• Sing wholeheartedly
• Write to dive deeper, to explore, to release
• Get outside and connect to the vastly humbling, all-surrounding nature
• Practice yoga to stretch, create space, and open flow throughout your temple of a body

 
The flow is a beautiful state . . . so go out there and find it.

The post What Does It Mean to Be “In the Flow?” Here’s How to Access the Elusive Flow State appeared first on YogiApproved™.

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