At QHP, we are most interested in asking “How.” While “What” serves its purpose, it is “How” that drives us to action – to tinker, play, and improve. The last blog post discussed unconscious intelligence and flow, exploring how flow is about reduced effort. Flow states are intuition at play – a vast network of intelligence running in the background. It is our role to relinquish control and enjoy the ride.
This is easier said than done, but complete release is a skill that can be learned. How to access these states is different for each of us, and there is nothing like finding OUR way. Try, test, and tinker. Nothing is more tried and true than action. It is better than any advice we may read or listen to. But there are foundational guidelines for helping access these states more regularly.
The first is learning. We must use our conscious awareness for the acquisition of new skills so they become long-term. When we learn, the experience is stored short-term. Through rest and sleep, the memory becomes long-term, or Phase 4. We don’t have to think; we just know. As we continue our development, these neural networks become more myelinated, allowing for a smoother and more efficient display of skill. It is this complex hyperconnectivity that allows for altered states to run wild and free. For more information on effective learning, read this post.
Do not expect to start a new skill and reach flow immediately. Time is an important variable and patience a novel virtue. At minimum, it takes a few months, and for highly sought-after skills, years. But even here, we are shooting in the dark. The second step is learning to control our physiology. Individuals capable of consciously controlling their nervous system are more likely to find flow. The best methods we have discovered are maximum physical output, meditation, and breathwork.
Maximum physical intensity radically narrows attention. This offers a shortcut to flow. The onset is characterized by all-consuming discomfort. Our legs ache, lungs burn, and inner voice screams. The brain solely focuses concentration on the discomfort, begging us to stop. However, if we push beyond, we touch euphoria. Known as the second wind, or what David Goggins calls the “40% Rule,” this mental state mirrors flow. Suddenly, the discomfort fades, the body tingles, and concentration is effortless. It is as if we become the eye of a hurricane – a pocket of peace amongst pain. To reach this space, it requires embracing suffering and strong mental fortitude. If we develop these traits, we welcome flow.
We recommend this type of intensity once or twice a month. Anything more and injury likelihood increases. For daily practice, meditation and breathwork are ideal as a means of learning to influence physiology. To begin, we recommend breathwork. The breath is one of the few physiological acts that is both conscious and unconscious, making it a portal between the two. When we consciously control the breath, we harmonize with the unconscious, allowing us to better influence physiological processes like heart rate or body temperature. This superpower solidifies the brain-body connection, creating space for “in the zone” experiences.
If breathwork is the physical landscape, meditation is a voyage to the mental. In unison, they will enhance the brain-body connection. Meditation proves challenging at the onset, hence the reason to start with breathwork. But over time, we learn to be the observer of thoughts and dissociate from limiting beliefs. It is this wisdom that allows us to go beyond discomfort and access flow.
The final stage is trust and exploration. We must release and give freedom to intuition. This is conceptually easy to grasp, but this is not enough. Rather, we must experience it. It is only through embodied action that we may truly be free. Like the adventurer discovering virgin lands, we must first explore, wander, and fail before we stumble upon magic. All it takes is once. Then, we are capable of solidifying the bridge to flow so it becomes easier and effortless.
