Opening to the Flow-State

Some useful “do’s and don’ts” to consider when searching for this elusive yet ideal performance state in sport.

At Chi Performance things are done a little differently; maybe that’s because my approach is built on a foundation of personal practice rather than popular principles, or maybe it’s because of my lifelong obsession with discovering a way to help athletes perform under pressure, something that has fascinated me since I was a teenager.

Going deeply into the silence within, has enabled me to steer clear of the opinions of media influencers, mind coaches and sports commentators and of course, the general consensus of the popular approach to enhancing performance. Looked at from a quietly detached vantagepoint, it’s clear these things keep people who love sports trapped in the confines of the thinking mind and unable to experience real freedom in the heat of competition, no matter the good intentions behind the creation of many mind-based theories.

If you’re fed up with getting in your own way and have been seeking flow through psychology and the mental game, maybe it’s time to consider this alternative paradigm (I call it the mind-body connection) where you can easily build belief by reflecting on your most joyful moments on the golf course, tennis or basketball court, snooker table or slalom run – which will surely verify what I’m about to say.

All the athletes I’ve spoken to and worked with recount their experiences of being in flow as something exceptional, surprising, and effortless which usually arises spontaneously and renders ball-striking sweet and complex movement seamless and elegant. It’s the elixir of sport and the state every athletes aspires to and feels happiest when experiencing.

So far, so good. The trouble comes when the golfer, tennis-player or skier tries to recreate their experience of flow, using the mainstream model as a guide. Thus ensues the default tendency to think too much and try too hard (especially on those big points) which inevitably causes a tightening of the body, and an inability to move freely.

It then becomes a vicious cycle of annoyance, anxiety, trying to get your technique right, all of which activate the stress-response, leaving the previously sublime flow-state nowhere to be found.

What if instead, you could approach these moments after the sudden arising of flow in a different way? If you can somehow stay open to the experience you could invite or receive flow as something special and gifted, rather than grasping for it again in frustration.

Flow can never be attained through psychological processes; the mental game and even mindfulness go?right to the door but cannot open it, as the mind approaches flow as something to be “achieved” and demands to have it at will or by following a checklist. Even positive thinking remains a mind-based approach which cannot touch the extraordinary phenomena that somehow descends from above and which enables the bodymind to work as one, with a knowing, a clarity and an intention to which your golf club, tennis racket, snooker cue, or snowboard invariably respond.

Many athletes have spoken of flow and the zone as states bordering on the mystical, other-worldly, even spiritual dimensions which are beyond mental understanding and yet the mainstream world still encourages you to go after this state using the mind as a platform to reach beyond itself. That’s simply not going to happen. How can you transform things on the same level at which they are created? The answer is; you can’t.

So, what are the do’s and don’ts if you want to experience flow more often in your sport? The first and most important thing is to establish a daily Performance Practice using the Chi Performance model that specialises in things most coaches and sportspeople take as a ‘given’, i.e. breathing awareness, formal meditation, stance keeping and slow motion practice. Read more >

Here are some other things for you to consider:

DO

• Be courageous; go within to find your inner stillness.
• Step outside of the mainstream and verify flow experiences for yourself.
• Trust your instincts or develop them in meditation; don’t listen to the opinions of others.
• Keep things simple and be consistent; if you can remember your breathing when putting on your trainers or throwing your kit in the wash, you’re more likely to remember on the golf course or tennis court.
• Aim for feelings rather than thoughts in those pre-shot or pre-movement routine moments. Any loss of awareness increases tension, while a gain in awareness helps you to relax.
• Bring the joy; be grateful and enjoy the moment.

? ? DON’T

• Don’t rush; take a moment before executing your shot, or otherwise starting your movement routine and create a space for flow to enter.
• Don’t be afraid of silence; in sport, silence is your best friend and is called “the master of motion” in the eastern world.
• Don’t trawl the internet looking for tips and tricks; this outside-in approach will be to your detriment.
• Don’t waste your time with “breathing exercises”, which are often gimmicky versions of Pranayama or Chi Kung and just give you something else to think about when taken out of context.
• Don’t take breathing awareness and meditation as a ‘given’; the simplest things take a lifetime to master and if your coach doesn’t have a formal practice, they won’t be able to support you on this journey.
• Don’t reduce your awareness by spending too much time on your phone; over-scrolling leads to a shortening of the attention span and over-excites the mind which is counter to your attempts to achieve your full potential in sport.

Here’s one final thing to ponder on.

The whole premise of Chi Performance, as stated first in Breathe Golf and repeated throughout my books, is that it is not the athlete’s job to try and hit the perfect shot or perform the perfect backflip, high bar dismount or jump shot. It is the athlete’s job to quieten the mind and train the embodiment of relaxed readiness – both preparatory conditions for flow to manifest itself.

This requires a certain acquiescence from our normal position thinking we alone are responsible for our sporting achievements and moves us into a space where we realise that in the perfect ball-strike for instance, the golfer, baseball or tennis-player is involved - but only to a degree - and always perform at their best when they open up to something beyond themselves.

All life, breath and movement flows through the physical body, which has the potential to express a higher level of consciousness, especially when sport is approached as a vehicle for its realisation rather than for the greater glory of the athlete.

When you can open up to flow rather than being trapped in the ego-mind with all its compartmentalization, reductionism and limitation, in other words if you can be wider, more plastic and open in yourself, your sporting movements will naturally take on a superior quality and transform your game.

Learn more about this new paradigm in sport with my latest book, The Athlete’s Ascent; Deep Practice and High Performance, available in Kindle and paperback formats now. The audio version is recorded and will be available soon!?

Happy training!

Jayne