Inspiration October 21, 2020
Every athletic champion will achieve this, and you can too.
The most fulfilling, productive, and successful moments in our lives are, perhaps, the times we are fully engrossed in the present moment. The Flow Centre is an organization that focuses on unlocking human potential by coaching our bodies and minds into these heightened states of concentration. With over 40 years of research on Flow, the mental state of being fully absorbed in an activity, the Centre amplifies your ability to perform. It will help define your vision, teach psychophysiological skills, and empower your future journey. So, what is Flow and how does it help your performance?
In elite sports, athletes train every day. While intense physical effort and commitment are essential practices among all professional athletes, training is not the only factor that goes into successful athletic performance.
So then, what else makes an athlete a champion? Is it the latest technology and training based on biomechanical perfection?
Not quite. These are all advantages, but they do not define whether one becomes a champion or chokes.
The factor that truly makes a difference in athletic performance is the ability to remain focused; to limit mental barriers.
During heightened states of concentration, athletes are able to experience an effortless ease in their movements, which leads to an intrinsically rewarding sensation in their activity. When these elements of deep concentration and a fluidity of action come together, it is highly rewarding. Many people refer to this mental state as “being in the zone.” It is also referred to as “Flow.”
Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, is celebrated for his physical ability, basketball prowess, and “Mamba mentality.” What Bryant recounts is his experience with Flow.
“It’s hard to describe. You just feel so confident. You get your feet set and get a good look at the basket—it’s going in. Even the ones I missed I thought were going in,” Bryant tells ESPN.
Olga Khazan from The Atlantic also claims that athletes who experienced Flow said they felt, “A sense of effortless control. In a 2009 paper in the Journal of Clinical Sports Psychology, French swimmers at the national level told researchers that while competing, ‘I had the sensation of being in control of what I did, so everything seemed easier.'”
Flow brings us into the moment and gives us control.
In Flow, our brains act differently from our normal state of consciousness.
When we’re in this heightened state of concentration, our minds and bodies enter a state of internal synchronicity. This internal synchronicity allows the parts of our brain responsible for self-doubt to become increasingly inhibited, which ultimately leads to focus.
What about the rising pressure around us? What about the crowd, watching from the stands? Your father, sitting in the audience at the concert hall?
In Flow, we can perform confidently, even with the rising pressure. This is because the part of the brain that distracts our decision-making processes ceases to have the same impact as it does when we’re not in Flow.
In essence, Flow allows us to bypass our usual stumbling blocks: an undeniable and very tangible advantage in competitive sports.
You don’t need to be Kobe Bryant to achieve Flow. In fact, you don’t need to be an elite athlete at all. Bryan Collins, a former contributor at Forbes writes that, “The good news is you don’t need to become a scientist to tap into this state.” He continues on to mention the benefits of Flow which are, “Deep concentration…meaningful work…a happy place to work.”
When purposefully seeking the state of peak performance, however, it is incredibly hard to find, and even harder to maintain. Collins says that, “I’d love to be able to extend a state of Flow throughout the entire day, but it becomes tiring.”
This is why the The Flow Centre exists: to help everyone find Flow in their lives. To optimize focus and gain productivity. To achieve and sustain peak performance. To reach our highest form of functioning.
Check out The Flow Centre to start and extend your Flow experiences.
This article originally appeared on The Flow Centre by Jesse McCrindle. It has been adapted for ENTITY Mag by Julia Silverstein.
