What is flow and what does it feel like when you are in flow?
Flow is the state that has been observed in athletes, musicians, dancers and others, and which according to their description corresponds to what in spiritual teachings is called Samadhi. Flow is something that occurs without being sought by athletes, etc., and is achieved through action, by the absorption of mind and consciousness in action. Whereas Samadhi is deliberately sought by spiritual practitioners and is achieved primarily by abandoning all action by sitting in a position of stillness. But there are also traditions and teachings that use some action to achieve Samadhi, such as the dervish dance in the Sufi tradition.
Psychologists claim that the flow state can only occur when the activity is very interesting, challenging and the practitioner is highly motivated and has a very high capacity to perform the activity. Indeed, these factors are very important, obviously the most important for athletes, dancers, etc., but in my experience speaking they are not exclusive for entering a flow state or Samadhi. We can enter a flow state even when what we are doing does not have the above conditions. That is, we can be in flow even when we are walking, talking, doing the dishes, etc. Of course, for this to happen, knowledge and skills are needed, which can be acquired through what we generally call spiritual practice. Among these skills, concentration is the most fundamental. However, purposeful, deep and steady concentration is possible when we develop some other important skills.
Csíkszentmihályi called flow "the secret of happiness". Similarly, for spiritual seekers, Samadhi is the state they aspire to in order to experience ecstasy, fulfilment, peace and limitless freedom.
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| Djokovic |
Psychologists describe people in the flow state as being in a state of intense concentration, with their thoughts focused on the experience rather than on themselves. That the activity is done without intentional effort, that they are in control of the situation, have a clear sense of direction (clear goals) and that the experience is not physically or mentally exhausting. Also that they lose their sense of time, or that they have a concentrated perception of time (that time seems to fly quickly) and feel as if there is a merging of their actions and their awareness. That they have a reduced sense of self or even that they are losing their sense of self.
Similarly, Samadhi is a state of deep absorption of the mind in the object of concentration, in which there is a total lack of effort and sense of agency (loss of the sense of self, -egoic self) accompanied by transcendence of the sense of time, and there is an experience of indescribable freedom and beauty (deep peace and bliss).
Samadhi is the highest state through which we enter into complete conscious union with God and experience the freedom, peace, fulfilment and bliss of God. Prolonged Samadhi is also the means to completely dissolve the ego and attain full and uninterrupted union with God. This is what we call theosis, enlightenment, self-realisation or liberation.