In his seminal work, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi outlines his theory that people are happiest when they are in a state of flow – a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. It is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what he is doing. This is a felling everyone has at times; it could happen while playing an instrument, coding at work, or in conversation. It’s characterized by a feeling of great absorption, engagement, fulfillment, and skill – and during which temporal concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored.
Zen meditation, known as “Chan” in Chinese, flourished in China around 700 A.D. With daily practice, it can be used to cultivate a state of flow over time as a way of being in everyday life. This state is evoked in sitting meditation then brought into a walking meditation, then brought out into the rest of the day as a way of living. Zen and other forms of meditation have been found to help calm the ind, reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and enhance visuospatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning, all of which help in developing sustained states of flow through life. People can start noticing results in as little as four days.
I. Posture
a. Sit up straight with spine erect, with or without a cushion, sit on a chair or floor.
b. Cross your legs in the lotus or half-lotus positions if you are able to do so.
c. Let the arms hang down naturally.
d. The hands form the diamond mudra (right hand in a fist holding both thumbs, and the left hand fingers covering the right hand) and are placed near the abdomen.
e. Keep the head erect with the chin slightly down.
f. Lower the eyes, looking down naturally (if the eyes are wide open, you may get distracted easily; if the eyes are closed, you may become drowsy easily.)
g. The mouth should wear a slight smile.
II. The Breath
a. Breathe through the nose, not with the mouth.
b. Breathing should be quiet, free flowing, slow, deep, and even.
c. As you breath out, start counting one, two, three, four, five, etc. as you breathe in do not count. Keep your focus on the breath this way continuously.
d. Train yourself to do this well.
III. Calming the Mind
a. Just concentrate on your breathing.
b. You are not judging, reflecting, or analyzing. You are simply observing the moment in which you find yourself
IV. After Sitting Meditation
a. After meditation, move your head, shoulders, and body slowly.
b. Rub your palms together gently, and massage your face, ears, neck, body and legs.
c. Take three deep breaths, each time lean the body forward and massage your legs as you breathe out slowly.
d. If the legs are sore or asleep, don’t stand up immediately.
V. Walking Meditation “Wherever you go, that’s where your mind is.”
a. Palms down. Body straight but relaxed.
b. Look ahead where you will step.
c. Focus on each step, how you are walking, where you’re placing your foot. Do not thing of anything else. Always stay in the present moment.
The keystone to successful meditation is daily practice, letting the state of flow become a way of life.