Find Your Flow: On the River and In Life

When I brainstormed my SeeChange 2.0 business mission, some months back, I didn't have to think too hard. I know what I want in my life and what I hope to inspire in others going through their own transitions: FLOW.

You know the feeling – to be propelled forward almost effortlessly – catching a current – and letting it take you where IT wants to go. Wheee! What a joy it is to release.

We may not expect to be in flow all the time – but we can create the conditions to recognize and maximize the sense of flow in our work and our lives – tapping into that creative propulsion – even and especially in times of stuckness.

Flow state was a term first used by the father of flow, Hungarian-American, founder of the field of positive psychology, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Muh·hay·lee Chik·sent·mee·hai·ee). He described flow as those rare moments when our awareness sharpens, our self-consciousness falls away, and we perform at our best. In other words, we lose ourselves – these selves that are always so on it, correcting and adjusting, forcing and striving. In flow, we let go.

The science is good – but let's get to the watery sensation of it, shall we? As a writer, I can't help but leverage metaphor, here, sharing a few lines from a poem of mine called "Consummation." Published in the NC Bards Anthology 2024, it's about my experience on the river, in the river, becoming the river. See if you can feel it…

Woman approaches, timid, toes curled over stone I expect she'll retreat as Most do, but no Feet, calves, up to her knees, now, a yelp resounds As warm skin absorbs the chill of me.

Notice, in the poem, I BECAME the river – the South Toe, actually, an icy river just outside Burnsville, NC. That's the power of flow – where metaphor becomes reality. Come, now – let's try this together…this time on the warmer Swannanoa.

Step down the bank, feel this stones and sand beneath your feet. Perch at river's edge – the rock beneath your seat is warm. Dip your toes – the water's nice and cool. Some love to dive right in – I prefer ease. Up to your knees, then your waist, ahhh, shocking, refreshing. Notice the current drawing you, the river's babble lulling you.

Let's go a little deeper, up to the chest, heart beating beneath. Count one two three, then push off the rock and glide toward the deep green pool. But it's not complete til you've submerged your head. Take a breath then dive under – when your head pops up, let out a hoot. Then lay back and gaze up through the canopy at the sky. Smile, breathe, feel your heart pulsing, spine relaxing, muscle releasing from the bone.

We’ve just begun. Time to swim upriver, toward the falls. Just a few feet of tumbling water – they're the engine. Stroke, kick, glide – head down into the current – note it pushing as you pull. Kick harder and you beat it – all that effort – then ease-up just enough – find that point of abeyance – equal opposite forces. You're going nowhere – yet you are one.

Then…when you're ready…if you're ready…still your limbs and let go! Feel your body flow with the current – carried joyfully, effortlessly – where nature wants you to go.

How does that feel? A little scary, maybe — that's the letting go.

She relents to the power of me / Body flowing down down down… / Through the froth of me / Out to sea / Her destiny.

We spend so much of our life IN CONTROL – pushing, striving, making stuff happen – or, conversely running from stuff. But we know, deep down, it's futile. Especially for creatives – controlling the narrative is completely counterproductive. The best ideas don't come that way – the muse doesn't function under pressure. Besides – it's exhausting.

Yes, we need deadlines – we need structure – but within that container we need to find space and grace to flow.

Take another turn – gliding. Record that sensation in your muscle memory. Once you're out, drying at the river's edge, jot a few lines in a notebook: What was it like to let go? How do you feel now? How can you translate that watery sensation onto dry land – into your work, your life?

Call to Action ~ Let's Flow Together

• Discovery Call – If you're in any kind of transition – creative, work, life – I can help you find your flow. Contact me for a free coaching discovery session.

• On the Mat – Zoom yoga, Mondays and Wednesdays – sometimes we even swim.

Look out for a fall workshop, Find Your Flow: On the Page and In Life — date and particulars to come.