How to get into a '"Flow" state and feel in harmony with your surroundings
Have you ever felt in a state of “Flow"? You know it when it happens. You feel in tune, things are easy to achieve and relaxing to do, you feel open, receptive and aligned. Sometimes this experience is fleeting, just for a few moments or hours. Sometimes it can be experienced for a full day, or longer. It can take practice to get into a sustained state of flow, but life is so much easier to live so let’s look at three helpful options to help get into your “Flow” state...
Aesthetic Desk Layout with nature, space and comfort, which support a state of “Flow'“
Timer to Timeless:
Flow is a sense of an internal and external alignment with self and the universe. There is an intuitive, connected state and we feel in touch with the rhythm that the earth breathes. Remembering that Flow is not in a rushed state, in a hurry or on a ticking clock’s timeline. There is a timeless quality to it.
Imagine how we walk down the street, especially city dwellers. There is a real, accelerated pace to each step, as if the world is a super-fast conveyer belt and we have to keep up with the constant swirl of deadlines, stuff happening and it is running away, minute by minute, like an egg timer.
What if we are a forest dweller? How do the trees move? Imagine the earth breathing. What would the pace of walking be if we are in harmony with that? We might get a sense of a more ‘processional’ pace, as if walking up the aisle of the church. There is no hurry, deadline or clock ticking in the forest. There is a sense of respect and honouring nature with the processional pace. People who have meditated in a ‘tree temple’ or tried ‘forest bathing’ know this.
Nature is soothing, proven helpful for mental wellbeing and runs to a rhythm, it is not subject to timers, alarms, deadlines, yet things get done all the same. How can we be more like nature and run to our own natural rhythm? Would we get the right things done in the right way and at the right moment perhaps, rather than in a rush, under pressure and feeling stressed?
Look at your desk where you work
Is there a stack of papers to sort through?
Are there lots of to-do lists and post it notes?
Is it aesthetically attractive?
Is there anything personal like a photo, or anything that makes you feel uplifted?
Is there a living plant on your desk to help bring nature in?
Imagine a flow of energy (called Prana or Chi), like a small stream, were to flow around your desk in a clockwise direction, starting from your left side, across to your right. Would it be a natural, curved line or is it jagged to get around sharp objects or clutter?
What would you feel if your desk was clear and open, with a few simple objects that feel supportive and positive?
If you sat at your desk in a connected, open and relaxed state, with no agenda, breathing in a conscious way, what would be the first thing that you did? Would you trust your intuition to allow you to start working on the most harmonious and helpful first task? (Helpful hint - email is not it!)
Look at your inner self, with a loving gaze
How are you feeling, really, when you take a moment to stop, breathe and focus inward? Even taking this one step is a blessing, as you are giving yourself time to align with your true self
Is your mind full of clutter, in terms of thoughts, self talk, endless to do lists and chores? Is all of the stuff that you are thinking about having to do really necessary? Will it even matter in 5 year’s time?
Have a look at your ‘Wheel of Life” which is an open invitation to expand into your most aligned self. Here is a link for one that is aligned with Feng Shui principles, so that you can assess your outer surroundings to support your inner alignment and direction forwards https://www.alexrussell-stoneham.com/resources
Reflect on the area that stands out as the most under-represented in your life
What are 5 -10 different options for helping expand this area of your life so you feel more fully alive and aligned with self
What might be holding you back from achieving this? Is there anything you could do to navigate around obstacles, or see, recognise and nurture that inner part of you that says “you can’t do this, you’re not good enough?” Remember the inner critical voice you hear is a part of you that has a positive intention, it wants to protect you and keep you safe from being hurt. By going inside and meeting it where it’s at, you might be able to recognise its concerns and reassure it that you are aware of this and you want to always be safe as you step outside of that comfort zone and into the growth zone
Acknowledge all the amazing steps you have taken so far to get here, recognise the challenges you have overcome, love the person you have become! It can be a lifelong journey to fully embrace loving your own self unconditionally, reintegrated the hurt and wounded parts and the parts that get triggered by external events or people’s actions. By putting your hand on your heartspace (in the centre of your chest) and feeling self love for who you REALLY are, it can be very healing and centering.
Trust that you KNOW the right thing to do, when to do it and how to. It is allowing that felt sense of intuition and gut instinct that allows you to truly KNOW. If you THINK you need to do something, recognise that is your mind THINKING, not your heart KNOWING. Which one do you listen to? Which one is more connected to you being in a state of “Flow”? I believe you KNOW which one it is!
How to Calm a Busy Mind
We know when our mind has been getting overly busy, the mental chatter speeds up and feels incessant. Running through endless lists of stuff, moments between meetings or visiting a rest room are spent scrolling on phone, replying to messages, catching up on things. On waking up the mind kicks in and starts rattling through what’s ahead, as well as the previous day’s events and experiences. Going to bed, the mind can keep us wakeful, even when we feel tired.
Watching TV or scrolling helps to numb the mind into a passive receptor of ‘stuff’, but it is like putting on a temporary eye mask, the moment the mask is off when you switch off the screen, eyes are wide open, mind picks up just where it left off. It starts to build and make us feel weary, clogged up, like a big twisty knot of spaghetti of thoughts in our mind.
How do we take a break from this and still the mind, the thoughts, the inner dialogue running away with itself?
Start the day with stillness. On waking, sit up in bed, or sit in a quiet place where you can take a few breaths and start to feel centred. Look out of the window if you have a view of nature with trees or birds, watching and breathing gently, with awareness. Feel yourself on your sitting bones, connected to Mother Earth. Feel a sense of grounded peace. Feel the space in your mind feel open, calm and clear.
A minute at the start of your day spent in this gentle, peaceful place will set you up as you mean to go on. Feeling centred, calm, connected and quietly confident.
Tips for creating a calmer mind
01 : Wake up 10 minutes earlier to create a quiet time just for you
02 : Sit and breathe, looking at nature for a few minutes. Feel an inner smile arise
03 : Walking in nature helps clear the mind and this allows inspiration to flow in. Take a small notebook and pen!
04 : Consciously connect with Mother Earth each day, when sitting, contemplating. Try going barefoot on the grass!
05 : Try “Box Breathing” to feel centred and calm - breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat for 1-2 minutes