Have you ever found yourself completely immersed in an activity, to the point where you lost track of time?
Have you ever noticed that your focus was so intense that the world around you seemed to fade away?
If the answer is “yes”, then you’ve experienced what psychologists call the “flow state’’ a state of complete, undistracted immersion in skillful activity.
In the Daoist philosophy of Zhuangzi, we find stories that denote the idea of “flow” when he describes the passionate work of skilled artisans.
One of the most celebrated examples recounts the virtuosity of Cook Ting
Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui.
At every touch of his hand, every heave of his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee – zip! zoop! He slithered the knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou music.
“Ah, this is marvelous!” said Lord Wen-hui. “Imagine skill reaching such heights!”
Cook Ting laid down his knife and replied, “What I care about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now – now I go at it by spirit and don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and follow things as they are. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint.
“A good cook changes his knife once a year – because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month – because he hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I’ve cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the blade of the knife really has no thickness.
If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces, then there’s plenty of room – more than enough for the blade to play about in. That’s why after nineteen years the blade of my knife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone.
“However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep my eyes on what I’m doing, work very slowly, and move the knife with the greatest subtlety, until – flop! the whole thing comes apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there holding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife and put it away.”
“Excellent!” said Lord Wen-hui. “I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned how to care for life!”
Daoist Tales by Zhuangzi
Just like Cook Ting, when you’re giving your full attention to an activity that you are incredibly passionate about, you may find yourself creating the conditions necessary to experience the ‘flow state’.
When was the last time you experienced this blissful and high performance state in your life?
Were you aware of it?
That’s where mindfulness comes in, because it helps our mind to be present and fully engaged with whatever we are doing in the moment.
If you want to know more on how to enter the ‘flow state’ with the help of mindfulness practices, follow the facebook group Mindful living with Giulia Imbastoni Coach, and if you are ready to follow a program, you can participate in the next free webinar in which you will receive information on the Mindfulness Group Coaching program.
A good journey and good practice to all of you!
Written by: Dario D’Ambrosa
Supervision and editing: Giulia Imbastoni
Source for the photo: https://unsplash.com/