In the early hours of the morning, almost every morning, I experience a state of mental flow that is noticeable, and often, impressive. I have always known this, but I am now capitalizing on the existence of that morning state and taking great strides forward in my work.
In order to stay with the flow state, I do some deep breathing with the purpose of supplying as much oxygen as possible to my already highly active brain as well as to the waking physical body. Sometimes I sit up in bed, but often I stay laying down. The most important objective is stay with the flow of thoughts, and the connections being made between ideas. If my existing project is working itself out in my mind, I keep the visualization going and I do not interrupt the process. I often reach for my voice recorder and get the ideas recorded immediately. I have proven to myself that the same quality of thought processing is not there an hour later.
That is why I consider it a state of flow. There is a connection unique to the moment. Our South American students, specifically the Chileans, call it channeling. They believe that we are all channelers and that the state of flow is a form of channeling, because we are connected to a higher state of being at that particular moment.
We all choose the vocabulary that best suits our paradigms and our way of understanding, but the state of flow is a state of connection to our inner voice and to our higher self. The higher self is connected to our higher purpose and the directions of operation come to us spontaneously. The direct connection is a quick connection; there is no time to think about it.
When we talk about getting out of our own way, we are talking about cutting out the middle man. The middle man in this case is the persona, the ego and our thought processes. Giving the rational mind a break, and going with the flow is important. Setting aside our mental constructs and belief systems, and letting ourselves be guided by our all-knowing self, call it universal intelligence, is the objective.
Just like the body knows exactly what to do if you cut yourself with a knife our sprain your ankle, a flow state takes us where we need to go right when we need it. No manual necessary, no training needed. Just like the body falls back on body wisdom to heal the cut or sprain, the mind has recourse to our higher self, which is connected to universal intelligence.
We have many statements that try to explain the kinds of occurrences that seem to indicate that we are not making all the decisions all of the time; statements like, “the stars all aligned for it to happen”, “I was at the right place at the right time”, “I was guided”, “I had a good gut feeling about it”, “I had a bad gut feeling about that.” When my father tunes into one of his intuitions he always says, “My little finger told me!”
These expressions are all attempts at explaining the same phenomenon. When we see the connection between a coincidence and something we are working on, our mind goes looking for an explanation. Our rational mind needs to make sense of it. We ask ourselves, “How can that be?” Then we usually carry on without giving it much more thought. The fact is that the coincidence did happen at the precise moment it needed to happen. It is part of the spiral of synchronicity that leads to a specific end.
In the state of flow, the signs and signals are more obvious. The intuitions and heart impulses are clearer. So the synchronicity of coincidence becomes more apparent and takes on more significance. Once we step into the greater picture of occurrences, we can utilize the information to navigate a smoother journey through life. When we are more sensitive to the cues, we have the opportunity to flow with what is happening. If a person persists in the belief that the occurrences are random, that person is not accepting their role as a participant in the greater picture of their life. Stepping away from the idea that what is going on in our life is random, is crucial to understanding our connection to self and to the flow state itself.
On a practical note, regarding the morning flow state, here are a few more ideas on how to capitalize. The first thing to know is that the creative moment is unique and will not repeat in the same way. Yes, there will be another creative process that will yield its own gifts, but every creative state is unique to the moment in which it happens.
After doing the breathing I mentioned earlier, I get up and do five minutes of standing yoga positions with more deep breathing, but I stay with the thought processes that are flowing through my mind. The flow state is more important than the morning routine.
For example, if your partner wants to have sex (at any time of day or night), the idea of saying, “can we do it in a couple of hours?” is probably not going to work. Sexual arousal is in itself a flow state. When two people enter that specific state of flow, it is a good idea to go with it, now! This is one of the few examples where ideas can wait!
Back to the practical… I start writing or working on the project that is flowing through my mind. When I have a good handle on where the ideas are going, I make a Bullet Proof coffee and continue working. The creative period often goes 3 to 4 hours.
A very important detail here is not to eat solid food! The digestion process is a flow state interrupter. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be amongst the top flow state killers. Digestion itself is a flow state interrupter. Stay in flow, get the ideas down and organized first. Natural hunger will come, and when it does… eat!
Typically, natural hunger will come after the flow state activity has accomplished its creative cycle. This is perfect! The body sensation of hunger is a beautiful thing. Feeding a body that is asking for nutrition is perfect timing. I often get about 3 hours of work done before the hunger hits. The coffee helps fend off the hunger and does not activate the digestive system in a big way. Beware of the effects of sugar. Sugar is a mind veil, brain fuzz, it brings on mind fog. I mention this because a large glass of 100% fruit juice will throw your flow as well.
Own your morning! Pay attention to the morning mind flow, because the night rest has refreshed your mind for optimal performance. If the ideas are flowing… flow with them!
Breath Deep My Friends,
Marcus Dupuis
Founder of Relaxation One – The Ultimate Relaxation App
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