Body of (flow) evidence

Speaking of the gym, it reminded me of how I learned how to get into flow with my body. I used to work out religiously. I wasn’t a “gym rat” but I would go out of my way to make sure I was always on schedule and never miss a workout. Well, whenever I couldn’t work out due to an illness or an injury I would feel extremely guilty and berate myself for failing. My body even chimed in by making me feel fat, like I was a blob and useless.

Then, over time, I began to listen to my body and discovered that my body had a flow of its own. If I actually listened to it things would turn out better. So I decided to follow my body’s flow, and when I was too tired or felt my muscles needed a break I simply didn’t go to the gym.

What happened was amazing. The downtime was exactly what I needed, and when I did return to the gym a few days later I was stronger and more fit than before! Now I don’t feel guilty about missing a workout or not giving 110% every single day a the gym (for example, if my legs are tired from spinning class the day before I’ll just do weights and nothing aerobic).

Although I encourage everyone to be fit, the point of my story isn’t really about the gym. It is just another example of how flow is so pervasive in your being and how you can easily experiment with your own flow to understand it further. And you can start today, right now! Let’s suppose you have a million things to do and are 100% overwhelmed by all the work. Experiment with your flow by doing NOTHING for one whole day – just take the day off for yourself, and don’t even attempt anything remotely related to your tasks at hand.

When you come back the next day you’ll feel refreshed, empowered, and be able to accomplish more in less time than ever before. This is the power of flow!