Self Care With Suzette: Finding the flow

Flow is something I talk about often in my classes because movement can be much more than exercise. It can become a way to bring the mind and body into the same moment.

A flow state is deep focus with relaxation. You are present and engaged, but you are not forcing. Most of us have experienced it without necessarily calling it flow — while dancing, painting, gardening, cooking, writing or simply doing something we love.

For me, one of the most important ways into that state is through the breath.

The breath connects the mind and body. Instead of thinking ahead to the next movement, we begin to pay attention to what is happening now: the breath, the body and the rhythm. Eventually, movement can begin to feel almost like meditation.

And that requires some letting go.

We stop gripping so tightly and allow ourselves to be carried by the movement, the breath, the music and the people around us. I sometimes describe flow as the difference between paddling upstream and allowing yourself to move with the current, or driving down the road and suddenly every light turns green.

You are still participating. You are still engaged. There is simply less resistance.

When we find that flow together, something else happens: flow creates harmony.

When a group is breathing, moving and paying attention together, we become less isolated and more connected. Like a flock of birds or a school of fish, we remain individuals, but there is another kind of strength that appears when we are aware of one another and moving together.

And we can carry that harmony beyond the studio — into our conversations, our homes, our relationships and the way we respond to the world around us.

Of course, the goal isn’t to stay in a perfect flow state all day. Life will always knock us out of balance. The practice is learning how to return.

Come back to the breath. Feel your feet on the ground. Relax your shoulders. Pay attention to what is happening right now.

Flow isn’t about making life perfect. It’s about learning to be fully present inside the life we are already living.

Breathe. Relax. Pay attention. Trust. Then allow yourself to move with the current.

Suzette Smith is the owner of Shelter Island Pilates and Barre, offering private, group, and virtual classes year round. Visit shelterislandpilates.com for information.