Usually, Wednesday Form posts refer to some bio-mechanical form to help improve physically. Today, it's mental form: Flow. Csikszentmihalyi made the concept famous in his book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." So what is Flow?“…a person who is willing to be committed, to be involved, and who is willing to pay attention to what is happening for the sake of the interaction rather than purely out of self-interest."
That's Flow. (image from wikimedia)
During and after exercise, it'd be nice to reflect on the workout and say, "Gee, that was my optimal functioning...not too hard like a beatdown, not too easy...it was just the right opportunity for me to Get in the Flow and I feel great!"
Notice this description and how closely it resembles the experience of a Corps Fitness class: "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one...Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." (Csikszentmihalyi)
Many people don't get that throughout their day, which might be filled with less than optimal experiences like worry, anxiety, or boredom (see chart). So it's like a Corps Fitness class can be your own personal Flow Zone!
How can we tie this to form? Well, the critical component of Flow is probably the balance or match between the Challenge afforded by the enviroment and the Skills of the person. So that means at times you have to be smart in how you substitute, modify, and scale exercises/reps to stay in the Flow Channel (ie, to keep yourself from falling into relaxation, boredom, worry, anxiety...see chart).
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