A life in flow

Jason and I were talking about living in a state of flow the other day. I wanted to share with you some of what came out of our conversation as it’s such a valuable topic. Flow as a state of being is something we’ve spoken about in one of our livestreams and in various posts. However, it really is one of those experiences that you have to live for yourself to fully understand.

Explaining the magic of flow is difficult if you’ve not yet experienced it. That said, the conversation we had a few days ago gave a lot of clarity to the simplicity of flow. We ended up verbalising it in a new way and it seemed like a great way to explain it.

At the time, we were looking at people around us and noticed a level of chaos. It’s easy to see in places where there are large congregations of people, for example in a supermarket or on a busy street. Hearing snippets of conversations, watching body language, facial expressions and actions/interactions. Everybody has an agenda.

People are busy. They always have things to do, people to see, places to go, achievements to succeed in, money to spend, emotions to feel… the list goes on. Everything is one long series of thought, debate, intent and consideration. No silence is ever left quiet, it’s filled with mindless chatter, compulsive social media scrolling, money spending and the endless need to do something.

For most people, this way of living is completely normal. It’s rare for anybody to notice the chaos of this because it seems that everyone naturally lives this way. But in reality, there’s nothing natural about it. We were not born with such a drive to avoid stillness. It’s a conditioned habit, embedded into us from the moment we’re born and perfected throughout childhood, maintained throughout adulthood.

People spend their entire lives in a state of chasing and avoidance. On the one side, they have a list of “good” things that they want. So they chase holidays, houses, cars, partners, friends, being “cool” or “funny”. This is the dream of success.

The flip side to this is the avoidance of “bad” things. Some people decide that they don’t want to be poor, or unpopular, or that they’re scared of the ocean, heights, wild animals or public speaking. They then spend the rest of their time staying as far away from these things as they can, dreading any moment when this isn’t possible.

Amazingly, while you’re living in this way, it can be almost impossible to see the level of chaos that the constant chasing and avoiding brings. With a busy mind running at full speed every waking moment and deep feelings that there’s always something else to do, it’s a wonder that people can function at all. Yet they do. They remain in this state for years, if not a whole lifetime, never realising or waking up to what’s really important.

Here at Zen Jungle, we have a saying we use all the time:

It really is as simple as that. How many times in your life have you stopped? And by that, I don’t mean sat down on the sofa with a cup of tea for a minutes rest. I mean totally, utterly, truly stopped. Given up every idea and experienced complete mind peace. The inner silence is incomparable and you will know with great certainty when you experience it.

When you understand that there is nothing on the planet that you could ever have that would make you happier than you are in this moment, that is when you have really stopped.

This is how we live at Zen Jungle. There is never anything that we want to chase or avoid. With the release of attachment to ideas (which is the process of the masterclass), you lose all capacity to spend your life chasing and avoiding. We make no plans to go anywhere or do anything. To some, our lives may look pretty quiet or tame from the outside.

But it’s not like that at all. In the absence of the desire to chase, everything that comes into your reality comes in flow. You know that it’s the experience you’re supposed to be having because it’s the one you’re having. Best of all, in the absence of the need to be anywhere else, you can be totally there and present to enjoy all of the experiences that come in.

Whether that is cutting the grass, tending to the garden, cleaning the house, walking the dogs, cooking food, emptying bins, chatting with friends or having a drink at the pub, it’s all wonderful. Generally, we agree to every experience offered to us. There is no debate as to whether it’s something we “want” to do or not. We don’t have any wants. Everything is equally enjoyable, on a level that can’t even be comprehended until you stop the chasing.

It really is as simple as that. What flows, flows. What comes, comes. What we experience, we experience. When you no longer have the capacity to chase, anything that comes, comes in flow. This is what it means to live life in flow state. This is what it means to truly love life.