By Craig Robinson, Meditation Teacher (DipBSoM), Clear Mind Meditation
Most of us imagine that flow is something that happens when life is going well.
“When things calm down…”
“When everything is sorted…”
“When the timing is right…”
But flow isn’t what happens when life is perfect. Flow is what happens when we soften in the middle of the imperfect.
This month, as I’ve been preparing to open my new wellness studio (Clear Mind Collective in Forest Hall) life has given me plenty of opportunities to remember that. The power being disconnected (and it still is!). A flat tyre at the exact moment I needed my car to transport supplies. A mountain of work squeezed into a very small window of time.
None of it convenient. All of it a practice.
Where resistance shows up
When things go “wrong”, the first thing that appears is resistance. The mind tightens. The breath shortens. The body braces as if life should not be happening this way. We all know that feeling, the internal “No, not this.”
But finding flow allows something beautifully simple: Life flows the way a river flows. It moves around rocks, through narrow spaces, over obstacles. It doesn’t argue with the landscape. It adapts.
And every time something unexpected happened with the studio, I noticed two choices:
Resist the moment. Or meet it.
A simple way to practise flow
If you want to experience flow in your own life, try this: When something unexpected happens – big or small – pause for just a few seconds. Feel your feet. Notice your breath. Let the shoulders drop. Soften the jaw. Sense the whole body as one field of awareness.
Then ask yourself gently: “Can I allow this moment to be exactly as it is?”
You don’t have to like it. You just have to stop fighting it. That tiny shift is the beginning of flow.
Flow is not the absence of challenge. Flow is the presence of acceptance.
And you can choose it today, right in the middle of your busy, beautiful, unpredictable life.
www.clearmindmeditation.co.uk