Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Meditation Mini - Finding Your Flow

Episode Date: April 5, 2021

A quick meditation designed to help you find a state of flow in everything you do. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.**. Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wake Me Up is all about spreading positivity. That's why I make this show. Be a part of this growing, positive community by following Wake Me Up on Instagram and TikTok. You can find links to do that in the show notes. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to Wake Me Up, the podcast, where morning people are made. I'm Tyler, your host.

I'm sure you all know what it feels like to be in a state of flow. Maybe you were playing a sport, an instrument, or creating something. It's that sensation of being totally focused and absorbed in what you're doing. It's almost impossible for you to get distracted because you don't want to be. Oftentimes we have our best moments when we're in flow. That's because we don't think. We just act.

Everything is effortless. Imagine how much you could do, and at such a high quality, if you were always in a state of flow. So this meditation is designed to help you channel that. So let's dive right in today. If you're joining us from bed, then take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, roll over and make your way to standing up. And today, before we sit down for meditation, let's take a big stretch just real quick. So reach your hands all the way to the sky, and then as you exhale, fold forward at the waist, and just let everything hang down towards the ground.

I find it helpful just to loosen up a little bit before I sit down and meditate, because that helps to remove my body as a distraction. All right, now slowly roll back up all the way to standing, and when you get there, roll your shoulders up and down. All right, so go ahead and find a seat that you want to do our meditation in. Like I said before, this meditation will help bring about a state of flow in whatever you're doing. It is important to recognize that you can't force a flow state, but there are circumstances or conditions that we can put into place

which will make it more likely for us to fall into flow. One of those is finding interest in whatever you're doing. There's also an element of playfulness or curiosity. You might be taking this thing seriously, but you're light-hearted about it, you're not afraid, and you're having fun. You may have a goal, but regardless of whether you meet that goal, you're enjoying it anyways. This mental state is hard to describe in words,

but I'm sure you all have experienced it. So for this meditation, think about a time in your life that you remember experiencing this state of flow because we'll use that memory in our meditation. So hopefully you've found a nice comfortable seat now. We'll start by taking a deep breath in. As you exhale, just slowly close your eyes.

You can breathe at your own natural pace allowing it to be smooth and effortless. And while you settle in here, just allow everything to soften. You want to be seated upright, but let your face relax and let your shoulders settle down. For this first moment or so,

you can just follow the rise and fall of your breath. All right, now that you're settled in, bring to mind a memory from a time in your life when you experienced a state of flow. That feeling of being completely absorbed in whatever you're doing. Maybe it was while you were giving a performance, playing a sport or music, creating or designing something. It doesn't really matter what it is.

Just allow the image of that time to fill your mind. Notice where you were. Pay attention to your surroundings. Turn your focus to yourself in this image. What do you look like? What precisely are you doing? Was anyone else there? Were there any sounds, smells, or other sensations that are tied into this memory?

Take this moment to pay attention to those details and just fill in the scene. Zoom your focus in on yourself. And notice your body language. Are you completely engaged in this activity? What does it look like for you to be fully engaged in something? Were there anything trying to distract you from your focus in this moment? Did you do anything to set yourself up in certain ways to avoid distraction? And in this past moment, if a distraction were to come up,

how would you have dealt with it in this state of flow? Finally, notice what your mental state was in this moment. Were you enjoying yourself? Were you compelled to achieve a certain result? Was there any stress in this moment? And if so, were you paying attention to it? Now that you've been completely absorbed in that moment, take that state of mind, that state of being in flow.

And as best you can, visualize yourself going through your normal day-to-day tasks in that same state. What does it look like for you to do your work while in this state of flow? How would you do household chores if you were in a state of flow? What does it look like to be in conversation with someone while you're in a state of flow? Fantastic. Now you can let that image go and bring yourself back to your breath for a moment, just to let all of that settle.

All right, slowly begin to bring yourself back into the room now. Notice the chair beneath you and any sounds you might hear in the room. Give your fingers and toes a little wiggle. And then take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, slowly open your eyes. And just take a second to collect yourself. Friends, that state of flow is so powerful. And yes, it can be elusive.

But hopefully this meditation helped you to get some insight into how you can replicate it. Certainly, we can't create flow on demand, but as I said it earlier, we can create the conditions that are most likely to bring it about. That means finding interest in what you're doing. So think about how you can bring that to everything you do in life. I find that there's always an angle I can take towards something that makes me a little bit more interested in it. It may not be my favorite thing in the world, but I can always find a way to get absorbed in it.

Conversations are a really good example, because we all do them. So if you want to create flow in conversation, that means being genuinely interested in the other person's words, their story, their needs and design. It means listening without the purpose of developing your own response. I suggest trying this because it's a really great way to practice flow. And once you learn to set up the conditions for flow, I'm willing to bet you'll find yourself in it more and more. Well, that's all I've got for today, friends.

Thank you so much for tuning in and joining me here. I'll talk to you all soon. And until then, go out and have an absolutely wonderful day. I really hope you enjoyed this episode. A good morning is such a gift, isn't it? It's the key to a happier and more productive day and ultimately a better life. And that's why I make this show.

So if you're enjoying it, why not send one of your favorite episodes to a friend? You never know. You might just make their day. and change their life.