Sometimes we wonder if we’d be able to access flow so freely is it hadn't been for the pioneering work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Mihaly is the man who recognised and named the psychological concept of flow and spent a huge swathe of his career exploring it through sport, business and education.
The flow state is in the roots of our business
Our base layers are developed to remove distractions while delivering warmth and comfort so that you can get fully in the zone during your mountain pursuits. Mihaly co-authored the book Flow In Sport, which we have broken down and simplified, it makes essential reading for anyone serious about their skiing and snowboarding performance.
Flow is now a common concept thanks to Mihaly
His 2004 TED Talk is still an eye-opener, explaining the balance between skill level and challenge. If a task is too easy and unchallenging, we become bored or apathetic. If the challenge outweighs our abilities, we become worried or anxious. However, if our skill is carefully matched to a challenge so that we still have to try, using all our concentration, then we are able to access the much sought after flow state.
How flow feels
Mihaly uses examples of how it feels to be in the flow state. When all our concentration is focussed on the task at hand, we can no longer concentrate on our own existence. We loose ourselves, but in order to do this, we need to have a base skill level so that we can perform automatically. Whether this is some deep turns in a powder field, or a sequence of poses in a yoga practice, we need a certain level of confidence in our abilities.
Off-mountain flow
Inspired by flow, we have continued to develop our range of base layers, most recently with the introduction of the All Action. An incredibly soft, flexible and versatile layer that keeps your body warm, while also allowing it to breathe. This is especially helpful when doing yoga or pilates in chilly studios, or mountain biking through forests and downs. Our dedication to flow always comes back to the principles of Mihaly’s research.
Mihaly is 85 this month, so we’re running a giveaway
MihalyCsikszentmihalyi turns 85 this month, and to mark the occasion we are giving away two sets of our new All Action base layers. We’re pulling a draw from our email list, all you need to do is signup to our newsletter, and two winners will be chosen at random to receive their new All Action base layers.
Fergie Miller
Author
Fergie, the founder of FLŌA, founded and spent ten years at Base Camp training over 2,000 ski & snowboard instructors before spending 8 years working in tech startups, including at over 5 accelerators covering Seed to Series A, before returning to action sports base layers and creating the FLŌA brand.