Raramuri: creating crafts to experience flow states

The Tarahumara, also known as Rarámuri, are a tribe of the Sierra Madre Occidental highlands, residing in the vast and mountainous region of northern Mexico. They are known throughout the world as superhuman runners.

Not only are they amazing long-distance runners, but they are also famous for their near-barefoot running, wearing only thin sandals called huaraches (the word for sandal in Spanish), while traversing through extreme and harsh terrain in the mountains for extensive distances.

One notices, when observing them running, their contentment and joy in just being outside in nature, immersed in the earth with the abundance of gifts it has to offer. As they run, they become light and free within the running environment, completely in tune with the oneness of the experience.

This process of running long distances in the mountains is their form of prayer. When running, they experience a flow state, which can be described as a mental state where a person is completely energized and immersed in the experience of the moment—a recipe for blissfulness and clarity, with a dash of ecstasy.

This flow state may also take the form of a spiritual state: becoming immersed in the universal oneness of existence and connected to something greater than oneself. There is openness, transcendence, and a heightened state of being.

These flow states can be experienced during times of relaxation, activity, and movement, as it is a state in which the mind seems to drop away—a place where we feel lighter and "in the zone." Effortless effort lives here.

Exercise is just one example of a tool used for reaching flow states, as the repetitive motion and increase in blood flow can stimulate a positive response in the body and mind. We zone out in the mind while the body gels with a flow feeling; our experience becomes ethereal, as if floating.

We also experience this in nature when we become so immersed in the grand design of the natural world that our mind melts, as if a glacier is slowly releasing icebergs into the sea. The sights, scents, sounds, and atmosphere illuminate our awareness.

Another experience of flow state can be noticed with yoga, as the mindful movement, connection of breath, and meditative motion create a symphony of harmony. The mind loosens and becomes immersed in the experience with the body.

There are endless tools and crafts to reach a flow state: painting, swimming, art, writing, sailing, cooking, sex, dancing, gardening, meditating, hiking... the list goes on and on.

When it comes down to it, practically any experience can turn into a flow state, as it is a place where we are fully engaged in the moment. There is no future, there is no past. It is a place of tranquil abiding, immersed in the here and now.

When we refer to the term "enlightened," it seems to resemble this flow state of existence. The difference is that the flow state of enlightenment is continual, a constant experience of oneness in the moment. The mind resides in this place of awe, wonder, and expansion, as if the sun is eternally rising.

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As the Buddha says,

"If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead."

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Although we don't have to go sit in a cave like a sage to experience these "enlightened moments," they are all around us if we take the time to look. Tap inward, find what stimulates joy, and practice it.

Practice with cheerfulness and make it fun. Feel the lightness, as if experiencing it as a young child. Search, seek, explore, as this is a mindfulness practice in itself.

We all have passions and dreams, and we will experience this flow state when we practice what our heart desires. Let go of the outcome and stay in the precious moment.

These moments of enlightened living will spontaneously begin appearing more often as we practice our crafts. We experience heightened creativity and a Zen-like zone of being.

Eventually, even in the "thinking, monkey mind" states, we begin to tap into our flow state. We know the experience, the mind remembers how it feels, and we are able to move into these spaces with ease.

Repetition is the key. The mind becomes adapted over time, and with repetition and consistent practice, we rewire the mind to move into this state with gracefulness and buoyancy.

Practice being in the present with our desired crafts, practice creating with passion, practice becoming one with the experience of now. As the Raramuri, move in and out of the flow state, notice what works, and stay for a while with ease and joy, then repeat.

No coffee necessary.

Cheers!

Kether

Spunky Mind

"This is the real secret to life-

to be completely engaged

with what you are doing

in the here and now.

And instead of calling

it work, realize it is play."

Alan Watts