Go back to a simpler time with this "flow state" technique

Let’s "play pretend" like we did as kids again!

I want you to read the following visualization and imagine you have been transported in a time capsule to the year 1785.

Click play on this YouTube video, then keep reading to get transported to a simpler time in your imagination!

Imagine this...

As you walk into the candle lit parlour, the smell of smoke, tea and rose perfume reaches your nose… The sound of a string quartet in the middle of the room immediately catches your attention. You notice the richly embroidered gowns and ornate, brass music stands supporting freshly written sheet music, the ink still wet. A group of people gather around the musicians clapping and dancing away at the lively music without a care in the world. They are fully immersed in the experience of the notes bouncing around in joyful glee. There are no distractions, no buzzing and dinging notification of phones going off, or the guilt of not working. In fact, the group seems to be completely at peace with their current activity and you can see in their joyful smiles that they are content with where they are at. As you watch them in your mind’s eye, your attention goes back to the musicians. As you watch the cellist you can see that he is in “flow state”, completely immersed in playing. You find yourself longing to be one of the creators of that joy, also being “in the zone” through creating music. One of the musicians sitting in the small semi-circle with your own bow bouncing and dancing across the strings, fully focused on the simple task of creating joy. Perhaps even just joy for you.

Okay, get back into your time capsule and fly back to the present day!

Imagine if you had a way to transport yourself to a state of complete joy and let your everyday cares disappear for a short moment each day… This is so possible for you, and in fact, immersing yourself in one activity like this will give you much needed refreshment & relaxation to boost your mental capacity and creativity in new ways!

Have you ever heard of “flow state”, or being “in the zone”? Have you ever felt that for yourself? It’s that feeling of complete submersion in a task, whether you're engaged in a physical activity, a creative pursuit, or even a simple day-to-day task. Time seems to disappear and before you know it, an hour or more has passed. When you “wake up” from this state of intense concentration, you can often feel a sense of happy tiredness, accomplishment or simply feel refreshed and excited to continue on in your day. Everyone can experience flow state. In fact, if you know which ingredients produce flow state for you, you will be able to schedule a daily practice of reaching flow state that will give you a deep joy every day. The real value is that this will filter into all the other tasks you do and help you do them more effectively.

In her book “Integrative Health Through Music Therapy” Suzanne B. Hanser talks about the two main ingredients that need to be in balance to achieving flow state so that you can experience that deep joy + energy daily.

1. An understanding of your current competency or skill level.
2. An activity that challenges you just slightly above that skill level.

see this graph from the book:

So essentially if you are challenged much beyond your skill level you will experience frustration, but if you are not challenged enough and it is too easy, you can become apathetic and lose interest. 

The magic happens when you have the skill and challenge levels in balance. When you experience flow state daily, these are a few of the benefits you will glean:

1. increased happiness
2. higher intrinsic motivation
3. greater creativity
4. better emotional regulation
5. deep satisfaction

If any of those sound like something you feel like you need, you are in the right place because I have great news for you! When you practice cello daily for 15 minutes with practice items customized to challenge your skill level slightly, you will be able to go into flow state within the first 2 minutes! Achieving flow state is a skill, and the more consistently you do this, the easier it will become and you WILL have increased happiness in your day to day life!

In Inner Voice Academy, you receive practice plans that are customized for your skill level so that you can get into flow state within minutes. What this means for you is always being slightly challenged so that you get better without it feeling hard. The real value is achieving flow state.

Essentially, the cello allows you to step back in time to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of life for a few minutes. As a result you will feel deep joy that follows you throughout your day!

What other students are saying:

One of the students in Inner Voice Academy is a marriage counsellor for couples in the military and often comes home to her family feeling worn and emotionally scattered. She recently told me that when she practices the cello, everything else disappears. She confidently knows that the cello will give her a sense of peace that allows her to re-centre herself.

Here's how she describes it: 

“When I sit down to practice I don’t have the ability to do anything else; because it is an activity that requires my full attention in order to make anything even resembling music. I have noticed it is one of the few times during my day that I tune everything else out, even if just for a few minutes, and dedicate myself to one thing. It has helped me notice the worth in being grounded in something; even if 15 minutes later I must manage the next circus that is life.”

When asked how she feels after a class or a practice session she said,

“Tired, like I really worked hard for something. Proud that I keep trying even though it is really hard. Happy I can lead by example and help my daughter stick with things too.”

This “happy tired” gives her confidence that she can do hard things, and her daughter who plays the violin sees her mom improving herself, taking care of her brain and ultimately fosters in her a love of music & loving learning.

Having a healthy way to immerse yourself in peace is what you want, isn’t it?

Think of these 15 minutes as your way to step away from the world, disconnect and flow in creativity! As an article from Headspace states

“In a state of flow, your body and mind will know what needs to be done without having to think about it. Lack of obstacles. The thoughts and feelings that generally cloud our minds, such as stress, worry, and self-doubt, take a back seat when we achieve a flow state.”

You can experience this life giving flow state too! The best part: the level you are at on the cello does not matter. Beginners are just as able to experience flow state as students with more experience!

I would love to chat with you to explore how you can achieve daily flow state for deep joy and satisfaction in your life too! CLICK HERE to book a discovery call to save time and see if you could be a good fit for the cello! This call is completely free and is designed to help you see what playing the cello could look like for you!