Accidentally entering the flow state is such a unique feeling, having done it myself on call of duty once, it was an experience. Of course we know more about it now than the taoists did back then but still, to dedicate themselves to that flow state is awesome.
ya entering flow state is how i get through work without losing my mind, work at a call center and get the most work done due to working with lazy pricks. this week i tried forcing it and just cause me to miss hear what someone was saying
i used to think that flow state is just a fad or something we get after meditation dedication and shit but during pandemic i started playing valorant which was my first video game not on mobile device, so i got a bit too much into it played it for hours and at time when i was the last one standing 1v5 or 1v4 i would enter a state of concentration where i had automatic actions without having the time to think and thats when i discovered flow state. it was a state of fking bliss.
I used to play Counterstrike a lot because I was very talented in it. In my prime I destroyed whole enemy teams effortlessly by just being in the state of playing without thinking and enjoying my time. This brought me the attention of some talent scouts and Esport organisations. So I thought I have nothing to lose and gave it a try. Long story short: In competitive games that matter I never played as good because I always thought 'I must win because many people are counting on me'. In fact I literally felt uptight from the beginning in these games and while playing I thought a lot about what to do and what could go wrong. In the end I left the organisation soon after because I discovered that a competitve environment with a lot to lose makes me overthink and perform poorly even though I'm talented in FPS games. When I play for fun on the other hand I get into a state of not-trying to be good but rather just having fun and that makes me play insanely good.
Flow state is so awesome. I've had it dozens of times while playing rhythm games, piano, programming or doing stuff like presentations in front of a group of people. I don't really try my best, and because I'm calm I'm somehow able to do things well. You can't force flow state, it just happens.
I go into the flow state every time I read a piano sheet that I’ve practiced I play the notes without thinking I see the symbols but I don’t think of what notes and position they are when I play a song I’ve practiced sometimes I even forget songs name and can’t even remember how it sounded but when I find the sheet and play it I do so without thinking which this only occurs on songs I’ve practiced over and over
@@TheWorldWarrior muscle memory is different from a flow state. a flow state is usually quite long. playing a piano song is pretty short tho. i dont think u can get really into a flow without playing at least a few songs
@@Foatizenknechtl flow state isn't an action one can continue to be in a flow state playing piano stop and go do something else. ones state isn't a preset to ones action
As a guitarist who plays since 2007 I totally agree with every word. Since more than 15 years I’m „trying“ to understand how to reach my goals in playing faster and better with shortcuts and so on. But the fact is there are no shortcuts supplements or anything like that to make you better. The actually goals are very different as those you think that are the goals. You have to focus on your breath while playing, if you want to play fast you have to even slower first, you have to train your mind and muscle memory to reach that confidence and speed you wanna play in. Have you ever seen a musician trying that hard to finish his piece of Music? It’s actually the complete opposite. They’re totally relaxed, in the zone, in total confidence solid as a rock. It’s all the pain, suffer time and love you put into your hobby. Just TRY to believe in yourself, let your mind flow into it and take your time then everthing is possible!
Bro I started like 1 year ago and tried to play master of puppets like 5 times at random points. I couldn’t even get past the first riff the first 4 times, but like 2 days ago I randomly decided to try it again and finally got it down. I decided to try and learn the rest of the song and practiced for like 5 hours the past 2 days and I almost got the entire song down now (Except that insane solo). I just realized how far ive came and how much I’ve dived into this world of music and the “flow” that it brings. It’s crazy how I am like actually getting really good at this instrument I used to be so ass and discouraged.
I find it easier to enter the flow state when I change the difficulty of my exercise, in my case it's kickboxing. Whenever I practice a new move that's difficult, I just do it until it becomes boring numbling repetition. When I get sick of it enough, I go back to the basic, the moves that I am already fluenced in. Then it just clicks in, I just under the new moves naturally and enjoy practicing it again. I think the flow state is both artificial and natural. You need set up the condition for it to arise but you just can't rush it, because when the right conditions are not set, the flow state won't come anyway.
Bruce Lee also explained about this concept in his movies and interviews. For eg. Be like water. Don't think, just do. I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. I think that achieving Tao or flow state has to do with practice and repetition to a point where it become second nature. Great video on the concept and subbed 👍
You are not wrong my friend. Before you can something without thinking, you have to be trained the thing you do. You just cant do something if you havent ever done it
Perfect practice makes perfect. If you practice something wrong it will be a burden going back, in the time you could have been moving forward. I think Bruce Lee will always be my number one 'idol.' The guy is legendary at balancing and expressing the body, mind, and soul!
5:04 This is the reason I tell friends who find hard to sleep to just straight up, full focus on keeping your eyes fully open. 100% success rate on myself and them
I remember experiencing it once while fighting Genichiro in Sekiro. it opened my mind to the flow state. then i read about the Tao. I accidentally achieved this state and I’m thankful for it.
This video is amazing. Not many people will find this easily digestible as some other videos. For many reasons, but that's okay. I just want to say that I look forward for any other Eastern philosophy videos from you.
The underlying principle and reality is that when you try really hard, your mind focuses more on the desire to do something more than just being in the best state of behavior, like being calm and calculating, so the focus is off, which means 'trying' distracts you rather than help you
Flow state is the greatest feeling I’ve tapped into flow state many times in cod and then a couple times in basketball and that was a crazy feeling I couldn’t miss
Honestly that's exactly what I needed. I spent almost three years of Intense studying where I was always in that flow state and could easily study/do tests for hours (8h of concentration was easy) and nowadays i can't even focus more than 10min. This video made me realise that I didn't changed I just stopped to gather the requirements to enter the flow state ( engagement about the goals, passion, less distraction and being relaxed, seeking for that feeling of flow). Same for skate and music I should just stop overthinking and do, avoiding to think about the how's and just act and try to be the action itself.
I feel like. That feeling is how most wild animals constantly live. Not really questioning anything, just being in the zone. In a way, it’s like just being one with the universe rather than feeling detached from it. Just like, existing & moving along with all the rest of matter.
I have considered this too. I find it interesting that my male dog somehow always knows when i pet my female dog in another room he will come demand pets too.
This is awesome. I had an awe moment when you said things aren’t really just what we name them. I’ve been thinking like that for a while tried to explain this to someone and used the sun as an example, but you can imagine how that went
Looking forward to your next video you announced in your discord! (He said it was gonna be about his personal experience becoming addicted to crack-cocaine)
We need more videos like this People explain like shit and too esoteric. This is simple and funny asf and that is literally the point of Tao in a way. Love you man, this channel is great.
I used to reach Tao when I would freestyle rap, people would say im thinking too much cuz my rap would b complex but make sense, but truthfully I was barely thinking at all, I lost it though im trying to gain my Rapping skill back and this video helped alot, im definitely gonna use this information to help me get back to that time when everyone would say I could be one of the best rappers, hopefully it works out😅
Definitely feel this! The same region of the brain lights up under mri wether you’re freestyle rapping or daydreaming. You really do just autopilot out some fire bars
After 3 years of practice on the nurburgring on Gran Turismo, I have memorized the track layout so well, that on the third or fourth corner I have removed myself from my surroundings, my roommate once asked me a question 6 different times, and the moment I realized that he did I crashed.
Action, non action and meditation as one. Practise with eyes closed. Practise with focus, then practise while distracting yourself from the task(multi-task). Walk with eyes closed. Breathe consciously. Etc. Stay creative and confident. Disciplined, yet relaxed. Many ways to achieve the same thing.
I've spent ages trying to get the flow state. I can recall only getting into flow 4 times in my life, twice in sport, once playing games and once playing music. I describe it as being able to see everything, and being able to choose whatever action you wish, and always succeeding in it. Anyway, my methodology to find flow since, has been to keep my body and mind healthy, be happy(or more like meditatively stoic), and avoid distractions. The idea being, when flow wants to happen, it will, but I will give it the best circumstances I can. But I haven't been able to harness it's power. thx for the video though.
I'm less than two minutes in, and I've had a little bit of a smoke tonight. I am having the biggest possible mindfuck over words being an abstraction of the thing they represent. I have never thought about that before and it's fascinating. Thank you for that my dude.
Damn bro you have perfect channel and everything that can entertain someone... Like 1) entertaining and funny animations 2) funny jokes 3) some meaningful content and more... I love your UA-cam channel
I was in the flow state in the midst of my music production today. quite literally time felt like 30 minutes passed. it was actually 5 hours. and when I finished I then realized how hungry I was. the flow state is truly a powerful state of mind.
when i was a teenager my therapist once had me paint. i felt so safe and relaxed that i was able to create a cool as shit piece of art that im still proud of today
I love stoicism and daoism, but sometimes it feels like they talk about the same things. Trying, the way I understood it, came from Marcus Aurelius. He once said “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” So, don't try, just do.
found you off the r/teenagers subreddit and ive gotta say your videos are actually so good, youre the first person who could actually explain flow state to me. ur super underrated man, keep it up.
If you're not familiar with him already you should check out _exurb1a_ channel, lots of this _internal dialog_ kinda feel to their explanations, and funny too
I been struggling with myself lately of trying to get my goals done and seeing this i found it helpful and i think i will look in more into it thank you
Level 1: flow Level 2: wu wei Level 3: The way can not be attained, one can only realize that it was never lost Level 4: if you can talk about it, it's not the way Level 5: all levels are an illusion
I've Played 'combat sport' for a couple decades now, I don't play to win, I play to chase that zen moment. Its so beautiful to behold or even watch in someone else - that moment of calm invincibility, you cannot get any closer to dream state godlike neo in the matrix than that.
Lmao I love this, did acid alone once (~19yo at the time) and all I could think about was the word try. I ended up writing it all over my room as a reminder that I can do anything as long as I try, all that it takes is effort
I’ve entered some types off flow states, I used to do boxing for 4 years and I got so good at it where I’d enter this flow state, where I’m not thinking I’m just reacting and if I see something coming I react to it and counter but because I’ve seen it before. But Idk if you’d consider that a Taoism state or just some other level of flow. 6:52 explained the boxing state I used to go in perfectly
I had a similar experience but when I was working in a mcdonalds ironically. I just stopped caring about when my shift was gonna end, stopped caring about the orders coming in, I just put my hands on the table and started flippin' shit and it felt like all my pain and desires went away and I felt like I could go on for hours
@@lordkrabstheeighth4247 actually had that same thing happen to me. Just working through it and barely thinking about what I was doing because I've seen everything that will come before. Also at McDonald's, but at other jobs as well.
as a chinese，basiclly，wu wei 无为is about： don't force something or someone，trying to hard most of time won’t give u the out come u want. like u are simply bad at an class，forcing urself to remeber everything on the book might help u get a good grade on the exam，but it will cosr u a lot of time and energy when u can do more on what u are good at or interesting at， and even u pass the test，it still doesn't mean u understand it，it only means u memorized it correctly. so as u try to trick someone stay with u in an relationship， but in the end u won't get the emotion u want or the person at the end of the road. Tao as 道，it means way，method or rule of soemthing，but is there a rule of all rule，a method of all method ？ and we consider there is and we just simply call it 道，means how everything work，or also means everything works in its own ways，and u can‘t force it to chang， u can only find a way to flow with it. those philosophy write those words after thinking about millions and millions people died and suffered before and they all try to find out what make us causing so many pain into this world and how can we fix it. but unfortunatly，even they got the answer and tried to teach everyone，no one seems willing to learn it after thousands of years.
There's a very real science to this stuff that I haven't quite heard anybody catch onto it. Flow is something that follows its own concept. It takes the path of least resistance, so the point in flow is that you do not resist the action of the applied effort. If you take inspiration from physics with work and force it makes it easier to understand. Flow doesn't block out anything though. I really like the way of putting it as losing yourself to the illusion of whatever it is that you're "working" on. In that sense, you treat that work as an extension of yourself while you, the consciousness, lingers in the body. It's really not so much as blocking out as much as it is like soaking in. It's a tide that comes in waves. I know the analogy stuff might get old but they aren't completely wrong, it's very difficult to word this stuff and other concepts like this one. Flow is not something that you turn on or off or get into at work. It's something that you have to truly make an effort to allow your brain to catch on. I'm a dancer so it's easier but you certainly don't get it from being enlightend. You get it from a real physical understanding of the motion. Once that's keyed in you can now kind of dance with the motion of whatever "work" you're doing. Hope this helps ✌
Crazy didn’t know their was a huge philosophical branch on this stuff One thing I always said “if you’re thinking you’re sinking” I guess it lives up close to this
Yea there's a lot of cool movies and TV shows that have been inspired by Taoism too, I think "the force" from Star Wars is loosely based on the Tao. And I think in Avatar the Last Airbender characters like Uncle Iroh talked about some Taoist concepts
I recommend listening to the book, letting go: the pathway of surrender by david r hawkins. This book shows you how to let go and keeps the reader in mind 24/7 and has helped me achieve very high states of mind. Even if you’re not looking to get into flow this helps you achieve your greater self. It also has logic and science intertwined for those who are skeptical of the spiritual paths in human nature.
I bought the audio book but returned it as I was not very satisfied. It was very pseudoscientific which isn't necessarily a problem but in this case was not helpful. I also believe it did a poor job of explaining 'how' to do what it was explaining though perhaps I did not listen for long enough.
Yeah I unironically do this every time I write. I just let go of all conscious thought and let my hands n my subconscious takeover, it's pretty fun and can let me experience the whole "woah that happens in the story?" like a reader would, of course sometimes I have to edit stuff out cuz I consciously don't want something in the book to go that way but it's very fun and definitely worth it.
Yes! An explanation! I had this weird experience a while ago, I was go-karting, something I do very very often, and usually I'm hyperfocused on every single tiny thing I need to do to make my lap faster - breaking point, throttle management, weight distribution etc etc. And that involves a lot of thinking... Or... Trying. But one time a while back it was like I was on autopilot... I wasn't trying, it felt like I was observing my own actions rather than thinking about doing them, like I was watching a film... In the first person, I'd just glance my head and my eyesight to the apex of the corner and bam, my kart would be there, my mind was completely empty, just watching myself drive around, and the thing is... I was bloody quick too. I've never had this since and I long for it constantly as it felt so peaceful and... Epic.
Yo I've experienced it a lot of times back when i played volleyball and football and the fealing is AMAZING now i do mma and its somehow harder to get in flow state but when it happens the fealing is AMAZING its as if your body can dodge hits on its own and you feal so light on your feet
the sort of "head empty" philosophy is what I live by. A lot of people don't understand that tao isn't a religion, its a philosophy. I'm a Christian, and I've had a lot of people tell me that I can't be a Christian and a taoist at the same time. It just takes explaining that the three Chinese philosophies, which are taught as religion in grade school, actually aren't religions, and then most people are a lot more open to thinking about it.
you clearly don't know what you're talking about. taoism is very much a religion, there's literally a pantheon of gods that are still worshipped to this day in china, ordained priesthood, whole systems of taoist magic. you're doing a disservice to taoism by saying that it's not a religion and erasing that aspect of it. chinese buddhism is also practiced as a religion. this isn't even mentioning how indigenous chinese folk religion influences and intermingles with these organized religions. this comment is so arrogant lol
@@StreetfighterU of course you can be solely interested in the philosophical aspect of daoism but for some ignorant westerner to make the sweeping statement that taoism as a whole is not a religion, as if they're some authority on it, is infuriating and completely false.
@@miri283 no one said there cant be a religion around a philosophy. tho I'm pretty sure every taoist priest wouldnt be mad calling it a philosophy first. bc many parts of it dont need you to believe in superhuman things. its just a way of approaching life and things. its a philosophy first. then a religion. i dont think thats wrong at all. neither did he do any disservice. if anyone is mad he most likely strayed from the right path by getting annoyed over it. not even close to being water :V
I want to achieve flow state without the “not too easy, but not too challenging” step. You can’t just pause a online fast-paced shooter game and say to your opponent to be more nicer on you.
@@stationorange ok I have different beliefs about weed than u but respect u looking out, I think weed gives what you put into it and picking the correct strains sativa or Indica is also very important
I used to play Counterstrike a lot because I was very talented in it. In my prime I destroyed whole enemy teams effortlessly by just being in the state of playing without thinking and enjoying my time. This brought me the attention of some talent scouts and Esport organisations. So I thought I have nothing to lose and gave it a try. Long story short: In competitive games that matter I never played as good because I always thought 'I must win because many people are counting on me'. In fact I literally felt uptight from the beginning in these games and while playing I thought a lot about what to do and what could go wrong. In the end I left the organisation soon after because I discovered that a competitve environment with a lot to lose makes me overthink and perform poorly even though I'm talented in FPS games. When I play for fun on the other hand I get into a state of not-trying to be good but rather just having fun and that makes me play insanely good.
as others have said its very akin to what's commonly called 'being in the zone'. I rarely experience it but recently playing beat saber i really fell into the flow. I'm usually not too good at the game despite having 20+ hours, i tend to bounce between hard and expert, with expert+ being nigh impossible for me. A few days ago though after going back and forth between songs, half way through one it kind of clicked and instead of thinking about where my arms needed to be and when, my arms just kind of did what they needed to do on their own. there was no conscious effort on my behalf, my body was acting on its own and i was doing really well, not missing anything. while i was still in this mood i switched to a song i had been trying to beat on hard for the last 3 days and fucking nailed it with an S score, previously i couldn't even finish it. If i go back and try it again i get like a B or A score, not even coming close to how i was when i didn't have to think about it.
First time viewer here. I don't know why, but I half expected the video to gloss over or dismiss the history for mindless comedic effect. I appreciate the sober take. That's a sub from me.
I experience flow when playing guitar and skateboarding. I just kinda start breathing to where my lungs are full but i can breathe more than usual. I begin to not try and just let it go. Meditation definitely helps to enter the state. Because if you have vipassana meditation you can extend all focus to breathing and your muscle memory will take control of what you are doing to an extent if you focus in on balance and breathing. I cant explain how i do tricks when people ask because im flowing and i didnt know how i felt while doing em
Reading Tao te Ching changed my life, an interesting perspective. I did have 1 occurrence of peace. I was a driver for a pizza place. Only 2 deliveries on board and I was the bottom so I don't have worry about that, the line was good I'm not needed there, dishes done, can't go home, all there is is to wait for a phone to ring, I don't like just standing around, so only thing to do was fold boxes....full acceptance of the moment...so I started folding boxes: and an immense wave of joy and peace filled me up. I had an inner dialog going "hi!" "Hi!" "So great to meet you!" "Great to meet you!" Duo- "Ahhhh!" I've tried to get there again and scream joyfully at joy....but....trying is not the way. Do.
I'm dead ass finna send this to my philosophy teacher. I believe you explained the Tao better than any of the videos that my teacher showed us because clearly they were trying too much. Do you ever sit there and think: "Hey, there was a time when I didn't need to use language to think-I just thought, and honestly, everything was way more coherent in my head. Thinking doesn't require a language, and that's what we all do before we learn to speak. Having an inner voice is often acting as a hindrance to our mental capacity. I ought to learn how to think by reducing my thinking." Is it just me? No? That's just some thoughts, though. In all seriousness, I love the philosophy of Taoism. PS: I'm not here for educational reasons
I love those kind of questions! A friend of mine once explained to me how he worked out a method of thinking that didn't involve narration but was more pictographic and sensory. His reasoning being along the lines of, if a picture says a thousand words, why not think in pictures? He was essentially short cutting his mental processing to "think" in a method that naturally uses more sensory data points which helped him gain greater clarity when thinking thought concepts than dialogue would alone. Honestly it blew my mind when I first heard it. Glad you're also having similar lines of questioning!
The TAO can be experienced through psychedelics, especially when it gets to the point where somehow you can have profound thoughts without any language whatsoever
Also, it's a very deep rabbit hole, with many jonras, entertainment, series, etc., Tree of the most famous is Star wars, Lord Of The Rings, and Star Trek. Thanks. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Skateboarding is a great way to do this. In trying to learn or land a certain trick you battle with yourself to get into this fear free zone of focus and commitment.
Amazing. I didn't actually need any of this explained to me, being the type that intrinsically understood Yoda's guidance the first time I heard it, but my goodness this video does such a great job of framing the concept that I enjoyed it immensely. So glad the algorithm brought this channel to my attention!
I think a big part of this is mindfulness. This past year I started meditating a lot more, and I found that doing the things I loved and felt good at came even more easily and completely naturally. I wasn’t trying anymore because I had my full mind in the present moment and just knew that what was happening was something I could do, and I would do it.
That's why counting in Music can be very important, not because of the timing, but because it gives you something to focus on and lock out your surroundings.
#1 animated underrated channel on UA-cam
Ima have to retweet this 🦾
He's gonna blow up soon for sure
+
Oh yeah man no doubt 🙌🏽
Very true, but bc his content is genuinely good, he will blow up 😭
Accidentally entering the flow state is such a unique feeling, having done it myself on call of duty once, it was an experience. Of course we know more about it now than the taoists did back then but still, to dedicate themselves to that flow state is awesome.
ong during pandemic when id run mw at like 2AM i felt that
ya entering flow state is how i get through work without losing my mind, work at a call center and get the most work done due to working with lazy pricks. this week i tried forcing it and just cause me to miss hear what someone was saying
flow state is the clutch factor
i used to think that flow state is just a fad or something we get after meditation dedication and shit but during pandemic i started playing valorant which was my first video game not on mobile device, so i got a bit too much into it played it for hours and at time when i was the last one standing 1v5 or 1v4 i would enter a state of concentration where i had automatic actions without having the time to think and thats when i discovered flow state. it was a state of fking bliss.
I used to play Counterstrike a lot because I was very talented in it.
In my prime I destroyed whole enemy teams effortlessly by just being in the state of playing without thinking and enjoying my time.
This brought me the attention of some talent scouts and Esport organisations. So I thought I have nothing to lose and gave it a try.
Long story short: In competitive games that matter I never played as good because I always thought 'I must win because many people are counting on me'.
In fact I literally felt uptight from the beginning in these games and while playing I thought a lot about what to do and what could go wrong.
In the end I left the organisation soon after because I discovered that a competitve environment with a lot to lose makes me overthink and perform poorly even though I'm talented in FPS games.
When I play for fun on the other hand I get into a state of not-trying to be good but rather just having fun and that makes me play insanely good.
Flow state is so awesome. I've had it dozens of times while playing rhythm games, piano, programming or doing stuff like presentations in front of a group of people. I don't really try my best, and because I'm calm I'm somehow able to do things well. You can't force flow state, it just happens.
I go into the flow state every time I read a piano sheet that I’ve practiced I play the notes without thinking I see the symbols but I don’t think of what notes and position they are when I play a song I’ve practiced sometimes I even forget songs name and can’t even remember how it sounded but when I find the sheet and play it I do so without thinking which this only occurs on songs I’ve practiced over and over
hell yeah. in rhythm games or something like guitar hero i can imagine that state pretty well
@@TheWorldWarrior muscle memory is different from a flow state. a flow state is usually quite long. playing a piano song is pretty short tho. i dont think u can get really into a flow without playing at least a few songs
@@Foatizenknechtl flow state isn't an action one can continue to be in a flow state playing piano stop and go do something else. ones state isn't a preset to ones action
when the wave comes, you ride it.
As a guitarist who plays since 2007 I totally agree with every word. Since more than 15 years I’m „trying“ to understand how to reach my goals in playing faster and better with shortcuts and so on. But the fact is there are no shortcuts supplements or anything like that to make you better. The actually goals are very different as those you think that are the goals. You have to focus on your breath while playing, if you want to play fast you have to even slower first, you have to train your mind and muscle memory to reach that confidence and speed you wanna play in. Have you ever seen a musician trying that hard to finish his piece of Music? It’s actually the complete opposite. They’re totally relaxed, in the zone, in total confidence solid as a rock. It’s all the pain, suffer time and love you put into your hobby. Just TRY to believe in yourself, let your mind flow into it and take your time then everthing is possible!
Bro I started like 1 year ago and tried to play master of puppets like 5 times at random points. I couldn’t even get past the first riff the first 4 times, but like 2 days ago I randomly decided to try it again and finally got it down. I decided to try and learn the rest of the song and practiced for like 5 hours the past 2 days and I almost got the entire song down now (Except that insane solo). I just realized how far ive came and how much I’ve dived into this world of music and the “flow” that it brings. It’s crazy how I am like actually getting really good at this instrument I used to be so ass and discouraged.
I find it easier to enter the flow state when I change the difficulty of my exercise, in my case it's kickboxing. Whenever I practice a new move that's difficult, I just do it until it becomes boring numbling repetition. When I get sick of it enough, I go back to the basic, the moves that I am already fluenced in. Then it just clicks in, I just under the new moves naturally and enjoy practicing it again. I think the flow state is both artificial and natural. You need set up the condition for it to arise but you just can't rush it, because when the right conditions are not set, the flow state won't come anyway.
Bruce Lee also explained about this concept in his movies and interviews. For eg.
Be like water.
Don't think, just do.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
I think that achieving Tao or flow state has to do with practice and repetition to a point where it become second nature.
Great video on the concept and subbed 👍
You are not wrong my friend. Before you can something without thinking, you have to be trained the thing you do. You just cant do something if you havent ever done it
don't practice something until you get it right, try until you can't get it wrong
Perfect practice makes perfect. If you practice something wrong it will be a burden going back, in the time you could have been moving forward. I think Bruce Lee will always be my number one 'idol.' The guy is legendary at balancing and expressing the body, mind, and soul!
I’ve actually achieved this at work through mindfulness mediation
listen to the album "the rabbot turned tiger" something like that with a red and white image on the surface
5:04 This is the reason I tell friends who find hard to sleep to just straight up, full focus on keeping your eyes fully open. 100% success rate on myself and them
I remember experiencing it once while fighting Genichiro in Sekiro. it opened my mind to the flow state. then i read about the Tao. I accidentally achieved this state and I’m thankful for it.
Souls like games really hit different sometimes
Dude same. I felt like that with a couple of bosses, Geni was one of them :0
Hesitation is defeat
What a waste of a perfectly productive flow state.
@Heisenberg One of the best games of all time if you love refined, flowing, and overall excellent combat.
This video is amazing. Not many people will find this easily digestible as some other videos. For many reasons, but that's okay. I just want to say that I look forward for any other Eastern philosophy videos from you.
Not many people? Speak for yourself
The underlying principle and reality is that when you try really hard, your mind focuses more on the desire to do something more than just being in the best state of behavior, like being calm and calculating, so the focus is off, which means 'trying' distracts you rather than help you
this happens to mee when i write tests, but if don't, I get into flow with my thoughts
Flow state is the greatest feeling I’ve tapped into flow state many times in cod and then a couple times in basketball and that was a crazy feeling I couldn’t miss
Right on my friend, was on fire in basketball today…no thoughts, just buckets
This was a really surprisingly educated take on flow state, definitely got a sub from me :)
Honestly that's exactly what I needed. I spent almost three years of Intense studying where I was always in that flow state and could easily study/do tests for hours (8h of concentration was easy) and nowadays i can't even focus more than 10min. This video made me realise that I didn't changed I just stopped to gather the requirements to enter the flow state ( engagement about the goals, passion, less distraction and being relaxed, seeking for that feeling of flow). Same for skate and music I should just stop overthinking and do, avoiding to think about the how's and just act and try to be the action itself.
I feel like. That feeling is how most wild animals constantly live. Not really questioning anything, just being in the zone. In a way, it’s like just being one with the universe rather than feeling detached from it. Just like, existing & moving along with all the rest of matter.
I have considered this too. I find it interesting that my male dog somehow always knows when i pet my female dog in another room he will come demand pets too.
This is awesome. I had an awe moment when you said things aren’t really just what we name them. I’ve been thinking like that for a while tried to explain this to someone and used the sun as an example, but you can imagine how that went
Looking forward to your next video you announced in your discord! (He said it was gonna be about his personal experience becoming addicted to crack-cocaine)
Thanks fam, always appreciate your comments feels like they come from a lettered neighborhood somewhere between C and E
@@MostlyTrue lolol
@@ajwhite765 I'm not overly familiar with US postal codes ...but did _Mostly True_ just call _Jack Taylor_ a dick, here? :p
@@Tokinjester i think so. I'm not sure either 😂
@@MostlyTrue 😂😂
This is honestly one of the best videos I have ever seen.
We need more videos like this
People explain like shit and too esoteric. This is simple and funny asf and that is literally the point of Tao in a way. Love you man, this channel is great.
Can’t even express adequately how good your channel makes me feel.
I used to reach Tao when I would freestyle rap, people would say im thinking too much cuz my rap would b complex but make sense, but truthfully I was barely thinking at all, I lost it though im trying to gain my Rapping skill back and this video helped alot, im definitely gonna use this information to help me get back to that time when everyone would say I could be one of the best rappers, hopefully it works out😅
Definitely feel this! The same region of the brain lights up under mri wether you’re freestyle rapping or daydreaming. You really do just autopilot out some fire bars
Post something then
I'm into it
@@SmokingForGod I will once I feel like I've recorded something good enough😂
"The way can not be attained, one can only realize that it was never lost" someone commented here and I think it helps
That little montage at 3:46 is freaking awesome.
After 3 years of practice on the nurburgring on Gran Turismo, I have memorized the track layout so well, that on the third or fourth corner I have removed myself from my surroundings, my roommate once asked me a question 6 different times, and the moment I realized that he did I crashed.
Love the small level of detail just enough added for the sake of added humor. This is a great channel.
Action, non action and meditation as one. Practise with eyes closed. Practise with focus, then practise while distracting yourself from the task(multi-task). Walk with eyes closed. Breathe consciously. Etc.
Stay creative and confident. Disciplined, yet relaxed.
Many ways to achieve the same thing.
Big props for correct pronunciation 🤜🌟🤛
you have genuinely become my favorite channel on yt in two videos
Can't agree more bro same here
is the second video "7 levels of high"? xD bc im with u then.
@@Foatizenknechtl YES LITERALLY bro explained things in ways that i literally couldn’t put into words when i’d observed them
About time for this channel to blow up
I'm obsessed with your voice and your channel
You're angling for ASMR?
I like how this channel switches it up from high stories to explain the nuances of various eastern philosophies
Very interesting introduction on theese philosophy concepts
Thanks dude, you a real one!
The song in this video is "Naoki - Guitar". In case anybody wanted to know.
I just binged all your videos man. You are massively underrated, keep it up man!!
I've spent ages trying to get the flow state.
I can recall only getting into flow 4 times in my life, twice in sport, once playing games and once playing music.
I describe it as being able to see everything, and being able to choose whatever action you wish, and always succeeding in it.
Anyway, my methodology to find flow since, has been to keep my body and mind healthy, be happy(or more like meditatively stoic), and avoid distractions.
The idea being, when flow wants to happen, it will, but I will give it the best circumstances I can. But I haven't been able to harness it's power.
thx for the video though.
Try not to try so hard to cultivate it. If that makes sense.
Bro, the way u keep things so simple and witty while explaining them, it's so cool, keep it up )
I'm less than two minutes in, and I've had a little bit of a smoke tonight. I am having the biggest possible mindfuck over words being an abstraction of the thing they represent. I have never thought about that before and it's fascinating. Thank you for that my dude.
Damn bro you have perfect channel and everything that can entertain someone... Like 1) entertaining and funny animations 2) funny jokes 3) some meaningful content and more... I love your UA-cam channel
I was in the flow state in the midst of my music production today. quite literally time felt like 30 minutes passed. it was actually 5 hours. and when I finished I then realized how hungry I was. the flow state is truly a powerful state of mind.
started when it was bright out. didn't look away from my screen once. then I saw it was dark as hell. and i was like what actually is the tike what???
As a rock climber myself; it brings much joy to see you showing Alex Honald. That man might have mastered flow state.
when i was a teenager my therapist once had me paint. i felt so safe and relaxed that i was able to create a cool as shit piece of art that im still proud of today
I love stoicism and daoism, but sometimes it feels like they talk about the same things. Trying, the way I understood it, came from Marcus Aurelius. He once said “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” So, don't try, just do.
Got this book for myself when I was in middleschool. Loved it.
found you off the r/teenagers subreddit and ive gotta say your videos are actually so good, youre the first person who could actually explain flow state to me. ur super underrated man, keep it up.
Been here for months! I'm so happy to see you finally getting your deserved recognition
Cool video, I've always enjoyed laidback explanations of things allot of people would explain in a too complicated manner.
If you're not familiar with him already you should check out _exurb1a_ channel, lots of this _internal dialog_ kinda feel to their explanations, and funny too
Omg, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Mind blown.
@@Tokinjester yeah except exurb1a is..... NOT the greatest, to say the least
found this channel not too long ago keep up the good work fam
More videos on Taoism would be amazing!
Showed up to the channel for the stoner jokes, subscribed for the Taoist philosophy. Looking forward to watching more. Kudos!
You explained the difference between understanding and perceived understanding in an incredibly digestible manner
I been struggling with myself lately of trying to get my goals done and seeing this i found it helpful and i think i will look in more into it thank you
Level 1: flow
Level 2: wu wei
Level 3: The way can not be attained, one can only realize that it was never lost
Level 4: if you can talk about it, it's not the way
Level 5: all levels are an illusion
Level 6: Kush Coma
The game
I've Played 'combat sport' for a couple decades now, I don't play to win, I play to chase that zen moment. Its so beautiful to behold or even watch in someone else - that moment of calm invincibility, you cannot get any closer to dream state godlike neo in the matrix than that.
Damn, I'm so lucky that I got recommended to your channel. Keep up the good work man, U are going to places one day!!
To me as a Taoist, this episode is so accurate and does a terrific job explaining Wuwei.
Lmao I love this, did acid alone once (~19yo at the time) and all I could think about was the word try. I ended up writing it all over my room as a reminder that I can do anything as long as I try, all that it takes is effort
"And that's how I ended up in a insane asylum"
@@overshadowedgaming9145 my mental state is perfectly fine 😂
@@gregbassett8372 lmao, I love trip stories
@@gregbassett8372 For now...........
Action is the bridge between thoughts and goals
Love it thank you
I’ve entered some types off flow states, I used to do boxing for 4 years and I got so good at it where I’d enter this flow state, where I’m not thinking I’m just reacting and if I see something coming I react to it and counter but because I’ve seen it before. But Idk if you’d consider that a Taoism state or just some other level of flow.
6:52 explained the boxing state I used to go in perfectly
I had a similar experience but when I was working in a mcdonalds ironically. I just stopped caring about when my shift was gonna end, stopped caring about the orders coming in, I just put my hands on the table and started flippin' shit and it felt like all my pain and desires went away and I felt like I could go on for hours
@@lordkrabstheeighth4247 actually had that same thing happen to me. Just working through it and barely thinking about what I was doing because I've seen everything that will come before. Also at McDonald's, but at other jobs as well.
Its called muscle memory and learning new things everyday is also important to keep your brain stimulated
@@artymcecstacyface6269 exactly, brain default mode
Happens a lot in sports and combat sports
as a chinese，basiclly，wu wei 无为is about： don't force something or someone，trying to hard most of time won’t give u the out come u want. like u are simply bad at an class，forcing urself to remeber everything on the book might help u get a good grade on the exam，but it will cosr u a lot of time and energy when u can do more on what u are good at or interesting at， and even u pass the test，it still doesn't mean u understand it，it only means u memorized it correctly. so as u try to trick someone stay with u in an relationship， but in the end u won't get the emotion u want or the person at the end of the road.
Tao as 道，it means way，method or rule of soemthing，but is there a rule of all rule，a method of all method ？ and we consider there is and we just simply call it 道，means how everything work，or also means everything works in its own ways，and u can‘t force it to chang， u can only find a way to flow with it.
those philosophy write those words after thinking about millions and millions people died and suffered before and they all try to find out what make us causing so many pain into this world and how can we fix it.
but unfortunatly，even they got the answer and tried to teach everyone，no one seems willing to learn it after thousands of years.
There's a very real science to this stuff that I haven't quite heard anybody catch onto it. Flow is something that follows its own concept. It takes the path of least resistance, so the point in flow is that you do not resist the action of the applied effort. If you take inspiration from physics with work and force it makes it easier to understand. Flow doesn't block out anything though. I really like the way of putting it as losing yourself to the illusion of whatever it is that you're "working" on. In that sense, you treat that work as an extension of yourself while you, the consciousness, lingers in the body. It's really not so much as blocking out as much as it is like soaking in. It's a tide that comes in waves. I know the analogy stuff might get old but they aren't completely wrong, it's very difficult to word this stuff and other concepts like this one. Flow is not something that you turn on or off or get into at work. It's something that you have to truly make an effort to allow your brain to catch on. I'm a dancer so it's easier but you certainly don't get it from being enlightend. You get it from a real physical understanding of the motion. Once that's keyed in you can now kind of dance with the motion of whatever "work" you're doing. Hope this helps ✌
ok im gonna act as if i understood all that and say “interesting”
@@daneru4562 he's not saying anything the video hasn't already
I like how you pointed out that it's not so much blocking out but soaking in, that's a great way to put it.
Crazy didn’t know their was a huge philosophical branch on this stuff
One thing I always said “if you’re thinking you’re sinking” I guess it lives up close to this
Yea there's a lot of cool movies and TV shows that have been inspired by Taoism too, I think "the force" from Star Wars is loosely based on the Tao. And I think in Avatar the Last Airbender characters like Uncle Iroh talked about some Taoist concepts
Just discovered this channel on my lunch break at work and this channel is fucking amazing
Hey man this whole concept has had a profound effect on me and my life. Thank you for bringing this to me.
Aka I used it to break through on DMT lmao
I recommend listening to the book, letting go: the pathway of surrender by david r hawkins. This book shows you how to let go and keeps the reader in mind 24/7 and has helped me achieve very high states of mind. Even if you’re not looking to get into flow this helps you achieve your greater self. It also has logic and science intertwined for those who are skeptical of the spiritual paths in human nature.
Sounds perfect for me, thank you🤙🏽
bump
@@Vilify3d I am happy to hear that and I really hope that it helps you out! Love to you
Thanks!
I bought the audio book but returned it as I was not very satisfied. It was very pseudoscientific which isn't necessarily a problem but in this case was not helpful. I also believe it did a poor job of explaining 'how' to do what it was explaining though perhaps I did not listen for long enough.
after about 2 hours of playing, pausing and replaying I have finally binged all of this guys amazing videos
Love this dude and he’s explaining it correctly
Yeah I unironically do this every time I write. I just let go of all conscious thought and let my hands n my subconscious takeover, it's pretty fun and can let me experience the whole "woah that happens in the story?" like a reader would, of course sometimes I have to edit stuff out cuz I consciously don't want something in the book to go that way but it's very fun and definitely worth it.
Bro same, it's specially engaging to me when im typing away on a keyboard. It'd like the words just flow out of my fingers
Yes! An explanation! I had this weird experience a while ago, I was go-karting, something I do very very often, and usually I'm hyperfocused on every single tiny thing I need to do to make my lap faster - breaking point, throttle management, weight distribution etc etc. And that involves a lot of thinking... Or... Trying. But one time a while back it was like I was on autopilot... I wasn't trying, it felt like I was observing my own actions rather than thinking about doing them, like I was watching a film... In the first person, I'd just glance my head and my eyesight to the apex of the corner and bam, my kart would be there, my mind was completely empty, just watching myself drive around, and the thing is... I was bloody quick too. I've never had this since and I long for it constantly as it felt so peaceful and... Epic.
You entered the fujiwara zone
that awkward moment when I just found this channel a few days ago and realize I've watched every video lmao
I want mooooore! such good content!
Yo I've experienced it a lot of times back when i played volleyball and football and the fealing is AMAZING now i do mma and its somehow harder to get in flow state but when it happens the fealing is AMAZING its as if your body can dodge hits on its own and you feal so light on your feet
this channel is fascinating, I love every video you make
the sort of "head empty" philosophy is what I live by. A lot of people don't understand that tao isn't a religion, its a philosophy. I'm a Christian, and I've had a lot of people tell me that I can't be a Christian and a taoist at the same time. It just takes explaining that the three Chinese philosophies, which are taught as religion in grade school, actually aren't religions, and then most people are a lot more open to thinking about it.
The Alpha and Omega, Om, Dao, Allah symbols are the same meaning. God. You can be Christian and be in the zone too, why separate.
you clearly don't know what you're talking about. taoism is very much a religion, there's literally a pantheon of gods that are still worshipped to this day in china, ordained priesthood, whole systems of taoist magic. you're doing a disservice to taoism by saying that it's not a religion and erasing that aspect of it. chinese buddhism is also practiced as a religion. this isn't even mentioning how indigenous chinese folk religion influences and intermingles with these organized religions. this comment is so arrogant lol
@@miri283 true but one can still pick and choose. Because religions, gods and so forth aren’t true but certain message can be useful.
@@StreetfighterU of course you can be solely interested in the philosophical aspect of daoism but for some ignorant westerner to make the sweeping statement that taoism as a whole is not a religion, as if they're some authority on it, is infuriating and completely false.
@@miri283 no one said there cant be a religion around a philosophy. tho I'm pretty sure every taoist priest wouldnt be mad calling it a philosophy first. bc many parts of it dont need you to believe in superhuman things. its just a way of approaching life and things. its a philosophy first. then a religion. i dont think thats wrong at all. neither did he do any disservice. if anyone is mad he most likely strayed from the right path by getting annoyed over it. not even close to being water :V
So many questions, just answered. Your the man
"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao" 😂always love me some Taoist jokes
I’ve never seen a better description of what trying is.
I’ve always loved entering flow state I find it easiest while working out high or gaming high
Me too
I want to achieve flow state without the “not too easy, but not too challenging” step. You can’t just pause a online fast-paced shooter game and say to your opponent to be more nicer on you.
@@stationorange ok
I have different beliefs about weed than u but respect u looking out,
I think weed gives what you put into it and picking the correct strains sativa or Indica is also very important
@@NoEnemiesRahim I agree with you on weed
My second video of yours. Love the animation and topics. Thank you!
I used to play Counterstrike a lot because I was very talented in it.
In my prime I destroyed whole enemy teams effortlessly by just being in the state of playing without thinking and enjoying my time.
This brought me the attention of some talent scouts and Esport organisations. So I thought I have nothing to lose and gave it a try.
Long story short: In competitive games that matter I never played as good because I always thought 'I must win because many people are counting on me'.
In fact I literally felt uptight from the beginning in these games and while playing I thought a lot about what to do and what could go wrong.
In the end I left the organisation soon after because I discovered that a competitve environment with a lot to lose makes me overthink and perform poorly even though I'm talented in FPS games.
When I play for fun on the other hand I get into a state of not-trying to be good but rather just having fun and that makes me play insanely good.
I loved this, I'm gonna binge so much of your content!
as others have said its very akin to what's commonly called 'being in the zone'. I rarely experience it but recently playing beat saber i really fell into the flow. I'm usually not too good at the game despite having 20+ hours, i tend to bounce between hard and expert, with expert+ being nigh impossible for me. A few days ago though after going back and forth between songs, half way through one it kind of clicked and instead of thinking about where my arms needed to be and when, my arms just kind of did what they needed to do on their own. there was no conscious effort on my behalf, my body was acting on its own and i was doing really well, not missing anything. while i was still in this mood i switched to a song i had been trying to beat on hard for the last 3 days and fucking nailed it with an S score, previously i couldn't even finish it. If i go back and try it again i get like a B or A score, not even coming close to how i was when i didn't have to think about it.
That beginning explanation of the restriction of language is incredibly precise for how profound it was.
After the poop story, seven levels of high, beans on toast, and then transitioning to Taoism, this is now my favorite channel.
First time viewer here. I don't know why, but I half expected the video to gloss over or dismiss the history for mindless comedic effect. I appreciate the sober take. That's a sub from me.
I experience flow when playing guitar and skateboarding. I just kinda start breathing to where my lungs are full but i can breathe more than usual. I begin to not try and just let it go. Meditation definitely helps to enter the state. Because if you have vipassana meditation you can extend all focus to breathing and your muscle memory will take control of what you are doing to an extent if you focus in on balance and breathing. I cant explain how i do tricks when people ask because im flowing and i didnt know how i felt while doing em
Reading Tao te Ching changed my life, an interesting perspective. I did have 1 occurrence of peace. I was a driver for a pizza place. Only 2 deliveries on board and I was the bottom so I don't have worry about that, the line was good I'm not needed there, dishes done, can't go home, all there is is to wait for a phone to ring, I don't like just standing around, so only thing to do was fold boxes....full acceptance of the moment...so I started folding boxes: and an immense wave of joy and peace filled me up. I had an inner dialog going "hi!" "Hi!" "So great to meet you!" "Great to meet you!" Duo- "Ahhhh!"
I've tried to get there again and scream joyfully at joy....but....trying is not the way. Do.
I'm dead ass finna send this to my philosophy teacher. I believe you explained the Tao better than any of the videos that my teacher showed us because clearly they were trying too much. Do you ever sit there and think: "Hey, there was a time when I didn't need to use language to think-I just thought, and honestly, everything was way more coherent in my head. Thinking doesn't require a language, and that's what we all do before we learn to speak. Having an inner voice is often acting as a hindrance to our mental capacity. I ought to learn how to think by reducing my thinking." Is it just me? No? That's just some thoughts, though. In all seriousness, I love the philosophy of Taoism.
PS: I'm not here for educational reasons
I love those kind of questions! A friend of mine once explained to me how he worked out a method of thinking that didn't involve narration but was more pictographic and sensory. His reasoning being along the lines of, if a picture says a thousand words, why not think in pictures? He was essentially short cutting his mental processing to "think" in a method that naturally uses more sensory data points which helped him gain greater clarity when thinking thought concepts than dialogue would alone. Honestly it blew my mind when I first heard it. Glad you're also having similar lines of questioning!
I love how you dumb down everything for me thank you🧙♀️
The TAO can be experienced through psychedelics, especially when it gets to the point where somehow you can have profound thoughts without any language whatsoever
Also, it's a very deep rabbit hole, with many jonras, entertainment, series, etc., Tree of the most famous is Star wars, Lord Of The Rings, and Star Trek. Thanks. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
All your videos could be this long, that's amazing!
Something very deep, explained very simply! Takes a good flow to achieve that. Thanks for the fine video 😊👌🏼
Skateboarding is a great way to do this. In trying to learn or land a certain trick you battle with yourself to get into this fear free zone of focus and commitment.
I remember going in the zone in a battle royal, that was amazing. 17 kills total, never had been that good before.
I can confirm I've been in the zone like this playing sports and call of duty it's pretty crazy
omg that was so well explained, just discovered ur channel and i'm binge watching rn, so thks a lot
this channel is the place to come to when u're high af
Amazing. I didn't actually need any of this explained to me, being the type that intrinsically understood Yoda's guidance the first time I heard it, but my goodness this video does such a great job of framing the concept that I enjoyed it immensely. So glad the algorithm brought this channel to my attention!
Came for the level of high videos, subbed for the Taoism and Buddhism. Well explained man, great content. Funny and enlightening. ✌
This kinda opened my eyes honestly. I thought I was the only one that thought about stuff like this. I’m glad it’s well explained and thought out.
I think a big part of this is mindfulness. This past year I started meditating a lot more, and I found that doing the things I loved and felt good at came even more easily and completely naturally. I wasn’t trying anymore because I had my full mind in the present moment and just knew that what was happening was something I could do, and I would do it.
the “yoooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu” fucken got me 😂🤣🤣
I try to not try. And it help me not to try to do it.Thanks for teaching me to try not to try.
That's why counting in Music can be very important, not because of the timing, but because it gives you something to focus on and lock out your surroundings.