What else brings 'flow' or joy besides cars?
Discussion
+3
I simply love eating miles in a relaxed quiet road anywhere in Europe.
Its funny as my wife is sat beside me and we don't speak for an age, totally chilled and then a simple, "Fancy a coffee", brings you back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0zhHPiQpyo
I simply love eating miles in a relaxed quiet road anywhere in Europe.
Its funny as my wife is sat beside me and we don't speak for an age, totally chilled and then a simple, "Fancy a coffee", brings you back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0zhHPiQpyo
Europa1 said:
Rowing in a crew when it all just clicks, from a pair up to an VIII.
It's brilliant, it's powerful, it's visually stunning, you're asking questions of your body and getting the right answers, and if you're on an empty stretch of river and the conditions are calm, so much the better. It really is a mental tonic, that feeling of being part of a well drilled unit. Of course, like most sports, when you're having a 'mare, it sucks and you get angry. But I nominate the good times when rowing; it can be quite intoxicating.
I loved the Rio 2016 Men's VIIIs final - they steamed out of the blocks and you just knew no-one was going to get past them (particularly with Andy Triggs-Hodge in what's known as the ejector seat):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4UXGhI0Jp4
Excellent choice. I was going to go with DH mountain biking as per other posters, but there really is something just magical when a boat clicks. It's brilliant, it's powerful, it's visually stunning, you're asking questions of your body and getting the right answers, and if you're on an empty stretch of river and the conditions are calm, so much the better. It really is a mental tonic, that feeling of being part of a well drilled unit. Of course, like most sports, when you're having a 'mare, it sucks and you get angry. But I nominate the good times when rowing; it can be quite intoxicating.
I loved the Rio 2016 Men's VIIIs final - they steamed out of the blocks and you just knew no-one was going to get past them (particularly with Andy Triggs-Hodge in what's known as the ejector seat):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4UXGhI0Jp4
Edited by Europa1 on Tuesday 14th July 22:11
The way the boat gently bobs up and down...that sensation of it being absolutely stable (when it absolutely isn't) and nothing you do will affect that balance (it will), so you can simply concentrate on power not dying from lack of oxygen.
That magical feeling is made all the more enjoyable by the juxtaposition between the flow and when it doesn't click, and the boat flops from side-to-side, dragging oars, like a pissed pond skater.
And the noise...the rush of the water amplified by the hull shape, punctuated by that off woooof sound when all oars pull together.
I once did a training session in a pair, and it just would not click whatever we did. It was one of the worst sessions I ever had. Finally...for a short moment...it did...perfect...not wishing to lose the balance I pushed us a little too far and suddenly we slowly ground to a halt. We'd managed to row the bloody thing almost two thirds of the way out of the water up a beach (it was on a reservoir).
Can't agree with Rio. Searl's and Gazza in the coxed pair for me. Flow comes...just when they need it.
f
k...I miss rowing.21st Century Man said:
Robertj21a said:
Zed 44 said:
21st Century Man said:
Touring.
Sort of car related but it's not about the car, although touring in a great car is obviously a bonus. I'm never happier than when driving across Continents, it's the journey as much as the destination. Wandering around historic towns and cities, stopping for coffee and cake, window shopping, parks/museums, lunch, people watching, taking in the architecture and foreign ambiance, evening wander, drinks, dinner and to bed in a centrally located hotel if we're in a car, or campsite if we're in our campervan. Moving on every other day or two, for weeks at a time. Over the last thirty odd years we've covered absolutely everywhere in Western/Eastern Europe, with many repeats, Scandanavia up to Nordkapp, bits of Africa. Last year was six weeks in Japan (in a Toyota Vitz rental). I could've continued indefinitely with that had funds allowed, saving up to do it again next year.
+1Sort of car related but it's not about the car, although touring in a great car is obviously a bonus. I'm never happier than when driving across Continents, it's the journey as much as the destination. Wandering around historic towns and cities, stopping for coffee and cake, window shopping, parks/museums, lunch, people watching, taking in the architecture and foreign ambiance, evening wander, drinks, dinner and to bed in a centrally located hotel if we're in a car, or campsite if we're in our campervan. Moving on every other day or two, for weeks at a time. Over the last thirty odd years we've covered absolutely everywhere in Western/Eastern Europe, with many repeats, Scandanavia up to Nordkapp, bits of Africa. Last year was six weeks in Japan (in a Toyota Vitz rental). I could've continued indefinitely with that had funds allowed, saving up to do it again next year.
I read the Wikipedia article about "Flow" and thought I'd misunderstood with my post. So I deleted it! But it works for me, the sense of wellbeing and inner peace I get from it, all the baggage of home/work just falls away. I guess that's what holidays are for!?
GliderRider said:
Radio control slope soaring - A great way of unwinding!
I learned at Hankley Common (where the helicopter destroying the house scene in 'Skyfall' was filmed).
The usual slope was only about 30ft top to bottom. On a thermic day though, you could transition from the slope to a booming thermal, until the model was a speck in the sky. The thermal would then pass, and you would soon be back to scratching along the ridge until the next thermal came through.
One time at The Trundle, by Goodwood racecourse in Sussex, we were there around sunset one Summer evening. There was almost no wind, but the ground was giving off the heat it had absorbed through the day. Flown carefully with the gentlest touch on the controls, the glider would stay up. Too much control and the extra drag would cause it to lose height. We (my brother and I) kept flying until we ran out of light.
Coastal sites have very smooth predictable air. This is how I would like to be able to fly:
Le Fish - Aerobatic Slope Soarer
I'm not trying to one-up you but I was right into paragliding a few years ago. Imagine being in that plane, hooking a thermal and riding it to cloudbase. Time is the first thing you lose track of, you are so busy trying to see where the next lift is coming from, the view, the collapses...I learned at Hankley Common (where the helicopter destroying the house scene in 'Skyfall' was filmed).
The usual slope was only about 30ft top to bottom. On a thermic day though, you could transition from the slope to a booming thermal, until the model was a speck in the sky. The thermal would then pass, and you would soon be back to scratching along the ridge until the next thermal came through.
One time at The Trundle, by Goodwood racecourse in Sussex, we were there around sunset one Summer evening. There was almost no wind, but the ground was giving off the heat it had absorbed through the day. Flown carefully with the gentlest touch on the controls, the glider would stay up. Too much control and the extra drag would cause it to lose height. We (my brother and I) kept flying until we ran out of light.
Coastal sites have very smooth predictable air. This is how I would like to be able to fly:
Le Fish - Aerobatic Slope Soarer
I used to enjoy flying when the lift was light - I spent a sunny November afternoon in the Scottish Borders flying between 6 feet and 150ft on a ridge, sometimes chasing rabbits, other times being boosted up in a small thermic bubble. Those 4 hours passed in a flash, and you get a dopamine hit that keeps you buzzing for days.
We used to go out to Spain often and soar a coastal site - sometimes you'd be 15 feet above the cliff height, other times 1100 feet in a thermal, but you were so tuned in to the bushes moving, birds circling, the windlines on the sea, that 3-4 hours would pass in a flash. Other times we'd been outin the hills, and I remember often scratching in light lift as the day cooled, sometimes you'd sink out but if you could just hang on, there was often a 'last cough' as the rocks seemed to release heat and you could climb back up to take off or higher.
If you ever get the chance, have a go, either a tandem flight or a taster session.
ben5575 said:
Flow is about mastery of a skill to the point that the technique and knowledge is spontaneous and second nature allowing you to focus on and enjoy the moment, the nuance, the challenge, the problem, the opponent, the risk, the speed, the rhythm etc etc
As somebody once said, 'Don't concentrate on the finger or you'll miss all that heavenly glory.'
The art of fiding...widout...fiding.As somebody once said, 'Don't concentrate on the finger or you'll miss all that heavenly glory.'
Playing call of duty. My other half hates that a 46 year old bloke plays silly games as she calls it but nothing else I do can see me so wrapped up in it that I can lose hours at a time in the blink of an eye. Whether I'm playing well or shouting at the TV, I'm completely engrossed and it takes my mind of mundane or stressful thoughts.
The only other thing I can think of is popping my headphones in and playing music.
I also do a very amateur range of chill out mixes on my laptop. I can spend 4 or 5 hours at a time selecting and mixing the right tracks. Very therapeutic.
The only other thing I can think of is popping my headphones in and playing music.
I also do a very amateur range of chill out mixes on my laptop. I can spend 4 or 5 hours at a time selecting and mixing the right tracks. Very therapeutic.
Edited by toon10 on Wednesday 15th July 10:57
BRR said:
Probably DJing and MMA sparring
I'd also like to include Downhill Mountain biking for the 'losing sense of time' etc and being "in the moment" however I'm pretty crap at it so spend more time just clinging to the bike and hoping I don't die
That's three of us on this thread so far that do both sparring and Dj'ing. A seemingly strange combination but there's a theme emerging...I'd also like to include Downhill Mountain biking for the 'losing sense of time' etc and being "in the moment" however I'm pretty crap at it so spend more time just clinging to the bike and hoping I don't die
Robertj21a said:
Zed 44 said:
21st Century Man said:
Touring.
Sort of car related but it's not about the car, although touring in a great car is obviously a bonus. I'm never happier than when driving across Continents, it's the journey as much as the destination. Wandering around historic towns and cities, stopping for coffee and cake, window shopping, parks/museums, lunch, people watching, taking in the architecture and foreign ambiance, evening wander, drinks, dinner and to bed in a centrally located hotel if we're in a car, or campsite if we're in our campervan. Moving on every other day or two, for weeks at a time. Over the last thirty odd years we've covered absolutely everywhere in Western/Eastern Europe, with many repeats, Scandanavia up to Nordkapp, bits of Africa. Last year was six weeks in Japan (in a Toyota Vitz rental). I could've continued indefinitely with that had funds allowed, saving up to do it again next year.
+1Sort of car related but it's not about the car, although touring in a great car is obviously a bonus. I'm never happier than when driving across Continents, it's the journey as much as the destination. Wandering around historic towns and cities, stopping for coffee and cake, window shopping, parks/museums, lunch, people watching, taking in the architecture and foreign ambiance, evening wander, drinks, dinner and to bed in a centrally located hotel if we're in a car, or campsite if we're in our campervan. Moving on every other day or two, for weeks at a time. Over the last thirty odd years we've covered absolutely everywhere in Western/Eastern Europe, with many repeats, Scandanavia up to Nordkapp, bits of Africa. Last year was six weeks in Japan (in a Toyota Vitz rental). I could've continued indefinitely with that had funds allowed, saving up to do it again next year.
languagetimothy said:
Music, I'm a guitarist. messing around on Logic or GarageBand trying to create a tune with many instruments. Also, If I hear a piece of music (classical or rock) I particularly like I'll try to learn it and recreate it.. can take many many hours, all those nuances with strings and brass take a lot of listening and the hours just roll by.
Pardon the pun but this strikes a chord with me - I've not done it for a long time as I sold my last guitar a while back, but noodling and strumming away for hours was often blissful and despite having short, stubby digits I found playing a twelve string much easier than a six, I found the 'flow' came much easier. I need to get back into it again pronto..... I bitterly regret selling my Vox Startsream XII Teardrop and need another in my life, or maybe a Vox Phantom XII. My other half is left handed and plays a bit of bass when the mood takes her, it took us ages to find a decent left handed instrument that she could comfortably play, but she finds more joy in other creative activites these days.Mr Dendrite said:
Time for everyone to go and read Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance 
An absolute classic. Everybody should read it over and over again 'till they understand it. "...Inner peace of mind. It has no direct relationship to external circumstances. It can occur to a monk in meditation, to a soldier in heavy combat or to a machinist taking off that last ten-thousandth of an inch. It involves unselfconsciousness, which produces a complete identification with one's circumstances, and there are levels and levels of this identification and levels and levels of quietness quite as profound and difficult of attainment as the more familiar levels of activity..."
For me, it has to be dominating the stairs at my management consultancy firm.
I love the sensation when the junior/beta male concedes the dominant position and melts away to the sidelines of insignificance like a spent force as I stroll on through. Some days I can lose hours charging up and down the stairs while the bodies of the fallen tumble onto pile of unfortunate subordinates on the ground floor. I love my job.
I love the sensation when the junior/beta male concedes the dominant position and melts away to the sidelines of insignificance like a spent force as I stroll on through. Some days I can lose hours charging up and down the stairs while the bodies of the fallen tumble onto pile of unfortunate subordinates on the ground floor. I love my job.
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