This research project uilises an interdisciplinary methodology to explore the connections between our cognitive states and movement performances, through the idea of embodied Flow states (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). The research begins with the idea of meditation through/as movement, wherein a mover enters a peak state of experience and performance (Sellers-Young, 1993; Yuasa et al., 1993). This state is often associated with the idea of “Flow” (Fraleigh, 2000; Krein & Ilundain, 2014), a state of sharpened intuition, enhanced focus, and full immersion (Privette, 1983). Here, the research asks the question: Is there a relationship between the phenomenon of “Flow” and the quality of the movement performance?
This presentation will first describe the theoretical and methodological structure of this research, then present its provisionary results. This includes discussions on how some scientific accounts suggest that the state of “Flow” can be neurologically represented by a deactivation in some of the executive functions in the brain, thereby potentially giving way to more primitive functions including intuitive motor control (Austin, 2010; Dietrich, 2004). Following this discussion on the theoretical connections between Flow, embodiment, and meditative states of consciousness, the presentation will describe the interdisciplinary methodology of this research, which examines the relationship between embodied Flow states and movement performance through multiple-trial case studies.