This paper presents an ongoing research project which uses 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 in movement, wherein a mover experiences the state of “no mind” (Sellers-Young, 1993; Yuasa et al., 1993), a sense of mental tranquillity and ‘nothing-ness’ during movement. The state of “no mind” is often associated with the idea of “Flow” (Fraleigh, 2000; Krein & Ilundain, 2014), a feeling of being “in the zone,” in which the individual’s intuition sharpens, and s/he exhibits “peak performance” (Privette, 1983). Here, the research asks the question: Is there a relationship between the phenomenon of “Flow” and ‘optimal’ movement performance?
Following a brief progress report given at the 4th International Conference on Movement Computing (London, 2017), this paper presents a further developed view on the theoretical and methodological structure of this research. This will include discussions on how some scientific accounts suggest that the state of “no mind” (or “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). After developing an interdisciplinary view on the connections between Flow, embodiment, and meditative states of consciousness, the paper will describe how this theoretical framework has informed the researcher’s practical investigation on 1.) how embodied Flow states may appear during meditative movement, and 2.) whether this state has an influence on the mover’s performance.