Why is flow important in body movement?

Flow (def.): To move smoothly with unbroken continuity, as in the manner characteristic of a fluid.

It seems like a basic concept, but flow, as it relates to body movement is sometimes overlooked. Flow can refer to the wave-like movement of the body as the muscle moves from joint to joint. It can also refer to flow between distinct exercises, creating continuous movement. So why is flow, being able to move fluidly with continuity, beneficial in exercise? For one thing, it demonstrates a greater level of body awareness and fine motor control. The body knows when to contract the muscles and when to relax, producing a cascading effect.

I believe flow is a natural by-product of functional fitness. It is also an attribute that can be trained just like strength, speed and flexibility. Flow is holistic movement, interconnection of muscle and mind. All movement expresses at the joints. Your body expresses what you’re neglecting to pay attention to.  It will complain in the areas that have been neglected.

Scott Sonnon, aka the Flow Coach, from whose writings I have learned so much about what optimal fitness really means, used physical fitness to allow flow into other areas of his life, not just the physical but the mental, spiritual, social, familial, vocational and even financial. He says that to give flow entrance into all arenas of your life through the physical, you need to define fitness as a vehicle to flow.

The web of connective tissue that holds our muscles together, dictates that we must train systemically, rather than segmentally, holistically rather than in isolation. The human body is essentially one muscle with hundreds of insertion points. A healthy myofascial web (connective tissue) remains relaxed and wavy with the ability to stretch like a rubber band, moving fluidly without restriction and returning back to its original shape when the muscular action diminishes. Physical trauma diminishes this muscular pliability and becomes tight, restricted and a source of tension. Emotional trauma has a similar effect. For example, in many cases, we have a tendency to over-stabilize, which is a fear-based reflex.

When we go with the flow, life becomes more effortless. Flow cannot be forced; and like energy it cannot be created. We can only allow it to emerge through us. All tension in your body is resistance, to gravity, to pressure, to outside force. Tension is necessary to hold the human body together. But when we hold unnecessary tension, we bind ourselves with a rusty suit of armour. It may protect us, but we are restricted by it.

Martial art, yoga, and physical exercise are three prominent methods for consciously releasing patterns of tension throughout the body. By bringing these patterns to a conscious level, you gain the ability to release the blockages and restore flow back into your life. Flow in practice may also stimulate spiritual energy: this is one focus of yoga practice.

Controlled and systematic training of the whole body trains you to move with grace in all things. Flow is grace.

I have only scratched the surface of this topic of flow. Whole books have been written on the subject at a level I am only beginning to understand. For now, let me leave you with one more thought. That with healthy bones and joints, we have the ability to absorb shock, so that micro-trauma does not reverberate throughout the body, keeping it safe and healthy. Think of mobility as restoring the flow channels of the body, moving with more energy as a result.  Practice mobility and be free to move!