Adam Baker: Turner--Flow

Turner describes the idea of flow as “the holistic sensation present when we act with total involvement,” and action without “conscious intervention.” This concept caught my attention, as I immediately recalled a moment wherein I experienced this exact feeling. On the final morning of my hiking trek in New Mexico, we awoke nearly two hours prior to sunrise to climb the last mountain. It was an incredible morning. Hiking under a sky filled with more stars than one could imagine, and with brilliant brightening orange to the east, we ascended nearly two thousand feet. Yet, I never felt the forty pound pack on my back or my legs moving beneath me—only a feeling of being there in every sense existed. The time flew, and climbing another ridge, the sun finally emerged, reflecting off the lakes far below. Only further down the trail did I come to terms with the experience. Thus, flow truly is a powerful element of experience. It is surely present for athletes, musicians, and actors, but it seems anyone can experience flow if the situation is just right.