Taking the Pressure Off of Flow

There has been an entire industry developed around flow. The word that once described a quality of movement – has become a movement, in a stressed-out world, desperate to find meaning and life purpose – a “raison d’etre”.

I think it would be fair to say that most of us consider flow to be a desirable state in which to reside. We are inundated daily by reminders of how great it is and our literal and metaphorical inboxes are OVERflowing with the latest directions on how to get there. So, if you have ever felt frustrated or overwhelmed in your quest to find or arrive at flow, you are most definitely not alone.

Despite what the billion dollar mindfulness industry promises, FLOW is not a destination. There is no mantra, mindfulness program or affirmation that will get you there and there certainly is no one size fits all for every occasion.

This is your invitation- your permission- to ease up and take the pressure off.

Okay I’m gonna need you to play along a little bit and “go with the flow” of this analogy….(sorry – couldn’t resist). Imagine for a moment that you are a garden hose. Your garden is your world; everything you’ve created and experienced up until now. It is composed of the things that you put energy into and grow or nurture, as well as things that you try to keep alive, despite the fact that perhaps they’ve had their season.

Some things in your garden flourish with little oversight needed, like perennials with strong roots that brave through even the harshest of seasons. Others require more special care and attention. Some things will even cross pollinate and grow new into new things without you ever even knowing and so on…

Water, is your energy – your flow – and the nozzle is your mind which controls all your “settings” or filters – the thoughts and associated emotions that direct your energy, responses and choices.

Flow is limitless and all intensities serve us, depending on the context. Like the garden hose, we can adjust the flow and reduce or intensify the pressure depending on what we want or need. There is no one setting for all the things you grow in your garden, and what might require more pressure in certain climates may need less in others. The key is to know it is you that has access to the different settings.

Kinks in the hose show up as limiting beliefs, assumptions, interpretations and fear, and threaten to reduce our potential to access our natural flow & drain our energy. But remember WE are the hose and, just as we create our garden it is only us that constricts our flow.

There will be times when you put up fences to keep any pests or saboteurs at bay and other times when you’ll opt to open the gate or remove the fence so that the garden can grow further or expand.

Water is a natural resource which is not only found on the surface of the earth in rivers, oceans, lakes, and streams but also underground. Like water, our flow is our own renewable resource. It can be used inward for personal growth and outward for whatever it is we want to create or grow.

Listen to Audio Version here!

Published in Collaboration with:

Also by Lisa Hopkins:

An Invitation to Create/Lessons From the Lake

Reclaiming Your Role and Directing Your Own Narrative

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