The Zone [Archive] - The Project Avalon Community Forum

Gracy

4th August 2019, 15:24

Ever witnessed a pro athlete in "the zone"?

Any pro athlete can tell you what the zone is, actually probably not so much what it is, but what it entails. When in the zone, the thinking mind melts into the background and a different part of us takes over. A far superior part. An athlete in the zone isn't even really there, and they dont miss, they CAN"T miss, the mind isn't there so cannot be distracted by others around them, crowd noise, planning, strategy, none of that.

For a basketball player its just you, the ball, and the hoop, and the ball has already hit nothing but net even before it leaves his hands, he already knows it has. He KNOWS!

For a fighter it's the same, or it can manifest in different ways like when doing some thrill sport like white water rafting or sky diving. Lose yourself in the event and simply be.

I would argue that the zone is also whats instantly in place when a passerby sees a child about to get run over, dashes out to shove them out of the way knowing full well its going to be them that gets it instead, but it doesn't matter because no one is really there in the first place.

I would also argue that the zone is where miracles can take place. A witness could swear they saw the passerby who shoved the child out of the way just in the nick of time got mushed, but there they are across the street making sure the child is ok. "Huh, i must be seeing things, could have sworn..."

What IS the zone? Is it in the same family as what one who meditates would refer to as "the no mind"? I think so.

I've experienced the no mind in deep meditation, its that zone of course where answers to many of life's deep questions, or solutions to problems, creativity, or whatever, can wind up bubbling to the surface from when tapped.

Ive also experienced yet another version of the zone when a horrible neighbor who was a very mean drunk was going after my little baby because he had dared chase the ball over the fence into the man's back yard. Instantly my conscious self vanished, and "i", was left behind as a passenger to witness a different part of myself grab a sizeable stick that happened to be laying there, and that other me was across 2 yards and over that fence like a track star. (Note i was never a fast runner)

Never took any martial arts classes, but somehow i knew, I KNEW to the core of my being where i was going to hit him multipl times with pinpoint accuracy with that stick, and how hard, if he laid a finger on my baby boy. I was going to kill him if he did, i knew i was, he knew i was, he took one good look at skinny lil mama bear and beat it for the back door. We never had trouble with him again lol.

I saved that stick, its still laying around and, evry now and then i look at it and shake my head in wonder because i dont know how to use the dern thing. But that day, in that moment of no mind no self, i did. Boy howdy did i!

Hey Bill,have you experienced moments of the zone in mountain climbing?

Anyone else have this experience?

What is the zone?

Clear Light

4th August 2019, 17:36

What is the zone?

Oh, having just read your post Gracy, I was reminded of this fight scene in "The Last Samurai" :

IV7jcaXQgds
But in answer to your question, I would say it's the spontaneous (or sudden) Cessation of our normal thinking-mental-processes (sensed as the absence of one's self-consciousness) eh ?

It's like you're having the experience but there is no "you" there at all !!!

Kryztian

4th August 2019, 17:50

I think musicians are also familiar with the concept of "the zone". It comes from a great amount of preparation, total mental focus, and physical coordination, that, like an athlete, causes one to be exactly in the right place at exactly the right time. Imagine what it takes for an organist to play a trio sonata, a musical composition with three complementary but different melodic lines all taking place simultaneously:

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It's an amazing feat to be able to follow all three melodic lines at once in your mind, but imagine doing this with five fingers on one keyboard, five fingers on another, and your feet on a pedal board all moving perfectly and synchronously to get the perfect effect.

Or imagine what it takes to produce a continuous column of air through your body to produce a long beautiful musical phrase. Your entire breathing apparatus, your vocal chords, your mouth and tongue, facial muscles all have to be perfectly coordinated to produce a simple but perfect tone, with controlled vibrato and effective diction. Your mind really has to be in another realm to make this happen.

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I think one thing both athlete and musician have in common when they are in "the zone" is that for the most part they are not thinking with words and language, but thinking about time, space, and how they are physically, mentally and emotionally moving through it. In addition to all the physical demands of doing these things, there is intense use of the non verbal parts of the brain to get through these moments. I think the "zone" is a state that many animals find themselves in, when a cheetah calculates it's path as it pursues its prey, or a bird produces it's song across a meadow to attract a mate. It is a really marvelous place when you find your mind no longer needing language to do great things.

Matthew

4th August 2019, 18:01

Yes! What Kryztian said above me (Today 18:50 Link to Post #3), music music. I think Duran Duran were touching close to this with their song, The Reflex (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ebkj9x5Ko), which as far as I know is a song about singing live, implicitly the Zone or at least something I relate to (edit: I don't actually sing) as The Zone described in the O.P. ... band members have remarked the sense of time changes when playing, sometimes. That said, I wouldn't be able to compare because I avoid sport; I'm lazy and rules annoy me slightly

Gracy

4th August 2019, 18:14

IV7jcaXQgds

It's like you're having the experience but there is no "you" there at all !!!

I love that scene. Except he had the training i had none. But yes, you nailed it! Having the experience but there's no "you" there. Remarkable!

And yes, yes, music. Wow i forgot all about music a perfect example of the zone!

I like the examples of the bird and the cheetah as well!

Baby Steps

4th August 2019, 19:31

In the gym years ago I found that embracing very uplifting ideas, helped by the right music produced a kind of physical energy surge.

the following from the animatrix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBov4t644JU

Patient

4th August 2019, 22:25

I think I can simplify it.

It is having the clear intent of something happening, so much so that your concious mind does not have to consider that it will not happen.

Well, maybe not as simple as I first thought it to be. :)

Consider this scenario....you are very busy in the kitchen preparing a number of dishes. You are focused on all the food and the oven temps for example. You have a piece of trash in your hand and without giving it any thought, you toss it into the garbage - perfect shot!

Try this yourself to see how it feels - crumple up a piece of paper. Toss it into a waste basket. Often, if you concentrate too much on doing it, you will miss.

Now try this - clear your mind, then think of it with the pure intent that it has already happened so now you do not have to give it any more thought than is necessary to make the physical movement.

...I might not have gotten it written down right, but it is a combination of emptying your mind and relaxing, yet at the same time having the complete full intention of something happening.

Gracy

4th August 2019, 23:48

I think I can simplify it.

It is having the clear intent of something happening, so much so that your concious mind does not have to consider that it will not happen.

Well, maybe not as simple as I first thought it to be. :)

Consider this scenario....you are very busy in the kitchen preparing a number of dishes. You are focused on all the food and the oven temps for example. You have a piece of trash in your hand and without giving it any thought, you toss it into the garbage - perfect shot!

Try this yourself to see how it feels - crumple up a piece of paper. Toss it into a waste basket. Often, if you concentrate too much on doing it, you will miss.

So true, great point that we all can relate to lol!

i think the following is another pure example of the zone, and he probably didnt even reailse what he had done at the time because it obviously came so natural. It seems to always revolve around the no mind, just being present and aware. This is where "magic" happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKMllY6jHp0

How does the every day conscious mind do such a thing? No no, sumpin much deeper is in play here.

Bill Ryan

5th August 2019, 00:23

Hey Bill, have you experienced moments of the zone in mountain climbing?

Great thread. :highfive: And yes, I have, a number of times. It's like all of a sudden everything is effortless, easy, and simple, despite the real-world difficulties all around.

The most remarkable experience I had like that was when I set out on my own, back in 1982, to do a ski-mountaineering traverse of what's known as the Italian High Level Route, from Cervinia in Italy to Zermatt in Switzerland, via Monte Rosa, the second highest peak in the Alps.

It was April, in full winter conditions, but the weather was good. I never really thought too hard about the thing — or I'd definitely never have started. :)

It involved a bunch of steep solo ice climbing, with my skis on my back. I had no protection of any kind, but felt utterly safe. I remember thinking: This is easy. All I have to do is just do every action perfectly.

It was like a moving meditation, absolutely in the moment. That I could have fallen to my death at any point never entered my mind. I was in the Zone for most of the time, from start to finish. But it just kind of happened spontaneously. I really take no credit for it. By definition, it's not the kind of thing one can 'try' to do.

I arrived in Zermatt 4 days later, and sat in a bar eating a good meal. The last day, I'd descended from Monte Rosa in a full zero-visibility blizzard, skirting a myriad of hidden crevasses which were almost impossible to see. But all that time, too, I felt relaxed, safe, focused and confident. It was an inch-by-perfect-inch thing, like the ice climbing.

In the bar I was writing a postcard to a friend, and on the reverse was the route I'd just taken. An elderly man with a rather red nose was sitting next to me, and was curious. I thought he was just an old drunk, maybe, so I fobbed him off. But he was insistent. He wanted to know what I'd been doing.

So to stop him pestering me, I showed him the photo on the postcard — which looked a little like the one below. (Do enlarge for a high-resolution view.) "I've just skied across that, from Cervinia", I told him. (On the photo, my route started just below the Matterhorn on the right, then followed the skyline all the way to the left of the photo, and then quite a bit further.)

He was incredulous: "You did what??" It transpired he wasn't an old drunk — he was a local mountain guide. He told me what I'd done had never been done before, solo in winter. I was the first. He jumped up to call together all his fellow Zermatt mountain guides... and all they threw a big party for me. :)

http://projectavalon.net/Italian_High_Level_Route.jpg

enfoldedblue

5th August 2019, 02:29

I believe that 'the zone' relates to brainwave patterns. In our society the dominant brainwave pattern is the beta state.

"Beta is the state that most of us operate from on a day to day basis. While the
Beta state is a normal part of effective everyday functioning, it is also a zone where stress, anxiety and restlessness thrive."

"In contrast the Alpha state is a relaxed mental state that allows us to feel
connected to our deeper levels. Instead of being driven by underling fears
we are more likely to be in alignment with our true nature. Alpha brain
waves are present when we feel calm and relaxed. It is the breezy, peaceful
feeling when we drift into a sensuous daydream. There are many techniques
that we can use to get our minds to shift from the ‘normal’ beta state to an
alpha state of awareness. A leisurely walk in nature, yoga, conscious breathing,
good sex, a massage, colouring, and light meditation are all practices
that encourage our minds to enter the peaceful alpha state territory."

To me this would be the brainwave state where we feel in the flow...any type of creativity.

"The highest frequency is the Gamma range. When this frequency is dominant,
our brains are working at a fast pace. We tend to be extremely alert and focused.
This level of brainwave activity is conducive to information processing,
learning and memory retention. This state can be highly productive, and useful
to function in intense circumstances."

To me this would be the state hat would be activated in emergencies...(saving a child etc) and in sport etc

"The Theta state is a deeply relaxed one that we normally only glimpse in dreams
or as we drift off to sleep. This state is so relaxed that it is described as a state of
semi-hypnosis; we become very open and highly suggestible. For normal day
to day functioning this state may not be particularly useful, but for creative
exploration this state is highly desirable as it improves our intuition and imaginative
abilities. This state is an ideal state to be in when we want to communicate
with the deeper, more elusive aspects of ourselves that reside beyond our
conscious awareness. Theta brings forward heightened receptivity, flashes of
dreamlike imagery, inspiration, and distant memories. The experience of the
theta state can produce a sensation of floating, and because it is an expansive
state, in Theta, we may feel our mind expand beyond the physical limitations
of our body. This is such a connected, blissful, ascended feeling. In this state
it can feel as though all answers are just within reach and we may glimpse an
underlying perfection."

The Delta state is the lowest frequency. This restorative state is one we access in deep sleep

Quotes taken from a Creativity course I created.

Orph

5th August 2019, 03:39

'The zone' has to be more than just a 'mental state' where you find yourself doing things easily and effortlessly with practically no thought to the doing there-of. I've had a few of those instances in my life, and I'm sure most people have too. But just being in a zone, or mental state doesn't answer everything.

Once, when I was about 14, I was playing basketball with my friends at the local schoolyard. One kid took a shot from about 15 feet away from the basket. At that distance, the ball has to have a nice arc to the basket. I was under the basket watching the ball when suddenly, for a split second, I found myself in that zone. I jumped up and snagged the ball out of the air just before it reached the basket. At that point, my hand was clearly above the rim of the basket. The thing is, I can't jump that high.

So how did I physically manage to jump about 18 inches higher than I can actually jump? This goes beyond being in a zone where I make all of my shots. This was just a very brief moment when there was literally no thought in my brain. None. There was only the basketball and an absolute knowing of me getting the ball. I didn't have to think - "jump". It just happened.

I know, this isn't anything super-human like lifting a car off of someone. I'm just saying, this goes beyond a just mental state.

Just as an aside, in basketball, touching the ball while it's above the rim is called goal-tending and the shooter gets credited with making the shot.

Strat

5th August 2019, 03:49

This is referred to as 'flow states'. I think Joe Rogan spoke of it a few times on his podcast, can probably youtube it.

I have taken martial arts but I mostly experienced it during (American) football when I played in high school and more recently in pool when I was playing tournaments.

My position in football was defensive back, I was way in the back and watched for receivers or I'd have to rush in and tackle the running back. I am terrible at catching balls, I have what they call butterfingers or stone hands. However during games when I would occasionally hit the zone I could easily intercept a ball, catching it with 1 hand. I can't explain it but it did feel like a primal, high testosterone kind of thing.

Regarding pool, I'm a mediocre player (by league standards) but I'd occasionally hit the zone, it's just crazy. I wouldn't have to line up shots, just feel them out, pull the trigger, and walk to where the ball is going to stop. I did notice that I would get out of the zone once I thought about it. Similar to finding the quiet space in meditation: after you find it you spontaneously feel great, but then when you draw your attention to what just happened it vanishes. It's elusive.

I've always been fascinated by this.

T Smith

5th August 2019, 03:54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKMllY6jHp0

How does the every day conscious mind do such a thing? No no, sumpin much deeper is in play here.

I could watch this video over and over again... absolutely amazing; and I'm not at all saying these type of things don't happen, but this video isn't real. It's just an ad for Gillette. But pretty cool anyway!

Carry on...

T Smith

Gracy

5th August 2019, 11:11

It was like a moving meditation, absolutely in the moment. That I could have fallen to my death at any point never entered my mind. I was in the Zone for most of the time, from start to finish. But it just kind of happened spontaneously. I really take no credit for it. By definition, it's not the kind of thing one can 'try' to do.

That was an amazing story Bill! I had a funny feeling you had experienced this in your mountain climbing passion. Thanks for sharing that!

I wonder what the trigger is for this spontaneous occurence?

"The highest frequency is the Gamma range. When this frequency is dominant,
our brains are working at a fast pace. We tend to be extremely alert and focused.
This level of brainwave activity is conducive to information processing,
learning and memory retention. This state can be highly productive, and useful
to function in intense circumstances."

To me this would be the state hat would be activated in emergencies...(saving a child etc) and in sport etc

Huh, so this is the Gamma range of brain function. Very interesting i didnt know that.

I jumped up and snagged the ball out of the air just before it reached the basket. At that point, my hand was clearly above the rim of the basket. The thing is, I can't jump that high.

A familiar theme, and unforgettable obviously. I wonder why it happened in that particular situation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKMllY6jHp0

How does the every day conscious mind do such a thing? No no, sumpin much deeper is in play here.

I could watch this video over and over again... absolutely amazing; and I'm not at all saying these type of things don't happen, but this video isn't real. It's just an ad for Gillette. But pretty cool anyway!

Carry on...

T Smith

Oh wow, nice catch pardon the pun. Thanks for that!

I looked it up, sure enough. Now i know. ;)

I am terrible at catching balls, I have what they call butterfingers or stone hands. However during games when I would occasionally hit the zone I could easily intercept a ball, catching it with 1 hand. I can't explain it but it did feel like a primal, high testosterone kind of thing.

You reminded me of this amazing catch (and this one's real LOL!). Even though hes a receiver, no one in their "right mind" had any business catching that ball, that must have made even Jerry Rice's jaw drop. As an aside, what the hell was Peyton Manning doing still on his feet there, he was in the zone too. There was no other way to beat the perfect Patriots that year.

Note. You have to click to Youtube to watch 30 second video.
CxiHMIM4NWI

Regarding pool, I'm a mediocre player (by league standards) but I'd occasionally hit the zone, it's just crazy. I wouldn't have to line up shots, just feel them out, pull the trigger, and walk to where the ball is going to stop. I did notice that I would get out of the zone once I thought about it. Similar to finding the quiet space in meditation: after you find it you spontaneously feel great, but then when you draw your attention to what just happened it vanishes. It's elusive.

My big brother taught me how to play pool as kids, and i know what youre talking about there it used to happen to me too. Get on a roll where you hardly even need to aim, and then think something like "how am i doing this" and that's it, its over just like that.

Bill put it very succinctly here.

But it just kind of happened spontaneously. I really take no credit for it. By definition, it's not the kind of thing one can 'try' to do.

I would love to know the scientific mechanism for what actually triggers this and why. It doesn't happen in all high stress situations, and as we've seen it doesnt even have to be a high stress situation. It just seems to... happen... like a bolt out of the blue that runs either a moment in time for us, or an extended period if need be.

Ernie Nemeth

5th August 2019, 12:10

I work far better with music playing that I like. I get in a zone where I am almost doing acrobatics with my tools - or synchronised tool belt multi-handed ballet. haha

It's a wonder to behold - I used to be proud of it, now it just makes me feel good. I make my work my art.

When I am in the zone I produce the output of two men. I can be in the zone day after day for weeks, before burning out and needing a rest - which never comes.

Being in the zone is easily disrupted by the slightest thing going wrong. A misstep, a stubborn screw, a faulty device, even the wrong song, can suddenly turn the zone into a series of unfortunate events.

The zone is like a familiar coat you put on. It just feels right. You just 'zone out' and perform the task set. After, you take the coat off and hang it up nice and neat, ready for the next time it is needed...but it doesn't always work when called on.

5th August 2019, 17:50

I have experienced "the zone", which was exactly what I used to call it. Now I'm more inclined to call it flow. This occurs either in writing or in art, for me, and it's almost like channeling lite. I just reach in, poke around to find what the finished art is supposed to look like, and reference it in my brain while drawing and it shapes up without any planning at all. Or I just start typing and trust the story will come out. I think I could do it with music too, only I don't know how to make most forms of music other than doodling around with weak vocals and piano, but I'm capable of just settling in and sitting and listening to the most faint music on the periphery which comes together out of the ambient noise.

Speed writing is a very good way to force yourself to learn to trust the state to kick in when you need it. I don't think I would have learned to get into it as easily as I do without doing speed writing challenges (races with other people where you try to write the most in a set time limit). Initially I deemed it a form of improv. In fact, in non-spiritual communities that's most of what I describe it as, though I do periodically end up sliding from "making up stories!" to "pulling stories out of the collective unconscious!"

In a way, it's like stories and art and music are all alive, and floating around in the ether waiting for a mind to open up and let them in. That's how it feels to me. It helps to reach the state to focus not on the whole, but one word at a time. Or one brush stroke, one ink mark. If I do it as a writing challenge before I begin I'll decide like, "they talk over beer and realize their relationship isn't working" so I have a target, but I don't preplan what I'm going to write, what the dialogue will be, just the trajectory of the scene. In the moment, I am only focused on typing whatever word needs to come next. I don't think back and I don't think ahead, I have to turn off my conscious brain so that my fingers are the conduit for the concepts I'm receiving by instinct.

It does not surprise me if most if not everyone will explain they too will lose the state if they let their conscious mind play with what they're trying to channel into, be it a sport or a creative task or some sort of spiritual experience. It's incredibly beneficial to enter the flow state while writing. I'm not in it now because all I can think about is how much my shoulderblades hurt. Gotta get the mind out of the equation. A timer does that to me. I was writing an average of 1200-1400 words in 15 minutes back when I was doing the speed writing. Once, I did 2200 words. Once, I maintained it for an hour and wrote 8000 words. And not blithering nonsense, but words that met the need of the scene and carried on the storyline. Unpolished, to be sure. Typos? Yeah. Worth it? Yeah.

Music helps. I think it ties up the conscious brain. I would always pick ONE song with an approximate BPM of the WPM I wanted to achieve, put it on loop, and try to keep up.

Agape

5th August 2019, 19:30

Guess what all happens in the zone, things keep playing me up. Phones ringing out of nowhere or “showing me” something out of itself.

I think there maybe many zones though.

It’s as if everything works in perfect symmetry.

If there’s a name to it ..:)..it’s a zeta state not even a theta state.

But let’s put it that way, it’s settings and options are still subject to human laws and regulation.

Matthew

5th August 2019, 21:06

As well as music, I get in a zone with software development. It's a very immersive medium, notorious for being heady. The saying goes 'it takes 15 mins after an interruption before a developer is productive again', which is getting back into the zone.

Lots of people explain this phenomenon, from the developers point of view, (this cartoon is a good quick TL;DR (https://heeris.id.au/2013/this-is-why-you-shouldnt-interrupt-a-programmer/)) but I like this one which compares the development zone to being asleep:

DON'T WAKE UP THE PROGRAMMER!

https://alexthunder.livejournal.com/309815.html

Extract:

...

The work of a programmer is practically A DREAM.

Sounds silly and simply untrue isn't it?

Well. If you would like to get yourself in programmer’s shoes and start to understand [their] work from the inside – then that is a concept you need to follow. You should simply imagine that The Programmer IS SLEEPING when [they are] WORKING.

Product of a programmers work is a dream, the vision of the sleepy night, the fantasy. It is written in a special language for electronic device to continue its existence when programmer is awake or switches [themselves] to another dream.

...

johnf

6th August 2019, 03:55

The sense of self is a very interesting phenomena. In a way it is the vehicle that has brought us here, the self preservation instincts
that have kept the various species alive down through the ages have ensured that we can experience creation as a self, separate out from the reality that we are an integral part of. This capacity we have can be used to steer things around in a way that the species that came before us could not or perhaps choose not to. It can also cause unreasonable fears, and prejudices, and on a larger scale environmental harm, and wars. and down through the ages, perhaps for each and every one of us this separate self relaxes and blends with the environment and whatever activity it was previously monitoring.

And the reality that that there is no doer becomes apparent, (I think usually after the fact in hindsight), all possibilities arise spontaneously and certain ones are executed without hesitation. Being, in whatever art form it is expressing itself merges with the artist and the medium, and a new set of strokes are added onto the endless canvas.

My biggest curiosity about all this presently is how much of the experiences of our ancestors feeds into our actions in these "Zone", or "Flow" experiences and how often multiple people have these things as a group moving as one. And how far away as a species we are from having this type of experience become the norm as we face the enormous challenges that are presently arising.
I think that the abstract notion of a doer of existence is nothing but a notion but could be lightly applied in visualizing all of creation consciously unfolding and including all species organic, inorganic, and electromagnetic.

It wasn't me!

Cara

6th August 2019, 04:10

The most astounding zone I have experienced was with a group. When I was a student, for about a year, I joined the rowing club to help them out as a coxswain (the person who sits in the back of the boat, pulls the rudder, and yells at everybody about timing :ROFL:). I coxed the women’s eight....

...something like this.
https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/o/f/6d7e8a72bbb1fm/72WV8-600x400.jpg

Anyway, one day we were out at a dam for a regatta training and one of the mens’ crews did not have a cox for their practice so I was offered up by the ladies crew to help. I duly jumped in and off we set. I was very intimidated - I hadn’t been a cox long - and this was a serious crew!

We made our way out to the open water and then I asked the guys what they wanted to do. We agreed I would call them to “take it up two” every 20 seconds till they hit 34 strokes per minute and then hold them there (more explanation of strokes here: https://darkhorserowing.com/what-stroke-rate-is-and-how-to-use-it-to-become-a-better-rower/). This is quite a tough session for an amateur crew.

So there I was facing a crew of burly rowers trying to get myself psyched up to drive them to this. Off we set.

At first there was a bit of messiness on the timing (people not quite in sync with the stroke who sets the timing). Then we had a few people “catching crabs” (this is when the blade of the oar does not properly enter the water and you get splash and not much pull).

Finally we settled down to mostly synchronised pulling and I started the upward call. As I called the upticks, the guys and the boat and I gradually merged in purpose, the blades cutting the water sliced, the boat dropped down as speed picked up. And then we were flying and there was only the rhythm of the pulling, the acceleration over the water, and silence. It was like we’d been created into a flying creature, skimming over the water, nothing but the now and the intent.

...

I called down the timing after 10 minutes. Finally we stopped. And we drifted along, breathing.

scanner

6th August 2019, 07:33

In a nutshell, a state of being.

Gracy

6th August 2019, 10:17

Finally we settled down to mostly synchronised pulling and I started the upward call. As I called the upticks, the guys and the boat and I gradually merged in purpose, the blades cutting the water sliced, the boat dropped down as speed picked up. And then we were flying and there was only the rhythm of the pulling, the acceleration over the water, and silence. It was like we’d been created into a flying creature, skimming over the water, nothing but the now and the intent.

...

I called down the timing after 10 minutes. Finally we stopped. And we drifted along, breathing.

Good description, felt like i was right there in that flying creature skimming over the water with you.

Rich

6th August 2019, 10:49

When I was about 16 in theater arts class we were practicing on the stage, my body took a step forward for some reason,
I didn't know why nor was I thinking about it, just then I heard a bang behind me, the wall-set made out of wood had fallen over and would have hit me.

Wind

6th August 2019, 13:53

petra

6th August 2019, 16:55

It's an amazing feeling when you get into the flow state (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXwLsba2TOY).

It's like things are going perfectly and you are not the doer, instead things are happening through you.

It doesn't happen too often to me, but when ever we are doing something deeply meaningful to us we can get into that state of being.

That sounds like the third level of consciousness (supposedly)... and following that, the fourth level would be "happening AS me" (ref: https://pdbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/4-levels-of-consciousness/)

The article says that to get to “as me,” the illusion of separateness must be replaced with a feeling of unconditional love, but I'm skeptical. That doesn't sound right. As long as I can control my own thoughts, separateness is not an illusion, and unconditional love just sounds like a liability :P

When I'm doing something deeply meaningful to me, I am "being myself" close to 100%, and I imagine (our) bodies probably like things better when we are being ourselves, hence the feeling of flow.

Mark

6th August 2019, 17:07

I played basketball in high school and ran track. In basketball I was MVP for my team senior year and high scorer. I can attest to the nature of the Zone having been there many times before. Being a high jumper in track and field, breaking the record for highest jump and keeping it for 20+ years was another area of physical activity that allowed me to enter that space as well at a young age. It is like being on automatic. Your body just does what it does and your mind is a space apart. You observe from the Observer state as your body initiates and carries out specific movements with perfection to accomplish the goal at hand.

The state can be consciously cultivated and often is by professional athletes. But there is a level of sheer accomplishment that they achieve that often is NOT within the Zone but which is, instead, a product of having repeated the same movements over and over again. The Zone is something else again and, when you feel it, experience it, you will always recognize it when you have entered that space of beingness again.

It is an altered state, but is also qualitatively different from other kinds of altered states, being specifically concentrative upon external tasks. There is another potential experience of the Zone which acts as a gateway to deeper states of knowing and being, much like sleep paralysis acts as a gateway to Out Of Body Experiences. This state can be profoundly transformative as well, as it is a doorway to the eternal, the knowledge base of the Multiverse, the Akashic Records, Collective Unconscious, or whatever you may want to call it.

rgray222

6th August 2019, 19:46

I have experienced "the zone" on and off for most of my life. When I was a child, I referred to it as a "moment of clarity". It was a feeling of such complete clarity and unity with the universe that it almost seemed magical. I was always saddened that this feeling was so fleeting; it never lasted more than 5-10 seconds. I never knew what prompted it to happen or how long it was going to last. The best thing about it was that I felt a connection to virtually everything and every person on the planet. Although brief, I was always left with the understanding that there is profound meaning to life and that there is so much more than we are capable of understanding in our present form.

As I got older, it still occurred but not as frequently. I stopped trying to figure it out and became thankful that it still occasionally happened. When it did happen, I learned to smile and just say to myself wow. "The Zone" always left me feeling somewhat fulfilled and content.

Several years ago I was on my deck speaking on the phone it was late summer at about 10 in the morning. We lived on 10 acres of property, the deck overlooked a fairly pretty forest with a lovely pond. I had built a large brick fireplace on the deck with a good size chimney. At the end of the call, I went over and leaned against the chimney. I was just standing there thinking about the day and all the things I wanted to get accomplished. Nothing of any real importance just routine stuff. I was looking at the edge of the trees and marveling at how pretty the property had become since we had owned it. I started to notice that the greens seemed greener, the brown browner and the sky was a much more beautiful blue than normal. I felt an incredibly strong connection to everything, I smiled and said wow, it was an unexpected moment of clarity. I fully expected this connection to stop in a few seconds but it did not.

This is really hard to explain but I will give it a try. After about a minute I realized that this was different, it was lasting longer and the connection to everything was stronger than I had ever experienced. I felt a sense of motion, I knew my body was standing in one place but it was as if my soul was moving all over the ten acres at a speed that was hard to comprehend. I knew that the trees, the water, the soil, the rocks virtually everything I had seen were connected. This included all the materials and metals that were used to make the cars in the driveway and the plastics that were used to make the trash cans next to the cars. I felt that I was no less and no more important than everything had just seen. Everything on this planet was connected and served an equal purpose.

At the exact second that I was feeling "all put back together' (for lack of a better term) I felt a sense of ascending very quickly into the sky. It seemed as if I were in the universe soaring at light speed seeing stars and planets made up of colors and composites that I was completely unfamiliar with. Every sense in my body was being told that everything in the universe is connected. Nothing in this universe is more important than anything else. Life and death, while we are in this human experience, seems important but on the grander scale, it is just part of a process. I was also left with the feeling that the concept of time is needed for the human experience but outside of that it has no meaning or significance.

After some time (I have no idea how much) I found myself leaning against the chimney on the deck. I recognized that I now had a much deeper and much more meaningful understanding of life. I wasn't that I intellectually knew that everything was connected now I actually believed it and understood it in the core of my being.

This feeling of being connected lasted almost two days. For that time I felt a mild sense of euphoria and a profound sense of well-being.

I understand that it may be hard to believe that this actually happened, I am not so sure I would believe it if I read this on Avalon but I can assure you it was very much real.

snoman

6th August 2019, 20:51

I agree with there being many ways to be in the zone or flow state..
also that there are times when you go looking for it and other times when it pops in unexpectedly from childhood onwards.
I find it in tai chi and kung fu. Crowley found it in the minutae of ritual preparation and and other more animalistic pursuits.
funny how easy it can be disrupted at times...

http://loopaway.com/uploads/original/5/5687.mp4

Constance

6th August 2019, 22:24

In the zone was discovering that my 3-year-old had swallowed a five-cent-piece that I saw him playing with earlier in the car. The five-cent piece was lodged in his windpipe. I calmly flipped him upside down, gently pummelled his little back, and out that five-cent-piece popped.
I didn't experience any fear or panic in those moments, just a sheer knowing that I could do this. I had my sons life in my hands. I was purely in the zone at that moment, in order to save my sons life.

RogeRio

7th August 2019, 14:10

What is the zone?

Follow a kind of approach, which use scientific method over abstract issues. It don't intends explain everything, but probably complement what is already knowed by each one.

firstly, must point some semantics:

Ego-int = concrete mind + emotions
Ego-ext = abstract mind + feelings

"the no mind" = "no-ego-int" state

The "no-ego-int" state occours when the Ego-int can stay more quiet, but the person are not apathetic about what happens and where he-she are, quite contrary, all energies usually spent by Ego-int, become more available to do something else.

For example, If you apply these energies to muscle movements, you'll be able to lift unbelievable weight, run very fast, or climb a vertical wall. It's amazing, but it makes sense, because Ego-int permanently consume considerable amount of energy by emotions while we are awake.

Think The Zone or "the no mind" can be a "no-ego-int" state to help associate the analogy here. This phenomena can brings a sense of disembodiment of bodies, that ultimately can eject the "[Ego-int + Ego-ext]" to Out-of-Body experience, and here remains the little secret to OOB experiencers, because each one have special ways to concentrate amount and quality of energy to eject the "[Ego-int + Ego-ext]" to Out-Of-Body. Body in this context, its the physical bio-Body. This phenomena of ejection, obviously left the bio-Body being inert and apathetic during the projection.

This explanation came to this point to demonstrate the energy potential of a superman state, why it is necessarily temporary, and why a lot of training and concentration is needed for gifted athletes can be seen as superman, while they are doing their job.

The athletes reach near of this ejection OOB circunstances, and use this relative amount of energy to serve their physical moves, impulses, desires and all kinds of concrete-mind determinations they wish (of course, they are well trainned to do it)

For example, this is how a karate fighter breaks a pile of bricks. It isnt't just only the physical energy that is applied to the blow. Also, It serves to explain why a fragile girl can knock down a grown man with a concentrated energy punch, because if she feels angry enough to activate the related para-psychic phenomenon, she temporarily can becomes a super-girl.

Say this "super" conditional state it's spontaneous, may seem so, but it is usually triggered by a series of conscious and unconscious processes, that can be achieved by trauma and mind-controled by external influences.

Lastly, it's advisable don't annoy Gracy May too much, because she might look badly at her computer about you, and you'll can fall off the chair on the other side of the screen, as if you had been pushed.

Gracy

7th August 2019, 15:59

rogparan first posted on my home page, but i asked him to post here on the thread because i think what hes saying is important. Actually, the one point i really wanted to highlight was one he left out, but its already posted somewhat publicly anywas so i dont think he'll mind.

The second brief part, its related to Super-Ego, Alter-Ego, Superior Mind, Abstract Mind (whatever name you want). Using same aproach by analogy. You find (abstract forms + feelings) that I name it here as "Will". This energetic Will can flux from abstract level through Ego and control its low-energies, make you (temporarily) strong, but at same time, can interact by donating or receiving, energies of other (abstract) free individual like you, working with you at some given time.

When you are in "The Zone", usually you are not alone. Its a further third part.

I highlighted the part that really made me think, at least it's something to consider how someone in the zone can not only do seeming super human things, but things they don't even know how to do like me with that stick backing off a nasty drunk man because i suddenly became a martial arts master.

James

7th August 2019, 16:39

The zone and flow states are fascinating. I believe the root of all secrets, or the foundation of all conspiracies, comes from the fact that we as humans are unimaginably more powerful than we can realize in our present state. It’s best to keep a lid on the pot and the lights turned off, some powerful folks might say.

The flow state reminds me of something called sudden savant syndrome. An example of this may be someone who is painting, falls from their ladder, ends up unconscious for a moment from the fall, and awakens to have the ability to paint surreal artwork at an expert level.

A colleague of mine told me about his cousin who ended up in a coma, and when he was woken up from it, spoke fluent German, but only for a few hours. He never knew German, even at a beginner’s level.

We have access to many wonderful abilities and knowledge, however, there is a firewall that we rarely cross to access them.

RogeRio

7th August 2019, 17:15

Yes Gracy May, the offer is Up, as far as I can reach and tell you clearly.

I limited myself in the first part offered, because I talk a lot and realized that the text would be very long, maybe going beyond the context of the question I quoted.

The second development its a few more complex, although the analogy method I presented in the first above can be well taken advantage of. But it certainly bumps into concepts which may contradict beliefs and preconception, so I need to be more careful about that, whereas here is a open public discussion.

You are fully right about the super-human (body) skills, which, while admirable and respectable, are not so significant when one understands that they are material tools used by higher levels of individual consciousness.

I am not much familiar with English vocabulary, but I think we'll be able to study here the difference between Desire and " Will ", and I am delighted and willing to contribute which what I already know and still can reach.

Please wait a while to me prepare other text about the second part offered. But think a little about it, because it is probable when I bring you one more text, you have already discovered the content by yourself, and that merit will be your, because you will be able to find the same connection way every time you " want - need " for the rest of your life(s).

Wmel

8th August 2019, 03:06

A fine example from one of the finest pianist/improviser we could get on earth, to paraphrase his own words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck6SBsLJVxk

"Although I seemed to others to be some kind of freak of nature, the amount of preparation work, mental, physical, and emotional is probably beyond anybody's imagination (including my own). It is NOT natural to sit at a piano, bring no material, clear your mind completely of musical ideas, and play something that is of lasting value and brand new (not to mention that these are live concerts, and the audience's role was of utmost chemical importance: they could change the potential and shape of the music easier than the difference of pianos or hall sound)." - Keith Jarrett

Franny

8th August 2019, 07:08

I had a fun and dramatic Zone experience with a friend a few years ago.

It was springtime in the Southern California desert at the foot of the mountains where I then lived. It had been a wet winter and we were looking forward to the spring flowers in the deserts. A VERY big deal in SoCal.

We were walking in the Mojave River area and taking pictures of wildflowers, birds and landscapes, dipping our feet in the water and singing old songs. After a couple of hours we paused to rest under a small cottonwood. Tom laid down with his knees bent and fingers laced behind his head and I sat up resting my arms on my knees watching birds.

Some movement to the left caught my eye and I spotted a large rattlesnake moving quickly towards Tom. It was an arm's length away from him when I spotted it. Several solutions went thru' my mind and I settled on one and told Tom to get up and jump over me NOW. There was something in my voice and in well under a second he was up and over me and standing 10 feet away and so was I. No idea how we did it. We were in The Zone.

The snake had stopped and risen up to look at this startling event, no rattling, but alert. I had my camera in hand and quickly got a few pictures. Looking at them at home I counted 13 rattles.

California Poppies, Spring 2019

41335

Gracy

8th August 2019, 11:39

I think its amazing hearing other people's stories of being in the zone. Seems it's not that uncommon of an experience. Or is it? Brings up a question is it just not that uncommon in an uncommon crowd like this, or is it not that uncommon for everybody in the world?

When i was young i suddenly found my self facing my imminent death, in the midst of a horrible car accident. The old VW Wagon i was an unbuckled passenger in, in the back seat, was flipping over and over starting at 60 mph down the highway, i was tumbling around inside from floor to roof like popping popcorn, and i knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that each time the oval roof came around to gouge the pavement it was going to buckle and either crush me, or send a shard of steel through me, either way it wasnt going to be pretty.

My state of mind was serene as can be as i bounced around awaiting the blunt trauma and then the lights going out, may as well have had my toes in the sand sipping a sunset margarita on a Caribbean island as i awaited my grissly death. I was simply waiting for it to happen, and casually thinking "so this is how it ends"...

Well it never happened obviously lol! That old bug wagon held firm for me, finally came to rest upside down and we scampered out. The police measured the skids and debri trail and said the car had rolled 210 feet. My back was a little messed up but, besides that, not a scratch.

It gave me a bit of insight into how people's final moments may have been when i hear of people dying like that, traffic accidents, being shot and bleeding out, whatever the case may be.

RogeRio

8th August 2019, 16:10

I didn't give the approach to the "Will" in the first time, because Gracy May didn't specify that "crux" of her major interest, and once not being aware of it, I started from the beginning First, indeed.

Not problem, because the second part is analog the first, but certainly imerse in all kinds of mysthicism, that at least for a while, I ask to be open-minded, granting that my words here are isent of believes and made by experience pragmatism, not only by me, of course.

I was fortunate enough to find and work with an advanced group in these unusual areas of study, where I learned lots of knowledge by sharing experiences. There were many debates, such as those conversations discussed here in this thread, and daily we chosen some relevant to make deep and inspiring analysis considerations.

You can see this work-group on the City Foz do Iguaçu (https://www.fozdoiguacudestinodomundo.com.br/en/cogn%C3%B3polis), (Paraná - BR), in a isolated neighborhood type condominium named by Cognópolis. People from all over the world come there to learn, experience and improve parapsychic skills, under the name Conscientiology Center.

I will talk about one (simple and constructive experience) that are running with myself, since I start my admission here, in Avalon forum -- everyday I'm "Downloading English Language packs", from the coletive mind of Avaloners. This is real. I've done it other times with Spanish, Italian and French, but I didn't have to write, just talk about specific subjects once.

For Avaloners don't say I'm crazy, I remember that Inelia Benz talk about this in her interview, about downloading complete language packs. The difference here is -- Speak language is more easy than write, and I'm not compared with Inelia Benz, firstly because I'm Tech, not a linguistic.

I get the "sounded" words in my mind, but I don't see the orthography to write it, neither how to organize them very well "in a paper". Its some confuze for me, until I can train a little, learn vocabulary and differentiate very similar words and their right use like should, could, would, thought, throught, trough, which, with, wich .. lol ... Its funny, I admit, but this "funny confusion" has already created misanderstood problems for me here, on Avalon.

BTW, I come to The Zone several times a day to do something, I agree it's a kind of Gateway. I'm mentally hyperactive, and can talk telepathically. When people come to talk to me, I often already know what they are going to say, and that's disconcerting because I end up messing up the conversation before it starts. (lol)

Many times what people talk to me doesn't match what they are really thinking about, and I see an attempt to manipulation, which makes me anxious and some angry, suspecting to be a try to make a fool of me, which is not easy to do.

I have one heart touching story about recent catastrophe in Brumadinho (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brumadinho_dam_disaster), where a barrier slip occurred burying hundreds of living people. I was taken there (while sleeping one day after the disaster) to see this touching fact -- some victims who were buried and violently ejected from the physical bodies, in a complete state of fright and despair (after dead), helping the extra physical workers to locate other victims still trapped in mud-buried. They (completely stunned) were working together to rescue the souls entrapped bellow tons of mud, a highly dense circunstance, which involved lot of beings (on the other side) stopping what they were doing to help with this abnormal rescue task.

Someone easily can say this is a Divine task, a Angelical task, a God interference, but I think its not, unless we are Divine, Angels or maybe Gods. I can say this, because I was taken there to do something, and learn about Help Each Other.

--edit--add--
I miss to say, about "Will, and where does fit over I wrote above

I was taken to Brumadinho, as an observer to be clarified some issues related to Cooperation, under extremaly precary conditions. All things about cooperation are central in my Soul Work. Also, write in english have a background of cooperation, that I "Will" develop to do, as you can see I'm doing, reading this words.

As I'm mentally active, I focus a Good-Will about any complicated-complex aspect that comes up to me needing be solved, then, ask and seek (internally) appropriate answers, that satisfy my Will (to cooperate).

So, I think get in The Zone (or other subtil Zones), whitout a Intentional pre-defined Will, the experience that will probably going to happen is Emptyness, because you are not Filled Enough to do something there, or beyond.

This reasoning appears match why almost posts here, where people have wonderful experiences about their abstract Will on The Zone, or through The Zone at certain time and place, where her Will strength was good to do something great. Think about ! be aware ...

Mark

19th September 2019, 15:11

I think its amazing hearing other people's stories of being in the zone. Seems it's not that uncommon of an experience. Or is it? Brings up a question is it just not that uncommon in an uncommon crowd like this, or is it not that uncommon for everybody in the world?

I think that this group of folks, here in PA, is not common in the world. :)

Overall in human experience, I don't know that a lot of people cultivate the intensity of concentrative effort that it takes to enter the Zone. Athletes, scholars, people who are very good at creative tasks, who have taught themselves over many years of practice, of trial and error, probably enter that space a bit more consistently than others.

I know that there are a lot of offerings out there nowadays as people attempt to consciously cultivate gamma brain wave states, which are associated with the Zone. Folks are trying to use it for business purposes and also personal productivity. I always am a bit wary of such promises, because, in my experience, it takes a lot of work prior to achieving the state, and these programs often seem to offer quick ways to get somewhere that you actually shouldn't get to quickly. That should take some effort and training of the body and mind to achieve.