Mind At Large and the reducing valve

[rimmer10]

I believe the ability to focus can be improved through the practice of meditation which is to still the thinking mind and be fully present in the moment. This than can be applied to a certain task and so produce a state of flow.

[Byrom]

I believe the ability to focus can be improved through the practice of meditation which is to still the thinking mind and be fully present in the moment. This than can be applied to a certain task and so produce a state of flow.

interesting - please expand

[rimmer10]

interesting - please expand

Relaxation is the key. Anyone who has ever been in the flow in any kind of activity will have noticed a state of calm creativeness and a feeling of "being in the moment" where time seems to stand still. The problem lies with our conscious, thinking mind, or ego. This part of our mind which takes its identity from our conditioning and past experiences is not capable of living in the present moment. It can only survive in the past or the future. So you could say that the present is its enemy, because it has no identity in it. It will do anything to escape it and since we are ruled by it we find it hard to overcome and that's why we find it impossible to get" into the flow" at will. Only when we are relaxed can we quieten this part of our mind enough to experience the present moment which results in "getting in to the flow of things" when combined with an activity. This is where meditation comes in which is nothing more than a state of "deep relaxed awareness" . By practicing this you can learn to gain control over your thinking mind and quieten it at will. Or just have a beers if that's easier, same result!

[Byrom]

I see - I actually think there is something in what you are saying here - some of what you are saying stuck a cord.

Few questions - so how often do you do this> and how train yourself to do this at will? - and do daily noises not put you off being in this frame of mind in meditation and how does this work to block it out? - I have never done meditation but I have noticed whenever I am playing at my best knocking breaks in - I feel relaxed in the moment so to speak and even though there are noses around me I don't here them or notice any distractions - usually takes me a while to get like this though and some days not at all.

Never actually thought about this side of the game before but I would love to be able to switch it on and off at will from the first shot - if you know what I mean - is there a trick or a way of doing this you think or is it just something that needs practice?

[rimmer10]

I see - I actually think there is something in what you are saying here - some of what you are saying stuck a cord.

Few questions - so how often do you do this> and how train yourself to do this at will? - and do daily noises not put you off being in this frame of mind in meditation and how does this work to block it out? - I have never done meditation but I have noticed whenever I am playing at my best knocking breaks in - I feel relaxed in the moment so to speak and even though there are noses around me I don't here them or notice any distractions - usually takes me a while to get like this though and some days not at all.

Never actually thought about this side of the game before but I would love to be able to switch it on and off at will from the first shot - if you know what I mean - is there a trick or a way of doing this you think or is it just something that needs practice?

The good news is you don't have to live on top of a mountain shut off from the rest of the world to practice" deep relaxed awareness". You can do this at any time, doing whatever you're doing at any given time during the day. Next time you are about to start an activity, doing the dishes or whatever it may be, just pause for a second ,take a deep breath and say to yourself; there's nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. Then simply become the observer of the unfolding. If you are writing a letter let your awareness rest on the point where the pen meets the paper or if you are a carpenter, where the saw meets the wood. Should you notice your mind wandering off , gently pull yourself back to the present moment by repeating the previous steps. Over time it will be second nature to you to live your whole life "in the zone". A tip if you are a right handed player. Before your next practice session spend 20 minutes trying to write a few sentences with your left hand.

[Byrom]

Or twenty minutes trying to play snooker left handed maybe?

I think I am going to give this a go - many people practice things on the table to improve their snooker - few realise the usefulness of practice doing stuff like this off it - so cheers for that bit of advice. As you get older the concentration does go a bit and it is hard to focus when you have things on your mind too - so this stuff might just help a bit you never know.

[rimmer10]

Or twenty minutes trying to play snooker left handed maybe?

I think I am going to give this a go - many people practice things on the table to improve their snooker - few realise the usefulness of practice doing stuff like this off it - so cheers for that bit of advice. As you get older the concentration does go a bit and it is hard to focus when you have things on your mind too - so this stuff might just help a bit you never know.

This tip was given to me by a former professional racing driver. It was based on the theory that the right hemisphere of the brain which is governing the intuitive side of us is controlled by the right side of the body and the left- logical side of the brain is controlled by the right side. Modern science has pretty much disproven this but it still works though for different reasons I believe. It forces you to really focus on the task in hand and therefore helps you to practice being in the moment. Its the unfamiliarity of things that pulls you into the present. A bit like trying out a new cue, all of a sudden we notice things we haven't noticed before and we attribute it to the new cue where in reality unfamiliarity pulled us into the present.

[rimmer10]

This tip was given to me by a former professional racing driver. It was based on the theory that the right hemisphere of the brain which is governing the intuitive side of us is controlled by the right side of the body and the left- logical side of the brain is controlled by the right side. Modern science has pretty much disproven this but it still works though for different reasons I believe. It forces you to really focus on the task in hand and therefore helps you to practice being in the moment. Its the unfamiliarity of things that pulls you into the present. A bit like trying out a new cue, all of a sudden we notice things we haven't noticed before and we attribute it to the new cue where in reality unfamiliarity pulled us into the present.

Sorry, just noticed my mistake. Right side of brain controlled by left side of body it should say

[Byrom]

This tip was given to me by a former professional racing driver. It was based on the theory that the right hemisphere of the brain which is governing the intuitive side of us is controlled by the right side of the body and the left- logical side of the brain is controlled by the right side. Modern science has pretty much disproven this but it still works though for different reasons I believe. It forces you to really focus on the task in hand and therefore helps you to practice being in the moment. Its the unfamiliarity of things that pulls you into the present. A bit like trying out a new cue, all of a sudden we notice things we haven't noticed before and we attribute it to the new cue where in reality unfamiliarity pulled us into the present.

Maybe that's why I enjoy using different cues? I seem to focus more when getting used to something new = weird but true.