Joy, Zone and Flow

That ability to focus can become the gateway to even greater physical or athletic achievement highlighted by effortless, graceful movement that is beautiful to watch or experience.  Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics, is the study of human movement, and it addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms.  The word comes from the Greek word kinesis (movement).  The graceful flow of the human body can become a source of elation and joy for athletes and performers. 

“You are in an ecstatic state to such a point that you feel as though you almost don’t exist,” says Hungarian psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.  Athletes can experience these feelings when they perform at such a high level that they feel invincible, when they seem to float through the competition, their bodies able to do whatever they will them to do. It does not happen often, and when it does, it is unforgettable.  It tends to accompany a state of mind characterized by a trance-like intense, yet seemingly effortless and enjoyable, concentration of mental and physical effort.  It can be accompanied by a feeling of joy. Csíkszentmihályi calls it Flow.  Others have described the feeling as “being in the zone.”

from Threes, Chapter 10, “Threes in Sports and Games”