Thanks for the share Andy, and I'm also quite familiar with the 'fast is slow - slow is fast' koan. It's a paradox. I've wrestled with this puzzle throughout my riding career, and have found that it's this performance oriented measurement lens, this seeking for results, that keep the flow state as an ever elusive, chance encounter.
There are many ways to invite a more pure flow to grace our riding lives more intentionally, but our purpose in seeking this needs to be clear, and it needs to serve a broader purpose in our lives beyond the measurable. There are shortcuts, and hacks, and tricks to gain flow for personal riding optimization - and these can be valid, and useful - but the resultant inner-experience of that form of flow is usually less meaningful, and again fleeting. It's a deep topic, and for me a very exciting realm to explore - the journey into these more holistic flow states has been rewarding, and I'm excited to be engaging in this type of dialogue with the mountain biking community, so thanks for the comment, and to NSMB for sharing my short essay on the topic.
Oct. 8, 2024, 1:35 p.m. - RyanLeech
Thanks for the share Andy, and I'm also quite familiar with the 'fast is slow - slow is fast' koan. It's a paradox. I've wrestled with this puzzle throughout my riding career, and have found that it's this performance oriented measurement lens, this seeking for results, that keep the flow state as an ever elusive, chance encounter. There are many ways to invite a more pure flow to grace our riding lives more intentionally, but our purpose in seeking this needs to be clear, and it needs to serve a broader purpose in our lives beyond the measurable. There are shortcuts, and hacks, and tricks to gain flow for personal riding optimization - and these can be valid, and useful - but the resultant inner-experience of that form of flow is usually less meaningful, and again fleeting. It's a deep topic, and for me a very exciting realm to explore - the journey into these more holistic flow states has been rewarding, and I'm excited to be engaging in this type of dialogue with the mountain biking community, so thanks for the comment, and to NSMB for sharing my short essay on the topic.