How do you feel when cycling?

[yello]

I'd hesitate to put a name to it, for fear of ruining it, but it is a kind of gentle ecstacy. An awareness of the beauty, the ordinariness and the obviousness - all at once in a single feeling. It is all there to be seen and experienced, easy access, if you just let it happen, dare I say, let it flow into you. Cycling can take me to that place.

 

[Sea of vapours]

I'd hesitate to put a name to it, for fear of ruining it, but it is a kind of gentle ecstacy.

The following is an extract from a definition of 'flow state' here: https://www.headspace.com/articles/flow-state The second paragraph is especially pertinent to much of what's been said above.

“There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” Csikszentmihalyi said in a 2004 TED Talk. Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura reached this conclusion by interviewing a variety of self-actualized, high-performing people: including mountain climbers, chess players, surgeons, and ballet dancers.

When you’re giving your fullest attention to an activity or task that you are incredibly passionate about, singularly focused on, and totally immersed in, you may find yourself creating the conditions necessary to experience a flow state of mind. The mind’s usual chatter begins to fade away, placing us in a non-distracted zone. The feelings that would consume you under normal circumstances (inhibition, hunger, fatigue, or aches and pains) melt away, and all that matters is your dedication to your craft.

The flow mental state is generally less common during periods of relaxation and makes itself present during challenging and engaging activities. According to Csikszentmihalyi, “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… the best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” To that end, engagement and concentration are key in achieving flow state."

 

[matticus]

I used to do a long commute, 23 miles each way, much to the amazement of many of my colleagues.
On more than a few commutes, I must have gone into some kind of "auto pilot". I would get to a certain point on the route and wouldn't have any recollection of the earlier part of the route.

I actually think this is completely normal for most commuters! Studies have been done with car commuters who usually confirm it.

Once I read about this, and tried remembering the green lights i'd driven thru that day; I had zero recollection!

 

[yello]

Well, um, "high performing" I dunno about that

But, yes, I guess that's sort of there or therearounds. Certainly true that the mind's usual chatter fades away. In truth, I think I'm a little more passive than full on 'flow state', less focused and more open and transparent. I both flow through and am flowed through... but that sounds kinda weird

But, honestly, I don't want to be too analytical about it. It's something that exists in its own time and place and, to some degree, defies description (as I'm sat here in an armchair listening to a snoring dog)