The Two Types of Flow

Flow is a really fun topic. Moving in flow and developing flow skills is an effective workout as well as being a practical application of functional mobility, strength, and motor control. The purpose of this post is to give some definition to different types of flow and discuss the application of those different types.

I would categorize flow into two distinct and overlapping types.

The first type of flow is "finite flow." This is a smaller scale of, often characterized by fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. Examples of this type of flow would be Tai Chi, Poi, Rope Flow, contact and regular juggling, and ribbon flow. This finite flow is visually appealing and strings together sequences of successive movements in quick succession. Finite flow can be effective cardio, plus it has the advantage of being a great training for body awareness, mindfulness, agility, and coordination. Another advantage is that finite flow can be practiced in relatively short periods of time where you can focus on one individual pattern or drill specific transitions. And with most of the examples given, they can be practiced in relatively small spaces. 

The second type of flow is gross flow. Gross flow is categorized by putting the whole body in motion dynamically. Skills like gymnastics, parkour, and flow yoga fall under the category of gross flow. Gross flow requires a lot of full body mobility, strength, and control. It is generally characterized by having dynamic contact with your supporting surfaces and involving changes in level ( prone on floor to standing, for example). Gross flow has the potential to develop strength and power but there are some limiting factors. With gross flow there is the necessity to be capable enough to approach those transitions and generally require a certain level of comfort with being on the ground.

Some disciplines cross these boundaries. Advanced practices like martial arts generally involve training in both finite and gross flow, and dynamic skills like dance have elements of both as well. But, generally speaking, the training of both components is still separated in those disciplines.

There are a lot of benefits to both finite and gross skills. In fact, I think training one in exclusion of the other can miss a lot of physical potential and leave weak areas in your all-around wellness!

After having practiced a routine centered around Tai Chi and Qigong for about 8 years, I'm finding a lot of benefit in practicing calisthenics and ground flow skills and feel like I'm resolving some physical issues that the finite flow didn't have the capability of addressing on its own.

Gross flow also has a generally longer road to mastery as practicing fundamental skills and simple patterns is a big prerequisite in attaining the ability to perform more complicated movent patterns. For someone learning rope flow or Tai Chi, you can get into the flow state rather easily and quickly, but for tumbling or parkour, doing general conditioning and approaching the building blocks of the higher level movements is recommended for health and safety. 

Again, with this article there's nothing to practice and no concrete take away. I just have been thinking about flow arts and wanted to suggest these two categories to help the thought process around flow. I think that flow is a very human and practical application of physical ability and both kinds of flow lend themselves very well to improved mental states.

So play around with it, and I wish you the best of luck in your practice!