By Sunita Punjabi, PhD
Imagine that you’re running a race and your attention is focused on the rhythm of your breath as it fuels the movement of your body. You can feel the power of your muscles. You can feel the force of the air in your lungs. You can feel the pavement, but there seems to be no impact beneath your feet. You’re completely absorbed in the task, and you are completely present in the moment. Time seems to stand still, and you barely notice, even though you are tired.
Positive psychologists call this a state of “flow”. Flow happens when you are completely immersed in an activity. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first published these findings. He compared it to what sports psychologists call reaching the ‘zone’, a state of transcendent absorption that seems to push champion athletes beyond former limits. The primary difference between flow and the zone is motivation. The point of reaching the zone is to win. Achieving flow is usually an end in itself.
Flow occurs at different times for different people. Flow is not associated only with sports. It is possible to reach a state of flow in your daily work activities.
The great news is that there is a science to achieving flow. Most people think that flow occurs at a beta brain frequency, but it starts at an alpha frequency. Alpha brain waves allow for an individual to have a heightened power of concentration and are considered a more creative or meditative frequency. The brain functions with five main frequencies. Gamma is the speed the brain needs when you are running from a bear or you are in physical danger. Beta brain waves move at 13-25 Hz, or 13-25 cycles per second (CPS), alpha (8-12 CPS), Theta (4-7 CPS), and delta (.5 to 3 CPS), which is considered a meditative state or sleep state.
Sophie, a 34-year-old painter, begins working on a new canvas in her home studio. As she picks up her brush and begins mixing colors, time starts to fade from her awareness. She loses track of the hours, her sense of hunger, and even the soft music playing in the background. Her focus is entirely on the strokes, the composition, and the emotion of the piece.
Each decision—where to place the next color, how to blend a shadow—is challenging but not overwhelming. She feels completely immersed and capable. There’s no inner critic, just an intuitive dance between thought and action. When she finally steps back, it’s dark outside, and five hours have passed in what felt like one.
This is a flow state: intense focus, deep involvement, a loss of self-consciousness, and a sense that time has either sped up or slowed down. Flow is still needed when you go in-house. “It is part of what makes your work satisfying”.
According to Attorney at Law Israel Garcia, who was the feature of “Top Ten Jury Verdicts” magazine in 2018, believes he reaches a state of flow when he is “able to reverse roles with his client, feeling the emotions, feelings and struggles of what the client lived through since the life changing event”.
With the advances in neuroscience, scientists are able to train the brain to achieve the state of flow through simple practices in neurofeedback, biofeedback, meditation and breath strategies that allow the brain to reach the magical state when desired. The methods use the brain’s natural processes to lock in flow and other optimizing brain patterns, allowing for superior brain performance. The technologies will enable you to take your brain to the gym. We can train the brain just like we take our bodies to the gym. The brain has muscle memory superior to the muscle memory of our bodies.
British learning innovator Colin Rose says, flow is “the brain wave that characterizes relaxation and meditation, the state of mind during which you daydream, let your imagination run. It is a state of relaxed alertness that facilitates inspiration, fast assimilation of facts, and heightened memory.”
Scenario: A Female Surgeon in the Operating Room
Dr. Maya, a 42-year-old cardiovascular surgeon, is in the middle of a complex heart procedure. From the moment she scrubs in, her attention narrows completely to the task. Her mind quiets, and there’s no space for second-guessing or distraction—just a calm, focused clarity.
The tools feel like extensions of her hands. Every movement is precise. Her years of training come together effortlessly as she anticipates the following steps and communicates smoothly with the surgical team. There’s a challenge, but it matches her skill perfectly. She’s completely absorbed.
Four hours pass, but for her, it feels like twenty minutes. The procedure is successful, and when she steps out, there’s a deep sense of satisfaction, not just from the outcome but from the experience of full immersion and mastery. This is the kind of flow state often reported in high-skill, high-stakes professions like medicine, law, or tech.
How to’s
1. Match Challenge with Skill
Flow occurs when the challenge of a task is high but not overwhelming and matches your current skill level.
Strategy: Choose tasks that stretch your ability slightly beyond your comfort zone, but not so far that you feel anxious or incapable.
2. Minimize Distractions
The flow state requires deep, uninterrupted concentration.
Strategy: Turn off notifications, block distractions, and create a physical space conducive to focus. This mirrors the focus of a surgeon in the operating room or an artist in her studio.
3. Use Neurofeedback or Biofeedback Tools
These technologies help train the brain to reach flow states by monitoring and optimizing brainwave activity.
This helps to build a mental muscle.
Neurofeedback allows the practice to build “Brain Muscle Memory”. Just as physical exercise builds muscle, consistent practice builds mental pathways for flow.
Strategy: Treat focus as a trainable skill. Schedule daily time blocks for deep work, even if short at first.
4. Use Breathwork and Meditation
Alpha brain wave states, associated with flow, are linked to relaxation and meditative awareness.
Strategy: Practice mindful breathing or short meditation sessions before deep work. Breath control can help calm the mind and lower brain activity to an alpha frequency.
5. Set Clear Goals
Knowing what you’re working toward keeps attention focused and motivation high.
Strategy: Break large tasks into clear, actionable steps so you can focus on one goal at a time.
6. Create a Ritual for Entry
Having a routine or ritual helps signal the brain that it’s time to enter a focused state. For example, repeating a mantra, such as a word or a phrase, can bring you peace and reassurance. Example: The movie “For Love of the Game” (1999) features a scene where a baseball player, Billy Chapel, seemingly “zone out” the noise during a game, focusing intently on the pitch he has to make. He’s playing in his last game, and the intense pressure and noise of the stadium are overwhelming him. The scene depicts him shutting out the distractions and connecting with the game on a deeper, more visceral level.
Strategy: Before starting work, you could make a cup of tea, listen to a specific playlist, or do a few minutes of stretching.
7. Engage Your Emotions
Flow is easier to access when you’re emotionally connected to the task.
Strategy: Reflect on the purpose – the “why” behind your work. For example, attorney Israel Garcia finds flow by emotionally empathizing with his client’s experiences.
8. Practice Often to Build “Brain Muscle Memory”
Just as physical exercise builds muscle, consistent practice builds mental pathways for flow.
Strategy: Treat focus as a trainable skill. Schedule daily time blocks for deep work, even if short at first.
9. Leverage Creative States (Daydreaming, Visualization)
Colin Rose suggests that relaxed alertness, such as during imagination or daydreaming, can facilitate entry into flow.
Strategy: Allow time for visualizing or mentally rehearsing your task before diving into execution.
10. Reflect Afterwards
Awareness of what conditions led to flow can help recreate it in the future.
Strategy: After a flow experience, jot down what you were doing, how you felt, and what helped you stay engaged.
About Dr. Sunita Punjabi: Dr. Sunita Punjabi, Ph.D., is the founder of Brain Coach LLC in San Antonio, Texas. With over 25 years of experience, she specializes in neuroplasticity and biofeedback to help individuals and groups achieve lasting mental and physical transformation. Holding a Ph.D. in Psychology, a Master’s in Counseling, and certification as a Life Coach, Dr. Punjabi combines neuroscience, psychotherapy, and coaching to address the root causes of challenges, offering sustainable, drug-free solutions.
Ready to Rewire Your Brain? Contact Brain Coach LLC at (210) 332-5298 or email info@braincoachtx.com to schedule your personalized consultation. Discover how Dr. Punjabi’s innovative approach can help you achieve optimal brain health and performance.
