Flow, the Zone, and Meditation in Sports

During a recent training call I attended, the teacher likened the meditative state to experiencing flow or being in the zone. Further, he went on to explain that both of these concepts reference an altered state of consciousness. Essentially, no matter what you call it, “flow,” “the zone,” or “meditation,” they all elicit a state in which we are completely absorbed in our inner world and the present moment. While in this state, the distractions of the external world fall away. We feel calm and focused. We have a sense of ease, relaxation, and serenity.

When I heard the teacher explain this, I was reminded of the Wheel of Sports Performance, a model I created and outlined in my book, Winning The Injury Game. In the model, which is shown below, the center hub of the wheel draws upon aspects of the flow state, the zone, full engagement, and ideal performance state. You can read about the integration of these concepts in an excerpt from the book in this blog: The Secret to Peak Performance: Total Alignment. What I didn’t realize when I developed this model some years ago is that the hub of The Wheel of Sports Performance also illustrates the meditative state.

In my book, I portrayed this central hub, which integrates with and influences all of the outer wheel sections, as the foundation of top performance as follows: “To achieve ultimate sports and human performance, a person must have balance in four dimensions: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.” Furthermore, I elaborated on these dimensions: “Emotionally, you are confident, in control, and trusting. Mentally, you are having a good time, are prepared, and express creativity. Spiritually, you exhibit honesty, courage, and commitment.” (Reference: The Power of Full Engagement)

The fourth dimension, physical, is the main focus of the book and refers to postural alignment and symmetry between the right and left sides and front and back of the body. After learning that meditation equates to flow and the zone, I started thinking about what it means to have balance within the hub of my model more broadly.

Your Inner State is the Essence of Top Performance

With my new awareness of the overlap between flow, the zone, and meditation, I came to a realization about the four dimensions: the overarching principle that encapsulates them is your internal state. Some, like Garret Kramer in his book Stillpower, refer to this “internal state” as your level of consciousness, which you can read about in this blog.

Likewise, Jerry Lynch, PhD and Warren Scott, MD discuss the idea of an internal warrior attitude for sports success in Running Within. They state that steadiness, which is a trait of the warrior, is where we find reference to meditation. In their book, they write, “It is crucial for the warrior to be steady and free from emotional upheaval while running. To do this, settle and calm the mind through daily meditation, visualization, and affirmation.” 

From my experience, a daily practice to quiet the mind is recommended by Lunch and Scott because the more skilled you are in these techniques, the easier and more natural they will be to implement when performing. And, at least for me, it is a difficult skill to acquire and maintain. Remaining steady when under pressure is slowly becoming my default response as my capacity to meditate grows. In addition, boosting your ability to focus and concentrate through repeated training may help you access stored inner strength when it is needed most.

Spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy, in his book Sport and Meditation, further explains this idea of untapped inner endurance. Chinmoy writes, “If I have a peaceful moment, even for one second, that peace will come to me as solid strength in my sports. [. . .] That strength is almost indomitable, strength whereas if we are restless, we do not have strength like that.” Essentially, he is promoting the idea that we have an astounding energy reserve that we can draw on by connecting with our inner self. And this saved vitality allows us to surpass what we previously thought was possible.

His Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race is an example of the stored potential that resides within each of us. In this event, participants run nearly 60 miles a day for 52 days. This is something I certainly would not have conceived as being possible. Yet, 2025 is the 28th year of the event. Clearly, it is possible for many people! For something that might be more relatable, consider this: How often does the victory between similarly matched competitors seem to be decided by something more than physical attributes alone? As I write this, I’m thinking of the recent PGA US Open and NBA Finals as examples. In each of these competitions, the individuals or teams had similar skills and probably could have won based on physical prowess alone, but other factors such as motivation, focus, determination, atmosphere, and persistence appeared to contribute to their victory.

Sport as Meditation

As a final note on this topic, meditation, besides being the desired inner state for top performance, can also characterize the sports experience. As described by Chinmoy:

Exercise itself, if practised with the right focus, is a form of meditation and can be a meditative experience. The repetitive movement and regular breathing in endurance sports, such as running, swimming, and cycling, can help to induce a calm and reflective mind. Restless thoughts disappear and we feel at one with ourselves and nature. While practicing sport we enjoy a pure state of being, free from worries and anxieties.

Hence, it follows that sports can raise your level of consciousness. 

Summary

Top sports performance relies on not only a well-trained body but also on a well-conditioned mind. A strong athlete needs a mind with a resilient inner state that remains calm and steady despite external circumstances. This solid inner stability, which is often referred to as “flow” or “being in the zone”, is equivalent to a meditative state. It is a place from which we can draw a lot of stamina.

Often, we overlook this aspect in our athletic preparation. This is a mistake. (Admittedly, I did it myself during the peak of my mountain biking career!) This lack of awareness and personal practice is why meditation does not appear in my Wheel of Sports Performance. However, if I were to rewrite the model now, I would mention meditation. Why? Because over the years, I’ve learned that establishing a quiet mind is as much of a skill as something like executing the butterfly swimming stroke. Both need to be repeated and refined. And if we can cultivate a resilient inner state during our sports performance, not only does our enjoyment and achievement soar, but the activity itself can become a form of meditation. But this is only possible if the mind is familiar with being in a peaceful state. 

If, after reading this blog, you are inspired to take up meditation, I encourage you to read Start Meditating to Reduce Stress: 3 Easy Practices.