Great singers connect deeply with their song, great actors connect deeply with their characters, and great surfers truly connect with the wave. Our connection to what we are doing or performing are often defined as the difference between good and great performances.
This connection may seem strange. What we are trying to connect to? Does this 'connection' really exist?
A male musician connected with the music of the song he wrote, maybe connected to the emotions of the song, the sounds of the song, and the meaning of the song. He lives and breathes the song as if his mind and body are the song. He is in a deep trance, connected to abstract concepts (such as notes and rhythm), yet he can feel and experience them as if they are physically right in front of him, or alive inside him. This musician is connected to the energy of the song, and is free for the song to flow through his mind and body and into his instrument and voice. As an observer, we can feel and connect to this same energy of the performance, maybe not in the same intensity, but during that song we share a common experience and connection that may make us feel very alive.
Great performances may only occur once or twice in our lifetime for some, some may experience them more frequently, and some may have have never felt it. Regardless of whether we are singing, dancing, or playing tennis, the performer enjoys a magical connection through a whole heartened commitment to the performance. In these moments, the performer becomes one with the performance. No hiding, no holding back, just completely engulfed in the moment. In flow, without conscious interference. Simply reacting, creating and performing perfectly in moment-to-moment.
What we are connecting to is a complex and much debated topic. Some say that god flows through us during these times, some say we are connected to a flurry of energy that surrounds the performance, others move on confused.
When we look at the fundamentals of the mind and body, what we see is millions of vibrating atoms, brought together through various levels of energy. It is no wonder, therefore, why having a deeply connected and energetic experience feels so complete.
Regardless of what we are connecting to, or what is happening at an energetic level, what is obvious is that we are without ego, without separation and connected as one to the performance. We reach a state that feels so natural, and so 'true'. We often feel part of something much bigger yet completely connected to ourselves as never before. We feel fully connected with our subconscious, the performance effortlessly flowing through us. We see the world with new eyes, we experience the moment like never before, our conscious mind simply observes with awe as if it is watching a movie.
It is not until we pop out of flow and the magical performance stops, or we become distracted for a small period, we suddenly feel the disconnection. We feel separate and disconnected from ourself, from others, and from the energy that we were at one with. In these moments, the conscious mind takes back control and we are finally back in our usual waking conscious experience.