The poster and presentation describe existing neuroscientific theories on how a meditative Flow state (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) can manifest in movement performance. A pilot experiment design and its results are also presented as an empirical approach to this research topic

Sakuta, Asuka

University of Chichester EPrints Repository

Printing:This poster is 48” wide by 36” high. It’s designed to be printed on a largeCustomizing the Content:The placeholders in this formatted for you. placeholders to add text, or click an icon to add a table, chart, SmartArt graphic, picture or multimedia file.Tfrom text, just click the Bullets button on the Home tab.If you need more placeholders for titles, make a copy of what you need and drag it into place. PowerPoint’s Smart Guides will help you align it with everything else.Want to use your own pictures instead of ours? No problem! Just rightChange Picture. Maintain the proportion of pictures as you resize by dragging a corner.Embodied Consciousness During Meditative MovingAska Sakuta, University of Chichester, U.K. (PhD Candidate)Email: asakuta1@stu.chi.ac.ukBACKGROUNDMETHODOBJECTIVESParticipants• 1 Mover: regularly practices meditative movement activities, and has experienced Meditative Flow during their practice.• 3-5 Observers: has experienced Meditative Flow during their own movement practice, and is a regular spectator of dance and movement performances.PILOT RESULTSREFERENCESWilliamson, A. (2010). Reflections and theoretical approaches to the study of spiritualities within the field of somatic movement dance education. Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices, 2(1), 35-61.Hahn, T. (2007). Sensational knowledge: Embodying culture through Japanese dance. Wesleyan University Press.Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal performance. NY: Cambridge UniversityPress.Dietrich, A. (2004). Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the experience of flow. Consciousness and Cognition, 13(4), 746-761.Dor-Ziderman, Y., Berkovich-Ohana, A., Glicksohn, J., & Goldstein, A. (2013). Mindfulness-induced selflessness: a MEG neurophenomenological study. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7, 582.Austin, J. H. (2010). The thalamic gateway: how the meditative training of attention evolves toward selfless transformations of consciousness. Effortless Attention. A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action, 373-407.Materials and procedures:The mover performs a 20min. segment of their own practice in a dance studio, while being observed by 3-5 people. The performance is documented through OBS Studio (Open Broadcast Software) as a videosource for later discussion. As the observers watch, they operate a mouse device to measure their real-time perception of the performer’s fluctuation of Meditative Flow. The device consists of a mouse on a straight 30cm rail which transmits a recording of the mouse movement (detects a minimum motion of 0.025 mm every 100 milliseconds) to an online data storage. The mouse recordings are visualised as a line graph, and shown alongside the documented footage.(right: mouse device / below: recordings)Dance context:• Somatic practices: sensory awareness (Williamson, 2010)• Roots in Eastern philosophy (Zen Buddhism)• Element of ‘meditation’• Altered state of consciousness =‘Flow’? (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)           Somatic Practices            Eastern Philosophy                   Element of meditation                                                     Instances involving meditation:             Technique    Dance        Martial arts        Classes /     Rehearsals /    Yoga…       Workshops   Performances           Flow-like mental state in meditation:      Meditation in Movement During instances of Meditation in Movement, ‘Flow’ (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997) occurs (Hahn, 2007). Meditative Flow DeactivationDuring Flow…“Hypofrontality”➢ Deactivation of areas in the frontal lobe➢ No interference from explicit system➢ Efficient, implicit processing(Dietrich, 2004)Level of ‘self’ Action in:Narrative Self:Autobiographic, self-referential thoughtsFrontal regionsMinimal (Experiential) Self: Awareness of the ‘I’ experiencing thepresent momentParietalregions“Self-less”:No intentions / passing throughmoment-to-moment experienceThalamic structures?During meditation…“Self-less” state➢ Three levels of ‘self’: releasing NS & ES➢ Deepest level:                        no ownership, no ‘self’➢ Non-egocentric state(Dor-Ziderman, 2013)DeactivationActivation?During Meditative Flow…“Allocentricism”➢ Thalamic switch from dorsal to ventral pathway➢ Enhanced activation in cerebellum?➢ Enhanced movement performance?(Austin, 2010)NEUROCOGNITIVE THEORIESMOCO ’17: 4th International Conference on Movement Computing 28th – 30th June, 2017While neuroscience provides intriguing theories on the relationships between meditation, Flow, and consciousness, observing such phenomena within a movement context runs into difficulties, as methods of observing brain activity during movement is still underdeveloped. Here, the researcher asks:▪ Can there be a way to contribute to these neuroscientific theories by examining what happens outside of the brain?▪ Theories lead to the hypothesis that, during Meditative Flow, movement performance could enhance; can this hypothesis be proven?▪ If the hypothesis is true, how can we observe changes in movement performance? ▪ Do audience members recognise this internal change, just by observing the movement performance?The recordings are used in the reflective interview process, as markers of the observers’ real-time responses. During the interview, a drawn line graph is developed collaboratively between the researcher and participant, which is then manually transferred to a digital medium(Microsoft Excel). Both the mover’s and the observers’ perceived fluctuations of Meditative Flow are quantified and compared, in order to determine whether there are any relationships.• X axis = time / y axis = perceived level of Meditative Flow[ Data: 05:00 – 08:00 out of 20minutes (300 – 480sec. out of 1200sec.) ][ Data: 15:00 – 18:00 out of 20minutes (900-1080sec. out of 1200sec.) ]Patterns:• Low / decrease during 300 – 380sec.• Rise during 380 – 480sec.• Rise during 900 – 930sec.• High during 930 – 980sec. • Decrease / low during 980 – 1080sec.0102030405060708090100300 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400 410 420 430 440 450 460 470 480PercentageSecondsPerceptions of Meditative Flow during 05:00 - 08:00Mover Observer 1 Observer 2 Observer 30102030405060708090100900 910 920 930 940 950 960 970 980 990 1000 1010 1020 1030 1040 1050 1060 1070 1080PercentageSecondsPerceptions of Meditative Flow during 15:00 - 18:00Mover Observer 1 Observer 2 Observer 3

Embodied Consciousness During Meditative Moving: Neurocognitive Theories

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