“To get deeper in my practice, I had to let go of being a versatile all rounder… we don’t need all this strength… it’s nice to have, but we don’t need it."

Nil Teisner (@nilteisner) on the Passive Hang podcast this week! Nil is a multidisciplinary teacher covering physical skills, body preparation, and reflective practices. Nil has been catching my eye recently due to his work around “finding flow” - a concept from Mihaly Cikszentmihalyi - and manifested beautifully in Nil’s own practice - a mixture of acrobatics, dance, floorwork and more.

So what does it mean to find flow? Cikzentmihalyi describes it as this state of complete absorption into the task at hand. I think this is what is so beautiful about movement practice - moving the body - you ARE your body - and that’s it. Nil is a guide - helping others finding YOUR flow - not others. Nil shares his journey across multiple practices, including - the practice of letting go - letting go of competency, strength, things that don’t serve you anymore - to let in the new. The generalist vs specialist discussion continues… but I can see how Nil has moved past this - we get to hear about how he structures his OWN practice - which I could feel he truly enjoys.

Other topics we cover is preparation of the body; specific vs general strength development, the role of chaos and the emotive layer in practice; perception of risk and falling. Lots of great stuff.

You can find more of Nil’s work over @nilteisner or www.nilteisner.de

The Passive Hang - Episode 43 - Nil Teisner - Finding your own flow