Flow state is when you're so absorbed in activity that self-consciousness disappears and performance peaks. Athletes call it the zone. Artists call it being in flow. Scientists call it optimal arousal. The physiology is specific: you need moderate parasympathetic tone combined with focused attention. Coherence breathing followed by task engagement reliably produces flow.
The protocol: 5-10 minutes of coherence breathing to settle your nervous system and increase heart rate variability. This creates the parasympathetic tone that supports extended focus. Then immediately begin your high-focus work. Your nervous system is optimized for the sustained attention and creative absorption that flow requires.
Flow experiences compound. Each time you access flow, you strengthen the neural pathways that produce it. Over time, accessing flow becomes easier and more frequent. Breathing work is the physiological gate that opens flow. Without settled nervous system state, flow is nearly impossible. With it, flow becomes reliable.