Bring back the banjo Tommy!!

Great discussion, thank you! Stillness and presentness can have so many benefits not just at poker, but life in general - both business and family alike. Really enjoyed this.

I love the idea of stillness and will try to look for it more in life. If we are playing online poker and playing multiple tables at once, do you think stillness is an achievable goal during a session? I might be playing 6 tables, scrolling the lobby, watching other hands/showdowns, taking notes all at the same time. Is it realistic to aim for some stillness amongst all of this, or should I simply try to achieve it during breaks and before/after a session instead?

Yea my own tendency while grinding is to have my focus get too narrow for too long and tire myself out. When I finally take a break I can tell from my wrist, back, temperature, etc that I've just been stuck in one position for ages, not really being ‘present’ to my body or surroundings. So, ‘stillness’ in that sense could be confused with being immobile and rigid (although practising keeping good posture can't hurt).

The idea/image that works best for me for sitting at the computer multi-tabling is “pendulation.” That sort of natural rhythm: the breath rising and falling, pulse, contraction and expansion, ebb and flow. That groove. I’m sure it’s close to what Tommy is referring to as stillness here, but that’s the metaphor that works for me. It helps me cultivate that sense of “Hey it’s all good” (safety as opposed to threat, being creative, having fun, being open to what might be possible) even if I’m focusing hard, and it brings me back into a wider lens of being able to look away from the computer, remembering to drink and snack, look out the window, take breaks, get up and stretch. It also helps me feel like I’m choosing to be engaged, instead of trapped in the game. Like “Yea, there are tables flashing, and timebanks running down AND I can do whatever I want.” I can expand and contract, rather than just been stuck in contraction. So, it’s stillness in some senses of the word, but also more about moving around whenever possible—sitting, standing, looking around, stretching, using a foam roller during breaks, etc. And then, yea, off the tables, straight up meditation is undeniably beneficial.

Yea my own tendency while grinding is to have my focus get too narrow for too long and tire myself out. When I finally take a break I can tell from my wrist, back, temperature, etc that I've just been stuck in one position for ages, not really being ‘present’ to my body or surroundings.

Certainly can relate to this!

So, ‘stillness’ in that sense could be confused with being immobile and rigid (although practising keeping good posture can't hurt).

A useful piece of advice I heard recently regarding posture was "your best posture is your next posture". Essentially that if you get stuck in one position for too long (even if it's considered "good posture") it can be bad for you, make your back ache etc. And like you say, being too physically still for a long time certainly seems to be correlated with being too focused and getting tunnel vision.

Two legends together! Love to see it!

This video was fantastic. Thanks gentlemen!