Flow is the mental state in which a person is so absorbed in an activity that they lose track of time and feel energised, focused and engaged. The psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi introduced the concept in his 1975 book Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. He found that flow occurs when the challenge of a task matches a person's skill: too easy leads to boredom, too hard leads to anxiety. Flow requires intense concentration, and it is most likely at moderate levels of arousal. Because it is individual, each person has their own zone where they function best. The idea has spread widely, from sport psychology to occupational therapy, and is often used as a way to manage stress by pursuing absorbing leisure. Flow shares features with hyperfocus, though hyperfocus can sometimes become unhelpful, for example when it leads to neglecting other tasks.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.