—Meditation for Relaxation- Relief from Stress, Anxiety— Part One—
“Stress we can do without. Tension we need. Our muscles have power built into them in this way. They are responsive to the needs of our bodies.”
Health and Relaxation
Health and beauty are intricately related. I speak of true beauty—a beauty that radiates out from within. This inner beauty expresses itself naturally in a body unburdened by stress. We find ourselves attracted to those who are relaxed. It is comforting to be around them. There is a special patience and effortlessness present in their being—in their bodies. There is very little anxiety present in them. Can we learn how to be this relaxed?
Most of us have had the opportunity to watch a loved-one sleep and witness the beauty in their face and in their aura. It is one thing to be relaxed while we are sleeping but quite another to be relaxed while going about our day. This is the real question. How can we relax while in the waking state? More than this, do we even know what relaxation is? We may know what causes stress but what exactly causes relaxation?
Our Bodies Use Proper Tension
Can we define relaxation? Oddly enough it is not just the opposite of tension. True relaxation is something more. We cannot achieve it by trying. Trying requires effort which only adds to the tension. To solve the relaxation problem we need to get to the core of what makes it possible. The key to relaxation is effortlessness. After all, this is how it is achieved in sleep. We are not trying to do anything special in our sleep. We are simply sleeping. We are doing nothing.
In sleep the body has taken over and we are resting comfortably. By contrast waking life requires a certain amount of tension. We can do without stress but tension we need. Our muscles have power built into them in this way. They are responsive to the needs of our bodies. They operate without any conscious effort. Our breathing continues and our blood pumps through our systems. Our bodies know how much tension is needed to take care of its necessary operations effortlessly.
A Change in Perspective and Outlook
Let’s take the example of walking across the floor. We all do it. It is universal. Sometimes when we walk across the floor it feels effortless, while other times it takes a great deal of effort. This is a matter of how we feel about where we are going. If we dread where it is we are going then this is going to show up in our bodies as resistance. We are not at all relaxed about it so it will be a great effort.
On the other hand, when we are either excited or not really thinking much about it, then we simply find ourselves at our destination. It is effortless. The real answer to our problem of anxiety and stress can be found at the heart of this difference we have just pointed out. We only need to find a way to enjoy everything that we do. Changing our perspective and our outlook can make the difference. Meditation can help us with both of these.
Continue with Meditation for Relaxation- Relief from Stress, Anxiety— Part Two.