Chillax, Yo

Chillax, Yo

One of the most wonderful skills I am developing is something that is available to all of us just for the asking.

This amazing technique will energize you. It will calm you, it will center you. It can relieve stress and tense muscles. It can help you sleep more soundly, cut back on bad habits.

It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it. Well, my friend, I’m here to tell you that it’s not too good to be true. It is amazing. It doesn’t require special training. It simply requires practice.

The skill is relaxation, and mastering it will change your life.

I’m not talking about being lazy, lying on the couch watching TV relaxing. I’m not talking about reading an engrossing novel relaxing. I’m not even talking about hanging out with an adult beverage relaxing.

Rather, I’m talking about conscious relaxation, where I spend a few minutes intentionally relaxing my body, part by part, and my mind, and my feelings. I am always curious to see where I am holding tension. I am not surprised when I need to let my shoulders drop, and to soften my tummy, but it cracks me up when I discover that my upper lip is tense. Sometimes, I’ve even had to relax the muscles behind my ears.

When I can do this little pause in my day, my breath deepens a bit. That’s wonderful for several reasons. Most of our detoxing happens through our breath, seventy per cent or so. So I clean me out a bit. My deepened breath also energizes me a bit, like a refreshing drink, or a snack.

When I practice conscious relaxation, I let my thoughts flow. It’s my brain’s job to think, so I will always have thoughts, some conscious, a whole lot unconscious. When I relax, I let them float on by, like little clouds, and don’t follow them. Except when I do, as soon as I notice, I come back to let them drift. This helps me to disconnect from them, and to gain a little perspective. They are thoughts, they are not me. I can change them. I am the boss of my thoughts.

Relaxing like this from time to time during my day keeps me responsive, instead of my old habit of reaction. I like this a lot. It means I have time to decide what I want to do. I have way less crap to apologize for. I love that.

It reminds me of the teaching about how, when I feel crummy, I am in a bad habit loop. If I am racing around all tense and clenched, I’m not going to remember that.

So relaxing my feelings is a benefit, too. And once I relax them, I can shed them, and get back to my sunny core. I really like my sunny core.

When I remember to practice relaxing every day, everything gets easier, softer, gentler, and way more fun. I really like fun, too.

How have I changed from being clenched and tight to relaxing my way through my day?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 08062013