Just Relax

On numerous occasions I've realized that people should relax more. Really. When you walk really fast, you're not relaxed. Walk slower if you have time. Don't worry so much. You'll live longer. Tell other people to relax. But do it in a way that they know you're being sincere. Sometimes people need a reminder.


How to relax? Well, I'm sure we all have our own methods for relaxation. I'll share a few of mine with you in case want to try something different.


The first is almost universal. Breathing. Just take ten slow, deep breaths, and it will make a world of difference. Even just one deep breath has a measurable effect. To take it one step further, I'll explain Yogic breathing. This is best done lying down, although I've been practicing on the Ginza line lately. Lie down. Fill you lungs with air. Your chest and your stomach should look 'bigger'. Now, as you exhale, keep your chest lifted. This means you're keeping the air inside your upper lungs, and only releasing the air in your lower lungs. This is possible because you will be using your diaphragm to push the air out of you lower lungs. When you inhale again, your stomach should be rising. Repeat. When we are stressed, we tend to take short, shallow breaths. The lower lungs aren't really used. Using this part of your lungs not only increases your lung capacity with practice, but it has a definite calming effect.


Second: Do something that requires a lot of focus. It could be playing guitar, assembling a model car or anime figure, drawing a picture, etc. Guitar is not always the best because, like exercising, there is a lot of noise involved. Quiet activities are best. This is because silence enables you to lose track of time, as does excessive focus on one task.


This brings me to my third method: Enter a timeless dimension. Now, this may sound strange, or like some advanced meditative technique. And maybe it is, but the road to this advanced ability is a very relaxing one. Ask the Praying Mantis about it. They are experts. They can sit in one place, unmoving, for hours, like they're in a deep sleep...but really, they're just on 'pause.' Imagine if you could just pause your state of awareness for those 8 minutes that you're waiting for a train. It would be gone in an instant from your perspective.


At this point, you may not be able to imagine it. It's like time travel. 'Practice!' I say. My bed has many uses. One of those uses is as a time machine. If I want to go cycling but it's raining, I can climb into my bed, close my eyes, and fast-forward through two hours to a future when it's not raining. When I'm on the Ginza line, it's mostly just my body that is present. My mind is elsewhere. I've slowed myself down, causing everything around me to speed up. I encourage you to try this (if you have some time to work with.) Sometimes a good aid is to listen to some very slow, down-tempo music first, and then move onto silence. In this way you can stop your world and find inner peace.


▼▽▼▼【講師】Sandy先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Embracing Change】2009.08.05 (Wed)

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