At Ease

As I peel back the layers in my yoga practice, my perspective on effort is dramatically shifting.  It is so easy, and so natural, to approach yoga as yet another thing that I need to work harder at.

Teachings to find ease in the practice, to back off from over-effort, that less can be more, have fallen on dull, but apparently not entirely deaf, ears.

Following a simple instruction to let go of tension in my face, I found that there was, indeed, some there to release.  There, all gone, perfectly relaxed.  But when the cue came again, I found that some of the tension had returned.  Or was it that I was finding a deeper layer of tension left behind?

Q.  How many times can I let go of all tension that I am aware of, then circle back to find yet more?
A.  Don't know, but it's a lot.  Perhaps infinity?

In the class I lead at work, I began today by leading the group through a simple set of cues, each with an exhale:

- relax your forehead
- relax the space between your eyebrows
- release the corners of your eyes
- let go of tension in your upper lip
- release all remaining tension down past the corners of your mouth

After class, one person said "Now I know what a stiff upper lip is."  Amazing how a little attention can reveal things that have been there, probably for years, floating just below the surface of awareness.

I've become a little obsessed with scanning my body for tension and letting it go.  It's a simple practice that makes a big difference in how I feel, how I carry myself, and how I move.

It quickly led me to the realization that this physical tension is another manifestation of the tension that exists in my mind when it is unfocused, confused, or wrapped up in some emotional response.  And, just as I can relax and let go of physical tension once I'm aware of it, I can identify and let go of the tensions of my mind.

I'm just beginning this work, but it's a revelation that these latent tensions of body and mind are not a given.  I don't have to hold on to them, even though I've built this state of chronic stress over a half century, and it feels quite normal.  Now I'm seeing the path to a new normal, much more at ease, in my whole being.