Relaxed Living
The Four Realms of Awareness
The relaxation skills learned from our guided practice periods can be carried through to normal life and daily activities; then we are cleverly maximising the benefits and reaping the rewards to the full.
The increased awareness that develops through relaxation equips us to make adjustments to the negative ingrained behaviour patterns, thinking habits, and emotional responses that are currently dictating the quality of our life.
Such alterations have the power to improve our wellbeing and enjoyment of life to a great degree; and it’s all down to this newly-learned skill of awareness.
Awareness is the necessary precursor to change
Being ‘aware’ simply means that our consciousness now recognises, and takes note of, how we are functioning at any given moment; how we are holding ourselves, how we are breathing, how we are thinking, how we are feeling, and how we are reacting.
Once that recognition occurs, we have the opportunity to change what our awareness has observed or to leave it as we find it. The choice is ours!
Let’s look at the implications of this newly-found awareness in all fields of existence – the body, the breath, the mind and emotions, the spirit:
Body Awareness
Stress and anxiety result in physical tension in the body where it’s not needed. You will begin to realise that little bits of your anatomy are inappropriately being held tightly clenched. Observe yourself throughout the day when you are carrying out simple tasks – reading, eating, driving, cooking, working, playing....... etc. and you will likely find that you have:
Clenched hands ...........puckered brow........locked jaw......... shoulders climbing to your ears.........feet and ankles rigid............tight buttocks........gritted teeth......head poking forward......and so on.
Once you note any such tensions as described above - thanks to your relaxation training - you now have the skills to release that tension on the spot. Normal muscle function and circulation can return, along with liberated energy, Life Force and vitality. You have now established:
Less wear and tear on the body;
Greater wellbeing;
Relaxed Living
Breath Awareness
As explained under Breathing, the value of correct and easy breathing cannot be over emphasised. Different breathing rhythms influence our physical, mental, and emotional health. The relationship between breath and emotions is particularly interesting as the type of breath we take can literally determine whether we feel calm or anxious.
Refer to the section on Breathing and get familiar with the beneficial breath rhythms and the breathing exercises given there. Then, once accustomed to breath awareness, you will be able to adjust your breathing at any time during the day, and correct any bad breathing patterns that are present.
The most common damaging breath patterns are:
Holding the breath : suspending the breath, usually after an inhalation, is a typical problem. Holding the breath will often occur when we are concentrating hard on something, but this can develop into a regular reaction to even the smallest task, to the extent that much of the day may be spent with frequent disruptions to proper breathing. Breath retention can also over exert the heart, particularly if the inbreath is held during extreme physical exertion.
Shallow breathing : stress, and its accompanying muscle tightness, results in shallow and inefficient breathing. Continually breathing with this habitually restricted pattern prolongs any experience of stress and can actually create inappropriate feelings of anxiety and fear.
The heightened awareness we have discovered through relaxation, allows us to notice when the breathing is not flowing smoothly. From this platform of knowledge, we are able to consciously deepen the breath and allow it full freedom to move as nature intended. The result?
Less tension;
A ‘letting go’ of the unwanted;
Harmonious breathing;
Relaxed Living
Mental and Emotional Awareness
Our thoughts, feelings, and reactions are all part of who we are. Regular and prolonged sensations of being stressed can readily become our ‘norm’ and we increasingly lose contact with the lighter side of our personality, our sense of fun and humour, and the sheer joy of being alive.
Life is full of contrasts – how else can we differentiate one feeling or experience from another? There is always the hot/cold, light/dark, soft/hard, happy/sad, weary/energetic......and so on.
So it is absolutely right and natural that we experience stress and anxiety at times; the existence of our innate fight-or-flight response is clear evidence that we should expect an immediate stress reaction to our ’stressors’.
The secret to harmonious living is to allow the positive contrast experiences to take their rightful place and be given their just share in our life. These nurturing emotions, such as joy and tranquility, should be given room to flourish in our life experience.
With the tool of awareness at your fingertips, you can begin to appreciate when your mind and emotions are running out of control. The mind will keep tracking along its well worn path of anxiety, concern, and negativity, unless that part of you that observes the mind takes ownership of how you feel.
Now is the time to put some of your relaxation skills into practice; sit down, take a deep breath and let it out slowly with a sigh. Breathe deeply, let go of your physical tightness [especially in the shoulders], and sense some of the anxiety just melting away.
Slow down the activity of your mind as best you can; feed yourself with a few positive and life-affirming thoughts; know that you have the strength and the desire to rediscover the pleasure and fun of living, so that you feel:
Hopeful and encouraged;
Emotionally balanced;
Empowered;
The relief of
Relaxed Living
Spiritual Awareness
Full Relaxed Living requires acknowledgement that we are fundamentally spiritual creatures. At the heart of our existence is the very essence of our being – our Spirit. Body, mind, and emotions all readily respond to our desire for stress-free living once we allow the presence of our Spirit to become a recognised and important contributor to our welfare and life experience.
Contact with our Spirit, our Higher Self, our inner nature, the core of our being – call it what you will – is the ultimate source of happiness, peace and joy. Being divorced from our Spirit leaves us feeling alone, desolate, and solely responsible for dealing with every crisis, every challenge, every tiresome detail of life.
Within us is the one and only power - the Spirit – to completely liberate us from our prison of discontent, frustration, and anxiety. The Spirit is constant and never changing and its vibrational healing power can resonate with the whole of our Being once we dissolve the barriers created by our tensions, thought patterns, and emotional neuroses.
Each time we practise relaxation and quiet the mind, we open up the potential to make connection with Spirit. In the silence and deep peace of relaxation we are automatically in touch with our Inner Being, our spiritual essence, and we can feel comforted by its presence, reassured by its power, and ’at one’ with our self. In other words, we rediscover the true and absolute unity of our Being; we are no longer alone and separate.
Allowing Spirit to show its presence in our life is the ultimate step towards Relaxed Living.
Feel the Spirit;
Embrace the Spirit;
Enjoy the abundance of
Relaxed Living
