I found myself reflecting on the power of relaxation while I was trying to relax and enjoy some guilt-free downtime.
Whichever journey you are on, be it of discovery of your inner world, be it of improving in some areas of your life or changing some life-long patterns, having the ability to relax in the process is essential.
Empowered by deadlines?
And here is what I mean by it: a tight deadline can empower us to get more things done. Yet when we choose to use our inner wisdom for any decision we make, those type of things might be useful but not essential. There is another way of doing things. You’ll want to do the things you need to do because these feel like the right next steps in your evolution. There will be no need for tightness. What you will need is space. A space to expand into and to find the inspiration that comes from your soul.
Going against old patterns
We are way too used in this society and day & age to push hard and to make things happen. But, have you stopped for a while to reflect on how things flow when you allow life to guide you?
It is easy to get involved and engaged with what the “crowd” does, but it is more difficult to stand up for your values and show up to what really matters.
I have experienced way too many times the power of relaxation to ignore it anymore. The desire to make things happen can arise and can take the wave from time to time. Yet when I relax into that inner wisdom and not get caught up in the storms of the mind I find what the next right step for me to take is.
So why should you consider and develop the art of relaxation in your life?
When we expand and take deep breaths our body relaxes. We are less caught up in the delusion of this world and can connect with something that is richer and deeper within than the appearances of what surrounds us. We get more oxygen into our bloodstream, we clear the toxins from our body and our muscles relax. In that place, the quietness is present and the intuition can speak to us. As a muddy water needs time to settle so our mind needs time to become quiet. As a result of this we can see clearly. And who doesn’t want to see clearly on what our next steps are?
There is this concept of the 20-80 that comes to my mind when I think about the art of relaxation… What is the 20% that needs to be done which will give me the 80% result? I do believe, and have deep faith, that less is more. In a space of complete relaxation I can find what that 20% is and do it. It might be the hardest action to take, but the most valuable one, indeed.
Challenges faced on exploring the power of relaxation
Guilt… Can I say it again? Guilt! And I will try not to blame society for this, but also recognise that it is indeed a strong belief which has been instilled on us, to do more, to work harder, to make things happen. And as with any strong belief, we only need one experience to find that this is not true. The less we do, the more can be done.
I remember when I left for a 10 days silent retreat. In my working life I had so much confusion and chaos that I didn’t really know what to do about it and I was taking action after action forcing things to become clearer. All I needed to do was to be patient. When I came back from the retreat things got sorted out on their own and I had many experiences which I couldn’t dream of or force.
How do you practice relaxation?
There are two types of situations when learning to practice relaxation is needed.
- Emergency situations
- On a daily basis
As many of you know, I am a big fan of little habits that make the biggest difference. Training our mind on a daily basis to take some time off and to be ok with not doing has been essential on my journey for the past couple of years. Most recently I have been introducing in my practice one day a week where I don’t do anything. I switch off the phone and I don’t speak to anyone. I relax and spend time just doing nothing.
Stillness in the practice of stepping into the power of relaxation
I discovered the art of stillness by reading Marion Young’s article on the power of silence. You may argue with me that you have too many commitments and that it is not possible for you to take a whole day off. And I get you. I am lucky enough to have that opportunity and for that I am grateful. Marion in her article encourages us to start with a couple of hours. I highly recommend reading her tips on entering the silence.
This practice will be beneficial when emergency situations will show up in your life. For example, when a friend proposes you to join a party, or an exciting project, a super useful group. Whatever it is, the temptation will come in different forms. It is how you respond to it that is important. If and when you train your mind to pause before saying yes (ah… the power of saying no), you are able to give yourself the time to reflect on each proposal and not discard it straight away or jump right into it.
Relaxing into the uncertainty and trusting the unknown is what the journey is all about.
Actions you can take right now to get comfortable with the power of relaxation
- Set aside time to rest. Book it in your calendar. Intentionally give yourself permission to have that time only for yourself. In that period just watch what is coming up for you. Let go of the distractions and let people know you’ll be “offline”
- Practice mindfulness – a mindful awareness of the present moment. For inspiration check these 12 ways of being more present during your days
- Learn to properly breathe. The yogic breath is not something that one can only practice on the mat or only if he/she is a yogi/yogini. The breath is the closest we can get to our inner wisdom. Our soul is beyond the breath. We can detect if we are slipping away from our true essence by checking in how we breath. Is our belly expanding? Or are we breathing only into the upper side of our lungs.
- Salt baths and energy healing baths. This might be a bit out there for some of you, especially if new to the spiritual journey. A step which can be taken is to soak your entire body in a tub of warm water with 4 cups of Epsom Salt. The Epsom Salt neutralises the weird and unnecessary electrons from our body allowing us to relax on a muscular level. Clean your energetic body of any toxicity by using easy visualisation techniques. Be curious. Watch out for any changes in your energy levels.
- Practice free-writing. When the mind is busy, the only way you can see through some clouded thoughts is to write them down. Get them out of your inner system and see what comes up on the paper. You will be amazed about how much clarity comes through this.
Will you join me on the journey?
Whichever way you choose to experiment with the power of relaxation today, I will honour and encourage this little step you will take on the path of getting closer to your inner wisdom.
Let me know in a comment down below how you found the process and if you feel any guilt or shame coming up when you allow yourself to relax.