Tighten Up or Let Go

“Some of us think to hold on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go”.

HERMANN HESSE

Your Body and Your mind constitute a single, unified system. Anything that affects one component of the system usually affects the other as well. Every emotional or psychological state has an impact on our physical being for better and for worse.

This means that if you are experiencing tension in the throat. So, it is usually a sign of emotional stress; and letting go of the tension releasing the physical pressure may alleviate the emotional stress. Clenched jaws are often a sign of deep-seated anger (of which we may not even be aware).

Simply relaxing the the tension of the jaw can assistance in release some of the anger. To let go of the physical tension be it in forehead, jaw, throat, shoulders, belly, or back you can shift the focus to that part of the body, breathe into it, and release it.

You can even utter to yourself in silence to let go as you relieve yourself of the tension and strain, and gently sink into calmness and tranquility. Patricia Walden a renowned yoga teacher, says that the most important part of a yoga practice is the end, when practitioners lie down flat on their back, hands to their side resting on the floor, legs straight and comfortably relaxed.

This pose, called sivasana (corpse), is about yielding to the force of gravity and allowing the floor to support us. We let go of the tension and release the pressure in every part of our body. Through this we can also release the psychological tension we may be holding on to.

Moreover, Sivasana rarely fails to induce a sense of calm and relaxation. However, its value goes beyond the immediate sensation. Because as the calm it brings us is transportable. Once we are familiar with the feeling of relaxation, we can replicate it in other areas of our life.

And the more we enter this state in the controlled environment on the yoga mat, a bed, or the floor the more easily we can experience it in other situations. Those who have practiced this form of relaxation is able to experience the same sense of calm, in almost any place and at almost any time, simply by telling themselves to let go.

Wherever you are, whether in a work meeting, sitting with your partner, holding your child, or writing a report. You can relax any part of your body that feels tight, release any tension that you may be holding on to. And because mind and body are one, by becoming aware of your body. And by learning to let go of the tension that it holds within it, your whole becoming calmer and more serene.