20 minutes ago, I stood up for a break from my first daily round of writing. I began a series of movements to loosen up my joints, increase blood flow, let go of emotional gunk… and get the energy cranking in my body.
I sent waves rolling up the front of my body, culminating in rotating my shoulders. As I enjoyed the waves, I scanned my body for where some hidden tension might be.
Let’s focus on your upper chest, where your pecs tie into your deltoids.
Aha. Instantly, I noticed the waves struggled to flow through that part of my body. Like the rolling ocean surface lapping up against a rock outcrop. So, I continued to focus on that area without judgement, and observed tension begin to melt away.
Then I stopped to jot this down in my notebook.
Everyone wants to get rid of their pain. It’s a multi-billion-dollar market.
But getting rid of tension, when it’s still at the “merely annoying” level?
Not nearly as lucrative – massage businesses notwithstanding.
Because pain gets your attention. Tension, on the other hand, stays anonymous.
When part of your body resigns itself to chronic tension, you literally don’t get the memo. In fact, like an unruly teenager or thieving employee, your body hides the evidence.
Which is why, if asked, you may claim, “I’m not tense!”
Riiight.
We’ll test whether you are, in a moment. Before we do, keep in mind that virtually all joint and muscle pain has its roots in tension. It throws you out of alignment.
Just yesterday, I was getting some training from a coach of mine, and we talked about a celebrity in the personal development niche. One of the biggest names of all time. My coach happened to know that his body is riddled with constant pain, because of the tension he’s carrying around.
So, here’s a quick exercise to prove whether you’re suffering from chronic, hidden tension:
Sitting here, reading this message right now, how does your body feel?
If you notice tension, then you’ve got your answer.
On the other hand, what if your body feels fine?
If so, then I’ve got news for you:
You just passed the test… to prove you are engulfed and imprisoned with full-body tension that’s completely hidden from you.
Surprised? Skeptical?
Let me explain…
Feeling “fine” is the perfect way to describe the sensations of a physical body constantly blocking signals of chronically contracted muscles.
If you had zero tension, you wouldn’t say you feel fine. You’d say you feel divine. A melted mess of gooey extravagance, that somehow simultaneously feels primed to spring to action, whenever and wherever needed. Pulsating with warmth. Radiating love. A fully-charged, dynamic battery. And so much more.
That’s how a true lack of tension feels. Just ask a baby.
Not quite there? That’s okay. You can return to that state of being. Right now, I’m phasing in and out. Soon, I’ll embody that state virtually all day and night.
A major key, is to consistently upgrade yourself.
When I do my morning ritual to loosen and enrich my body, I’m not merely warming myself up to a state of “normal.” Instead, I seek out new levels of relaxation and alignment. Every day provides the opportunity for more progress.
There are physical practices that help… psychological ones… and some downright weird ones.
It’s just like the buildings under construction, that I can see beyond my computer screen, as I type this. Right now, a crane swings to lift and place new material. Nothing is static. The workers do not assemble a wall of concrete blocks, just to take it back down. Every day, the building becomes more refined.
As living beings, we have an advantage and disadvantage, compared to the building.
The disadvantage is, we can accumulate more tension and emotional gunk throughout our day. Barring some seriously inclement weather, the building will simply stay where it is, left untouched. So, we’ve got to get some extra momentum going. When it comes to eliminating chronic tension, “2 steps forward, 1 step back” is the norm.
Fortunately, we have an advantage that the building doesn’t possess. We have a choice. We’re the creators.
