Holding On vs. Letting Go
Just for a moment, think about what you are doing right now. Feel your body. How are you sitting? What muscles are you using? Are you sitting still? Are you relaxed or are you holding tension in your body?
Next, let’s move to thinking about the concept “holding the body.” First and foremost, we hold our bodies upright against gravity. How effectively we do this is a major determining factor in the efficiency of our everyday movements. Not only that, but we need to hold tension in our muscles. And, for the most part, this is normal tension. A muscle has to tense — or contract — to lift a weight or to carry out a task, like when we sit down or stand up.
But sometimes we hold too much tension in our bodies. When you are learning a new movement skill, whether dance, tennis, yoga or learning to play the cello, there is a pronounced tendency to hold excessive tension globally, all over the body — in your face, jaw, neck, fingers and toes. This excess tension translates into extra effort. To complicate matters, the tension could also be psychological in origin. Continue reading “Free Your Body – Part II”