What does it feel like when you’re holding tension in your body? I know the minute I start to stress about something I tense my muscles in my neck and back, pulling my shoulders up near my ears and rolling my shoulder heads forward. I either breathe shallow and quick or I hold my breath completely. Whether I’m driving in traffic or stressing about something I hold tension in those familiar places and of course my mind is racing or filling with dread.
What does it feel like to build strength? I feel I’m getting strong when my bones are aligned, I’m contracting my muscles in proper alignment and breathing into it. Leaning in to the resistance. Steady breath helps my mind stay focused or at least present.
When we are tense we are coming from fear but becoming strong is from a place of neutrality or even calmness.
The breath is the key to transforming tension into strength.
So try this experiment for me in the next 48 hours. When you feel yourself feeling tense and stressed, align your bones and muscles correctly. Take a deep breath and contract your muscles to sit you up tall And BREATHE. Using this method with the vehicle of breath helps change and calm the mind.