Stop Now

Stop now and ask yourself- What is my body doing? Are my lips pursed and tight, or are they relaxed? Are my eyes squinting? Are my hands clenched? Am I breathing deeply and evenly? Am I hungry, full, or am I comfortably sated?

I did this a while ago when I lay down to relax for a few minutes, and discovered that there were many telltale signs of stress, even though I was safely in my bedroom with nothing urgent to do. I was caught in some sort of a sequence.

Regardless of how the tension arose, there was no need for it at that moment. I consciously relaxed, so my body could tell my mind it was OK to park and let the world go by for a while. With some discipline, I stayed focused on relaxing the muscles, and sure enough, my brain followed suit.

No need to know what started the sequence. I could end it by consciously relaxing my body. So how was it with you? Were you spinning your gears? Were you caught in a sequence? If you weren't on your way to a fire, or running away from one, and your body was tense (or you had let yourself get hungry, or had eaten too much), you might have been caught in a sequence.

This is not really zen, but it IS something I learned by experience in the zendo, and have forgotten for a little while. Tuxedo the kitty reminded me of it again (read previous post).