In Praise Of Tension

Martial artists, I've noticed, tend to be really good at understanding the value of tension - and its relationship to relaxation: How it is the intelligent dynamic between the two that creates the context for skillful action. Tension is not a bad thing! The cells and organs of our body require a certain level of tension to hold their form. A tension/release dynamic is what allows our heart to beat; and the lymph system to function. The trick is to find the perfect amount of tension: not too much, and not too little.

What is a problem - especially in our sedentary society - is stagnation, which often is experienced as a kind of dis-ease which we might then call "tension." But these sensations are simply emissaries of our body's innate intelligence, encouraging us to move. The way to feel more relaxed, more at ease, is in this case to increase the level of tension/contraction - which then allows the stagnant energy to flow.

Tension at the level of mind is also a good thing, when skillfully employed. It is what allows us, as beginning meditators, to maintain a gently focused awareness, to keep our energy flowing in a single, chosen path. In the absence of this capacity, syndromes like ADD & ADHD begin to manifest. Concentration is an expression of appropriate levels of mental/sensory tension.

A simple practice to experience how increasing tension can result in a calmly-energized state of ease: Gently contract one of your hands into a fist; hold for a second or two; then release completely. Do this five times on one side, then five times on the other side. Then do the same thing with your feet: gently contracting them, holding for a second or two, and then releasing. Notice how you feel.

You can expand this contraction/release practice to include every muscle in your body. If you choose to play with this, it's nice to begin at your head - contracting then releasing the muscles of your scalp, jaw and face - and work your way down, progressively, all the way to your feet. Notice how you feel.

What's likely to happen is a release into flow/vibration of at least some of the previously-stuck energy - resulting in a feeling of being newly energized, while at the same time relaxed -- since the "tension" of the stagnant energy has now been dissolved. Enjoy!