Meditation as Wakeful Relaxation: The Challenge of Unclenching Tension
By
surprisetalk
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
The author explores meditation as "wakeful relaxation" — a concept from their teacher Roger Thisdell that challenges the common view of relaxation and wakefulness as opposites. They describe the difficulty of actively relaxing during meditation, comparing it to a game of whack-a-mole where tension keeps surfacing in different parts of the body. The piece reflects on the challenge of unclenching smooth muscle and finding a state where alertness and relaxation coexist.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledPeople often treat relaxation and wakefulness as two opposites: relaxation as a drowsy and dull, wakefullnes as sharp and jittery. But the two can co-exist.
Over the last two weeks I've been actively trying to relax during meditation. And goddamn it, folks, this is hard.
Relaxation is this game of whack-a-mole: relaxing one area of my b
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