Intention: to work on creating a better muscular tension baseline for optimal living
Setting: listening to Tara Brach body scan on Insight Timer, seated, at home
I found it pretty easy to maintain focus on the instructions in this body scan today, and found it to be an enjoyable experience today. I did spend some time absent from the instructions and deliberately focussed on thoughts – specifically, whether I had been underestimating the physical relaxation component of meditation, seeing it as a luxurious possible by-product of meditation, rather than an essential skill to develop. It was pretty gratifying to give myself this time in meditation to consider that – I often end up in trains of thought and admonishing myself for getting lost in them, but having the space in my practice to actually consider my thoughts, follow them through, and have some further insight into myself has been incredibly valuable and I look forward to exploring this further in my practice.
Another thing that I have noticed, in line with muscular tension, is that I usually have a lot of tension in my facial muscles, especially at the start of a sit, but it constantly creeps back in and I need to keep reminding myself to bring softness to that. I wonder how much of my life I spend this way – it surely just can’t occur when I meditate? Perhaps this should be a mindful action for me to consider incorporating into my day.