Relax, relax and relax
To the depth of your being
To the last and smallest cell
For a life so filled with wellbeing
The rain came pouring down yesterday, and so did relaxation unto me.
Uncontrived Relaxation
I stood transfixed for almost two hours, simply looking at the rain lashing down. My lotus plant with its saucer-like leaves gettting splattered with the water. Sky rumbling, darkness rising, water gathering on the rooftop tickling my toes. Large drops landing on some hidden spots, and my eyes trying hard to unearth them. I felt so relaxed that I wondered if I was in yoga nidra.
Dissipating Tension
My body was limp, my mind serene, my facial muscles in the posture of ecstasy and breath flowing silently, I could barely feel it. My movements were free, uncontrolled by any prior thought or plot. I could not feel my ankles or shoulders or any of the other joints that lay along the way. I floated down the stairs to the kitchen to make a cup of tea at 10:00 pm!
I'm usually asleep at 10, and certainly not eating or drinking anything (least of all any form of caffeine!). All my actions were unpremeditated and curious.
This was the state of relaxation or sithalikaran. All of the body, its processes, organs, every single cell had merged with the other. The usual separation or disunity between the inside and outside was vanquished. Unanimously the whole body was unwound. A natural state of the human body. But a rare occurrence in the present times.
What Is Relaxation?
Sithalikaran, by definition, is an act of rendering the muscles loose; and relaxation is a state in which the heart rate and breath rate drops. Blood flow is directed to the muscles. The respite brought about by this state is refreshing to the mind and body, to say the least.
How does one slip into this state? How does one move into it at will? How does one hang on to it forever?! Relaxation is a response of the nervous system. The vagus nerve is the agent of the parasympathetic nervous system that carries the 'rest and digest' information from the brain to the bodily systems.
The Making of Serotonin
When we take our students into the state of yoga nidra, we use instructions like, 'let go', 'your body is not yours', 'become an observer', and so on. This is done to nudge the sympathetic nervous system into abdicating controls to the parasympathetic; a shift that calms the overdrive that is making the student feel so revved up, and the rigidity in their muscles is immediately released. This flags off the experience of physical and mental relaxation. The mind quietens and the body follows suit. The feel good hormone, serotonin is released. The brain which was under the influence of beta waves gently switches to the alpha state and then further in.
Actioning Relaxation
There are many things that can be done to build back relaxation into our lives.
1. Exercising
Muscle activity which engages the larger muscles releases tension. A robust asana practice effectively restores the body to its natural state of relaxation.
2. Recessing
Taking a few moments off in a day, every now and then to observe the breath, cues the nervous system to relax.
3. Witnessing
Being a watcher on your life, noting habits, reactions, attitudes, frees you from unproductive behavior patterns. Witnessing keeps the mind neutral, enabling you to remain relaxed, rather than navigating de-energizing reactions.
4. Self-Discipline
Last of all, relaxation calls upon self-discipline. Self-discipline is very useful in renouncing the good-bad, success-failure syndrome. The practice of self-discipline comes in very handy while building upon the reflex of relaxation rather than resistance which seems to be the default setting of life.
The state of relaxation is so self-powered that it keeps us going even the odds are overwhelming.
