| | Lately, I've found that there's a difference between relaxation and letting-go. In the first case, there's a (conscious or unconscious) intention to relax a tension, triggered by a gross or subtle aversion to physical, mental or emotional phenomena. That is, it's not a "good" (ultimate) relaxation, as there's in the shadows some kind of explicit or implicit ideal of how things should be. Because of my Taijiquan background, I have deeply ingrained the process of spotting tensions and releasing them. This practice may be good as a start but later a hindrance, regarding meditation.
Instead, I've found that letting-go is rather the opposite, being aware when tensions start to rise, note the aversion and the clinging towards releasing it, and just watch/notice patiently how the tension slowly evolves, arises and passes away. In that sense, I see with a different eyes how some meditation practices forbid any physical movement. Perhaps, it's meant to force the yogi to face this aversion and surrender completely. Also, the mere act of breathing involves some kind of tension. If relaxed enough, it's surprisingly longer than expected that the gap between the outbreath and inbreath, and that the inbreath happens on its own, that you can watch the breath happen without interferences (for a while).
I know the above may sound sketchy, but I want to kick-start the discussion. I would love to hear further practical insights about the subject from fellow forum members. |