Rag Doll

This morning as I sat at the computer getting ready to explore what I wanted to write about this month, I remembered to check in with my inner self, which is neither side of any duality. It simply is. I asked silently, what do I need to know at this moment? The answer came immediately and very clearly – “You are not relaxed inside.” As I heard this, I began scanning my body, and sure enough, I was tense. Shoulders raised, head on a forward angle, and a rather “jangly” sensation inside that was like a buzzing. I was definitely not relaxed. So very often we are unaware of how we are really experiencing our moment-to-moment lives. In view of that, I feel for the benefit of our physical/mental and emotional wellbeing, it is very important to take the time to do a check-in now and then to explore our state of being and what it may need.

I had a very busy morning physically and was a bit tired to boot. So I settled into a comfy chair, both feet flat on the floor and I closed my eyes. As I sat there, I began to let go of the tensions I could feel in the body. I allowed my body to let go, my head began to drop forward, my shoulders began to lower and settle into a more comfortable place and my breathing became more relaxed as I felt my entire being simply relax. I became a rag doll. No focus prescribed postures or correctness of sitting. Just absolute ease. During this letting go of tensions, there was a sense of tears welling up that were not connected to any story, just a feeling. Because I know that Cortisol is released through tears, I understood that this too was happening because of my choice to release and relax and so two tears rolled down my cheeks and that was all that was needed. And to that was yet a deeper relaxing and a deepening of quiet inside. I sat quietly bathing in the yummy comfort of a quiet existence and then slowly raised my head, opened my eyes and welcomed the external world back in.

We are often not aware of what is transpiring in our nervous system when we are traversing our daily patterns of life. But it is obvious that we are all affected by even the most mundane experiences. Perhaps a clamoring sound occurs, or a small agitation happens but goes unnoticed. When we understand how very normal our lives look on the outside, there are effects taking place by the smallest input from external situations no matter how they feel like the “usual” and go unnoticed. These accumulated, often ignored tiny, normal, insignificant events have much more impact on our lives and how we respond than we are aware of. So, check in when you can so that life can be lived in a more relaxing way.

Have a blessed month ahead and enjoy a little rag doll time.