Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are.
Chinese proverb Take a deep breath in and let this quote gently settle in your mind.
Feel its wisdom seep into your being like a gentle breeze flowing through the trees.
Allow yourself to absorb its essence fully.
Welcome to this series of meditation tracks on stress relief.
In this series of tracks and the accompanying course,
I aim to talk about stress in a different way and create a space for insight and reflection for you so that you can see stress in a different light.
In today's track I invite you to consider what does this quote mean to you.
Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are.
Take a moment to wonder about this.
How does it resonate with your personal experiences and feelings?
Let your mind explore the depth of these words.
As you reflect,
Notice how you feel.
Are there any emotions bubbling up?
Do you feel a sense of recognition or perhaps resistance?
Acknowledge whatever arises without judgments,
Just observing your internal landscape.
Consider where in your life this quote rings true.
Are there areas where you feel tension because you believe you should be someone different,
Someone more or less than you truly are?
Think about the roles you play and the expectations you place on yourself.
Now gently ask yourself,
What resistance do you have to this idea?
Is there a part of you that clings to the identity that you've constructed,
Even if it brings tension?
What might that be?
Allow yourself to be curious and compassionate.
With these feelings.
If it pleases you,
Take some time to journal about your thoughts and feelings.
Writing can be a powerful tool for processing and understanding our internal world.
You may find new insights emerge as you put pen to paper.
Take a few moments for this reflective practice.
You can always just listen to the music and relax if you don't want to write.
And feel free to pause the recording if you need more time.
I'd like to share a personal story to illustrate this quote's meaning.
There was a time when I was constantly striving to meet the expectations that I thought others had of me.
I believed I needed to be this certain type of person to be successful and to be accepted.
I never felt enough,
No matter how hard I tried.
I felt like an imposter.
This created immense tension in my life.
I was always on the edge,
Trying to fit into every mold.
There wasn't truly me.
And then I would self-medicate to relieve that stress.
I realise now that I did this because I didn't like who I thought I was.
But I've come to see that we are all pure manifestations of consciousness.
Understanding the way our minds create our experience of life helped me to see that we are diamonds beneath our beliefs and our labels.
And we can shine when we recognise our real true nature.
I realised that the tension I felt was because I was trying to be someone I was not.
And that who I was was more than enough.
Slowly,
I started to let go of the rigid expectations and allowed myself to relax into my true self.
The transformation was profound.
I found a sense of peace and ease that I'd never experienced in my life.
My natural state of relaxation emerged when I embraced my authentic self.
Reflect on this story and see if it shifts your understanding of the quotes.
Do you see it differently now?
Perhaps it brings up new thoughts and new experiences.
Perhaps it brings up new thoughts or emotions.
Allow yourself to sit with this for a moment.
Take some time to delve deeper into your own reflections.
You may want to pause the recording again or journal or simply sit in quiet contemplation.
If you feel called to explore these themes further,
I invite you to consider taking a look at my profile for the playlist Stress Relief.
There are more tracks for you to enjoy and a course from stress to calm for busy people.
It offers deeper insights and practices to help you embrace relaxation as your true state of being.
Thank you for sharing this time with me today.
May you find peace and relaxation in being your authentic self.
Lots of love.
