Clenching, Free Podcast, and other Buddhist musings....
Inappropriate tension holds us into clenched patterns that engage this inappropriate “muscle” of the brain, which then churns out excess energy in the form of random thinking, sometimes called the monkey mind. Strain switches on this kind of thinking. This, in turn, creates occlusions, a darkening, or inner change and clarity possibilities disappear. As soon as we tighten and the shoulders rise up, we are trying too hard. We will need to sit back and relax, but not fall asleep. This is the part where you and your bones need to have a good relationship, because often, meditators accustomed to clenching their energy find that as soon as they relax, they fall asleep. So, I am expecting you budding yogis and yoginis to stay awake and still be relaxed. This relaxation/alert response is one of the themes that we will need to be reminded of again and again: relaxed on the outside, and alert on the inside. I hope it comes to you; it works for me. In a way it feels almost like my bones a