Do Yourself a Favor and Relax
Talk summary: In this short talk, Guy Finley talks about how we can learn to let go of unnecessary inner states like stress and anxiety by becoming conscious of their presence within us.
Talk notes: Have you ever wondered why deer, squirrels, birds, and other wild animals in nature seem so tense? Many wild animals are skittish and high-strung because that is their nature. They require this natural tension for the protection and preservation of their species. When it comes to human beings, we have wrongly come to rely upon an unnatural tension as a requirement for our own psychological preservation.
How many of us have tension in our bodies? All of us do. We have been hurt and lied to so many times that we have become part of a terrible cycle of resistance that meets events for us in an attempt to make sure that nothing bad happens. But the self that goes before us for "protection" is the pain itself. The tendency to protect ourselves psychologically is built into this tense nature that we currently live from, but this lower nature is not our only possibility.
If we want to understand what this tension is all about, we must begin to deliberately make ourselves conscious of it. Whenever we are not conscious of tension, we are its instrument, which over time compromises the physical body itself. The good news is that we do not have to wait to let go. Right this very moment we can become conscious of any destructive negative state that we may be holding on to. Return to the present moment and remain relaxed. Catch and release the tension all day long. We'll be doing ourselves and those we live with a big favor.
