Relax Completely

In some ways this may be the simplest of the 4 principles. "Relax completely" is pretty straightforward - no? No funky foreign words, no heady, new age concepts - just relax completely. What's not to understand?

But take a quick assessment of your body right now. Are your shoulders hunched? Forehead creased? Neck tight? Back sore? Are you carrying tension anywhere else? Sure it's one thing to know what "relax completely" means and a whole other thing to practice it. Stop yourself at certain points through the day and see if there's tension in your body. Most people tend to carry tension in their neck, shoulders, back and face and those are easy places to assess quickly. So try this for a few days. You may be amazed.

If you do find that you are carrying tension regularly start to introduce a little relaxation. For example, say you do a quick body scan and feel your shoulders raised with tension. Just relax them right then. Let them fall naturally and get that feeling, even if it's only a few seconds. A few minutes later you may realize they are raised again and just go ahead and relax them again. Don't be frustrated if you find they are always raised when you do the body scan. Just keep relaxing them. Over time they will start to relax - if you make that your intention.

So don't be fooled. Even though it may be seem to be the simplest principle, Relax Completely may actually be the hardest to practice!