Why do we fight ourselves constantly? I read an article by Leo Babauta at Zen Habits that resonated with me in the last few days. It was on letting go of the tightness, in your shoulders, in your meditation, in your work.
I recognise this tightness. It's a cousin of restlessness. They both get in the way of what I want to do, whether it's meant to be work or play. Leo explains how without fighting or giving up, he was able to just let the tightness go. The first step is to notice it.
I've experiencing tightness around a number of things at the moment...
...tightness in my feet and my shoulders...
...tightness around the idea of yoga, the yoga I haven't done, the yoga I can't do, the yoga I can do but won't find time for...
...tightness around the idea of letting myself be looked after, of not being the looking-after-er...
...tightness around the work I have yet to do...
...tightness about life choices, big and small (are there any small life choices?)...
...tightness around the idea of my weight, size and fitness...
So I am trying not to fight it, not to power through, especially not to berate myself for the tightness. Instead I notice it, and release it. Let it float away. If it is too sticky, I take myself back to Leo's article and go through his steps for releasing tightness.
I think these days of waiting for all the promise of a new year hold tightness for a lot of people. What tightness are you carrying these days?