One Tenth The Effort To Release Hidden Tension At Work

A body mind experiment in doing less. During an ordinary activity such as typing, talking or simply sitting, you notice how much physical and mental effort you are spending and ask whether you could do the same thing with a tenth of it. You breathe into subtle clenching in the hands, jaw, shoulders and belly, notice the moment trying creeps back in, and keep releasing until you find the minimum effective effort. Most of our daily tension is unnecessary, and many people discover that dramatically reducing effort leaves performance unchanged or better. A useful practice to return to several times a day.

Transcript

In this practice, We'll explore how to reduce unnecessary tension while maintaining focus. Which will allow you to stay focused for longer periods of time. And feel more energized in the process. Please find a comfortable position and take one breath. I'd like to offer that you can let go of trying to listen to my voice in these directions and instead just allow the sounds to enter your ears and your brain will make sense of it automatically without any effort on your part. Okay, Take a moment to tune in to your current effort level. Begin by scanning your body, Starting with your face. Is there any subtle tension in your jaw, Around your eyes? And dropping down into your shoulders and your neck. And then down into your forearms and your hands. Now check in with your breathing. Is there a sense of freedom or restriction with the breath? And ask yourself, Could I stay here and listen with one tenth of the effort that I'm currently using? Could I stay here and listen with one tenth of the effort that I'm currently using? And let this question marinate without any active trying to answer. And again, Scanning your body, You can start with your face, Allowing your jaw to soften. Allowing your eyes and tongue to relax. And again, Notice if you're trying to relax. It's another form of efforting, Of doing. Just allow this effortless relaxation to emerge. And dropping down into your shoulders. And feel them softening almost like hot butter. And notice your core, Your sitting position. Instead of holding yourself up, Feel the grounds supporting you from below. And just explore and play with these micro adjustments. How little muscle engagement can you use whilst staying upright? And as you continue throughout your day, Invite you to set a subtle intention of effortless action. If you notice yourself starting to try to use less effort, Then you can welcome that too. And every few minutes ask again. Could this be 10% easier? And another thing to pay attention to here is to notice if there's any more enjoyment that is accessible. So another way to reframe this question is, How could I enjoy myself 10% more? And pay special attention to moments when the effort kind of creeps back in, Especially when working or looking at a screen. Again, Coming back to the question of how could I enjoy myself? 10% more. What would that feel like in my body? Okay, Beautiful. The practice. Is now complete.