This meditation is inspired by instruction given at a drum ensemble lesson.
While talking about tempo,
The teacher,
Jim Donovan,
Said,
When we speed up,
It is our natural tendency to tense our muscles and to hit the drum harder.
But what we actually need to do when we increase speed is to soften our muscles and our touch.
This makes perfect sense in regard to drumming.
Softening our muscles and our touch begets hands which glide over the drums,
Whereas tension and power yield rigid,
Hammer-like strikes.
Ease and flow in a musician's world comes from feeling the steady beat while also softening,
Loosening,
Surrendering to the natural rhythm of the music.
This concept also resonates deeply in my heart as a metaphor for life.
How often do we tense against what is,
Pushing hard for our own agendas,
Trying to hasten our circumstances in one way or another?
And how does that tension hinder rather than help us?
I wonder where and how can I soften my approach,
Loosen my grip,
And open to the flow of life around and within me?
And so,
With this in mind,
I invite you to soften with me.
Feeling into the feet,
The soft vibration of life in the toes,
The soles of the feet,
The heels and the tops of the feet,
The ankles,
Shins and calves,
And bringing your attention to the knees,
The kneecaps and the soft skin at the back of the knees,
The quads and the hamstrings,
The hips and the glutes,
Breathing softness into the pelvis,
The lower belly and the lower back,
The middle back,
Upper back and shoulder blades,
Bringing awareness to the whole spine,
From the tailbone to the base of the skull,
Soft yet alert.
And now feeling into the front body,
The belly,
The solar plexus and the chest,
Softening at the heart center if you can,
Sensing the collarbones and into the shoulder sockets,
Softening down the arms,
The biceps and triceps,
The elbow joints,
The forearms,
The wrists,
The palms and the backs of the hands,
Soft and relaxed,
Feeling the soft pulsing in each finger,
And then bringing your attention to the crown of the head,
Softening the scalp,
The forehead and brow,
Bringing soft focus to the point between the brows and relaxing the tiny muscles around the eyes,
The cheeks and the jaw,
The lips and the mouth,
Softening the whole body,
Softening the whole body.
And now from this place of stillness,
Asking,
Where in my life is the desire to speed things up to go my way,
Creating tension?
Where in my life am I pushing harder than I need to?
Notice if any tension arises in your body with the thought of what you are tensing against,
And if tension is present,
See if you can find a tenderness for it,
For how hard you have been working or struggling.
Often we seek to let go of the things we feel no longer serve us,
And in that desire to let go or move on,
We neglect to recognize how they once truly helped us in some way.
So instead of pushing tension away,
See if you can hold it with compassion,
With love for the ways it used to serve and for the good intentions behind it,
Just breathing into it and giving it some space to exist for this moment.
You might notice that by allowing it to be,
A natural softening to it begins to occur.
This is the amazing paradox of acceptance.
When we cease to fight discomfort,
Discomfort often eases.
As you sit in this space of softening,
If it feels right to you,
You could ask,
What message is this tension trying to give me?
What do I need to learn from this experience?
If possible,
Instead of thinking the answer in your mind,
See if you can allow it to arise naturally from your heart space.
Soft and open.
And if any tension resurfaces while you wait for the answer,
Just breathe deeply and slowly,
Allowing the tension to exist,
Offering compassion and patience.
Life is a series of tension and expansion,
Of holding on and letting go,
Clenching our fists and opening them again.
Noticing our tension and where we can soften our touch opens our hearts,
Allows us to put down our struggles,
To rest in grace and flow,
And to trust in the wise and gentle,
Steady rhythm of being.
Namaste.
