Special Topics
Relaxation and Ease of Mind
Are you relaxed enough? In this stressful age, most people are eager to try various ways to achieve relaxation. In fact, "relaxation" has certainly become a popular pursuit. But, what does it mean to be relaxed? What is the link between relaxation and Chan practice? And, does the state of relaxation really help our mind become more at ease? Modern life is blessed with multiple material conveniences. Yet, people often feel more stressed as a result of personal financial matters, p...
Q&A about Relaxing the Body and Mind - Question 1: How do we know that the body is tight and needs to be relaxed?
Everyone wants to "relax", but just can't make it. What went wrong? What really needs to be relaxed? Is it the body, or is it the mind? Venerable Guo Xing, the Abbot of Chan Meditation Center and Dharma Drum Retreat Center in New York, answered some common doubts and misunderstandings about "relaxation" one by one, in the hopes of helping everyone relax physically and mentally. Question 1: How do we know that the body is tight and needs to be relaxed? A: First of...
Q&A about Relaxing the Body and Mind - Question 2: Why is it easy to become drowsy when relaxing?
A: We usually rely on our willpower to do things, and our body and mind are tense for a long time. Therefore, when most people practice relaxation, their mind would no longer control the body, and they feel sleepy as soon as they are relaxed. When ordinary people sleep, their minds are usually in a state of confusion, and their habitual patterns of the past sometimes may emerge from their consciousness in the form of dreams. At this time, if you have nightmares, your body will become tense...
Q&A about Relaxing the Body and Mind - Question 3: Does relaxation mean thinking and doing nothing?
A: There are many levels of relaxation. The superficial relaxation is the relaxation of the body, whereas deep relaxation is the relaxation of the mind. The body does not become tense by itself; rather, it is the mind that orders it to tense up. Therefore, the body sensations you feel can be said to be a manifestation of the mind. For example, when an animal encounters danger, it is faced with a choice of fight or flight. In order to save one's life, the body is in a state of bei...
Q&A about Relaxing the Body and Mind - Question 4: I know I want to relax, but I just can't make it. What should I do?
A: There are two relaxation techniques. One is to use the "contrast method": stretch out your hand to make a fist to exert force, and then let go of the force. Be aware of the difference between exerting and not exerting force. By realizing the difference between the looseness and tightness, we can tell if our body is tight or loose. Once you feel your body is tight, just let go of the force. Another technique is "stretching". Usually, if you maintain a position for a l...
Q&A about Relaxing the Body and Mind - Question 5: How is relaxation different from letting go and spacing out?
A: Relaxation is the foundation for letting go; only by letting go can you truly relax. Ordinary people are accustomed to dividing the phenomena they see into "mine", "yours", "the external environment", "my five aggregates", etc. Since we cannot accept the fact that our mind is one with all living beings and the environment, the mind will follow the external environment whenever it changes. When the mind cares and is opposed something, the body will...
Relaxation for Recovery of Body-mind Balance
Distress deforms the cells in our body Although an appropriate amount of stress and pressure may help enhance our life functions and improve our work efficiency, long-term nervous tension can lead to an unbalanced body and mind, resulting in illness. With a set of methods to relax our body and mind, we can keep ourselves from anxious, stressed emotions and enter a relaxed state of being, reducing the likelihood of becoming ill while improving our work efficiency. Therefore, more and more p...
Physical and mental relaxation strategies
Whether it is the actual external pressure or the imagined internal stress that causes the body to tense up, learning to relax can restore the body to balance after suffering from stress. Modern medicine has suggested many relaxation methods, including the following: 1. Muscle Exercise: In clinical medicine, "progressive muscle relaxation" has been widely used to treat the symptoms brought about by physical and mental tension. This exercise can effectively relieve tension h...