stretch to let go.

While getting a massage the other day, I ended up having an interesting conversation with John, the masseuse. He told me that ‘even though I’m a bit of a type A personality, I don’t have an issue letting things go.’

That sparked a huge light bulb in my mind. We can learn a lot from our muscles as to how we relate to the world. What do I mean by that?

There are people that go with the flow, and then there are people that resist and fight everything, there are people that are overcome by stress and anxiety in the wake of any and all situations. Yes, there are many more in between, but let’s focus on these three.

Put person type one through a deep relaxation massage. During this massage, they are going to let their bodies go, becoming vulnerable to the masseuse, allowing them to prod, turn, bend, and flex their limbs into wherever position the masseuse leads. This person will experience relaxation, muscle release and an even deeper form of release called myofascial release. In their day-to-day life, they’ll move through moments and situations with ease, allowing things to roll over them like ocean waves, taking each thing as its comes, with an flexible mind and open heart. Grudges have no place in the lives of this type of person. The glass will always be seen as half full, stress and anxiety as foreigners.

Take person two and put them through the same type of massage. The dead give away to this person will be their resistance to becoming malleable to the hands of the masseuse, fighting their gentle guidance in this direction and that. In the mind of this individual, there is difficulty separating the entities of their body. Cognitively, they understand the concept of letting go, but exercising it is a completely different story. In life, this person will have difficulty letting things go, as most things will hit an emotional switch, taking most things personally. They don’t hold grudges perse, but they definitely don’t forget the ‘stuff’ that happens in their lives. Depending on their moods, they can see the glass half full, the glass half empty, and some days, it’s just a glass with some water in it. Anxiety and worry are two of their minds most comfortable states to reside in.

Entonces (my favorite Spanish word-then), the sheer thought of a massage will send person numero tres running to the hills. They don’t have time to sit, and even if they did, would that want to sit in the wake of their own body, their own thoughts?  But let’s just say we get them in. There will be resistance, discomfort, pain, and emotion coming forth throughout their massage. Ironically though, they will give a little, release a bit, ever so slowly into the guidance of the masseuse. This will be sporadic.  In life, ‘How are you’ signals the opening of the floodgates to this type of person’s dirty laundry, unloading all of the moments of their whole lives, the last five days, or last ten seconds onto their friends and family. The victim of life, is their theme song and their power and control is spread ever so conveniently to everything and everyone else in their world.

This is solely my interpretation of how our muscles can speak to us. Engaging in this muscular conversation with your body can be a beautiful aid to understanding how your body lives this life.

So I challenge you to give a little, to be brave enough to let go. Become vulnerable. It takes great strength to become vulnerable. Take a risk and become malleable, bendable. Allow life to roll over you like ocean waves, matching the energy in the wake of each gliding current.

Enjoy.

x