{"id":41504,"date":"2021-07-02T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/?p=41504"},"modified":"2021-07-02T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T08:00:00","slug":"mind-cramp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/nl\/2021\/07\/02\/mind-cramp\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Cramp"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What are my limits? What are the limits of my ability to relax into whatever the present moment brings? These are questions I\u2019ve been thinking about lately. I have asthma, and when I go to the doctor, a medical assistant gives me a breathing test that involves exhaling after having taken a deep in-breath. She coaches me to push right to my limits on the exhale:\u00a0<\/p>

Keepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoing!<\/i><\/p>

And I do, always finding more air to let go of, even when I think I\u2019ve already let it all out.<\/p>

I study Buddhism, and I\u2019ve noticed that at their heart, many teachings express an encouragement to let go of our thoughts and feelings and relax. How can I locate the limits of my ability to relax and then go a little further?<\/p>

When I sit down to meditate, I arrange my legs in a way that works for my 56-year-old hips. This often puts my feet in a position that sparks a foot cramp. Tight, tense and painful, the cramp provokes a mild kind of panic as I cringe away from the sensation. The fact that I\u2019m preparing to meditate when the cramp shows up is helpful: It is a built-in reminder that relaxation might<\/i> be an option. But my habitual reaction rebels. Are you kidding!? I can\u2019t relax into a <\/i>cramp<\/i><\/b>! A cramp <\/i>IS tension.<\/i> Recently, I thought to ask my mind \u2014 as His Holiness the 17th<\/sup> Gyalwang Karmapa suggests \u2014 to \u201copen a bit more.\u201d It turns out that it is<\/b> possible to relax into a cramp by not tensing other muscles, and by accepting, allowing and being curious about the sensation. Asking questions that seem ridiculous is part of this process:\u00a0<\/p>

  • What is this feeling?\u00a0<\/li>
  • Why don\u2019t I want to feel it?\u00a0<\/li>
  • What exactly makes it unpleasant?<\/li>
  • What makes my personal comfort so very important?<\/li><\/ul>

    Foot cramps are not the only form that tension takes for me. I find myself mentally cramping up in response to what\u2019s going on in my day:<\/p>

    • When my remote access to my work computer keeps crashing<\/li>
    • When co-workers make suggestions I immediately recognize as \u201cridiculous\u201d<\/li>
    • When the soup doesn\u2019t come together the way I was hoping<\/li>
    • When I\u2019m asked to take on a project I\u2019m obviously<\/i> too busy to do<\/li>
    • When someone who loves me gets me all wrong<\/li><\/ul>

      Thanks to my foot cramps, I can begin to ask if there\u2019s a way to relax the mind cramp of No! Not this! Get me out of here!<\/i> and to explore the nature of the cramp: What exactly is making me so uncomfortable?<\/p>

      It\u2019s not as if that cramp-y mental reaction makes me feel better \u2014 it\u2019s a spasm that only multiplies my distress. Instead, maybe I can relax into the moment of things just as they are, not immediately cringing or struggling. Maybe I can keepgoing<\/i> and be patient and steady just for a few moments before I react. And maybe, in the space of that relaxation, I can keepgoing<\/i>, become curious, and watch whatever it is that\u2019s arisen change, shift, and subside.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Ellen\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEllen Balz\u00e9\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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      A student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 2015, clinical psychologist Ellen Balz\u00e9 began working with the core Path of Mindful Activity team in 2018. Collaborating with other Nalandabodhi members on various projects has created precious opportunities for her to pause, relax, and reflect. She enjoys baking bread and caring for succulents.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      While exploring what it means to relax, the author discovers a personal practice that helps expand the sense of what is possible. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":41506,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMind Cramp - Nalandabodhi International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Practicing self care to avoid burnout isn't always easy. Here's how a habitual overworker changed that habit, plus an exercise you can try for yourself.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mind Cramp - Nalandabodhi International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Practicing self care to avoid burnout isn't always easy. 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