stani

I just finished a brutal move from one house to another. Most of the time I moved by myself because I didn’t want to wait on friends to get there…I’m a loner like that, and because it’s a good workout. It’s a good workout when you’re 21, and but at 35…well, I felt it. The primary reason for my move was to have a larger house where I can dedicate more time to Pramek, and enlarge what Pramek is. More daring projects, more videos, more content, more collaborations. Thinking about this, after moving so much stuff, I laid down on the floor to relax and winced, but relaxed.

But, not a usual type of relaxing…a purposeful relaxing.

In one of Constantin Stanislavski’s books he writes of relaxation.  He writes of it in not the usual terms, but in terms of a cat.

‘It seems that if you lay an infant, or a cat, on some sand, to rest or to sleep, and then carefully lift him up – you will find the imprint of his whole body on a soft surface.’

I won’t go into the rest, but you get the idea.

Relaxation is not something that happens – it is something that is deliberate and that we do.

I am currently working on a new video series on a topic that involves relaxation because I find it to be such a curious topic amongst the fitness and martial art world. The teacher says ‘relax’ and then everyone relaxes the way the teacher relaxes. We are far to addicted to the need to be appreciated by others, from ‘likes’ to ‘you look just like ____’. Many times we do everything that we can, such as buying unneeded products like rock tape, to appear to be like a teacher. The reality of the situation is that every body is different, every experience leading that body to it’s current state of tension is different – and until we recognize our own individuality in something as simple as relaxation, we can not know who we actually are.

As I look around the social media I see a lot of toughness, a lot of hardness. Strong bodies, inspirational quotes that motivate others to be tough, people lifting massive amounts of weights – and very few people who could lay on sand like an infant or a cat. Physically and mentally free of the world.

Lesson one:  When you lay down on the couch today, or in the bed tonight, try to relax like a cat or an infant. Let your body fill the space you are laying upon. You will find quite quickly that it is very, very difficult.  Suddenly the teacher disappears – suddenly the competition of looking better than the person next to you disappears.

You are left alone with your inability to truly relax.

It’s not about your mind, or your body – it’s about you, and your tension is the best teacher you can have.

And if this post helped you – share it.  Email it, post it to FB.  We aren’t as much addicted to being liked here at Pramek as we are wanting to be known for our work 🙂

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