How do you hold your body?

[DixieFlatline]

This question will require a little explanation and, if the reader will kindly indulge me, will need a little effort on their part.

Try to feel your body, right now. Chances are there is tension in your body, perhaps a tightness in between your shoulder blades as well as in your fingers, your wrists, and maybe even in your temples.

This is holding your body in a tense way. This can also be done with the mind. Think of the last time you studied a for a test that you REALLY NEEDED TO PASS. If you are like most people(including myself most of the time) you read and concentrated and focused your mind and you might have even felt some tightness in your head(possibly enough to give yourself a headache).

Chances are at this point from reading about all this tension, you may be tense yourself. It might be a good idea to stretch a little. Relax. If you feel particular areas of tension, just be aware of it and then feel it start to slide away. If you feel that tightness in your head, just be aware of it. Try to remember that I'm not testing you, and that everything is ok. Try to let your mind and awareness expand outward(thinking of your mind like the sky helps here).

Now my question is this.

When you do magick, do you hold your mind like you are studying for a test, concentrating and tightening? Or is it more like how you feel while you are yawning? Relaxed, just letting it be?

I asked Arthur this recently and was curious about more points of view.

James J.

[Obsidian]

I've given this some thought in the past (though not as much as it seems to warrant, given the detail you've gone into) and have made a few discoveries. Some only when reading your post =)

I hold my body in a tense, 'ready' manner. Years of martial arts training has imbued that into me and it makes relaxing a serious bitch. It's why I'm so much more comfortable after two or three drinks, when my brain starts letting those muscles loosen up.

To answer your actual question though:

How do I hold my mind when performing magic... It varies depending on the situation and on the people present at the time.

Old habits die hard. The need to impress has always been with me and it's prevalent in magic as well. If I'm looking at someone who's much more powerful than me or who I want to respect me in some way, shape or form, I seem to become a lot more tense and try 'harder'.

When you think about it, it's difficult to actually look 'harder' but somehow I manage it. It's a major contributer to why I have so many issues magically methinks =)

If I'm around someone who I feel I'm on par with, or who I'm assisting/instructing in some small way, there's a lot more comfort and relaxation. I never have to question myself as to whether something I did actually happened or I just imagined it, I 'just know' that it worked. Little things like that.

When I'm comfortable and relaxed everything works so much free-er (freer, free'r, how's that spelt? :S) and more easily. The tenseness and fear of seeming 'bad' in someone else's eyes makes me put in so much effort I wind up blowing a fuse.

It amuses me to find that, even though I know and can quite clearly see that relaxation proves more effective, I'm unable to avoid 'tensing up' on most occassions.

Thanks for a thought-provoking question =)

[DixieFlatline]

I've given this some thought in the past (though not as much as it seems to warrant, given the detail you've gone into) and have made a few discoveries. Some only when reading your post =)

That's because this is an area that I feel is important. From my personal point of view, when you tighten yourself up then you are literally holding yourself back so you have to use more force. Some force to do whatever it is you want to do(anything from opening a jar to the greatest of magickal acts) and some force to overcome the force that you are applying against yourself, variable depending on just how tense you are. An experiment to try to see this for yourself. Tighten your arm, make it pretty tense, now try to push something, or pull something. Then try and relax your arm and direct as much force as you can on the same pushing and pulling.

I hold my body in a tense, 'ready' manner. Years of martial arts training has imbued that into me and it makes relaxing a serious bitch. It's why I'm so much more comfortable after two or three drinks, when my brain starts letting those muscles loosen up.

Which martial art? The reason I ask is that what I'm telling you is what I learned from Tai Chi(Chen school- He teaches it like an "everything" art, it's really awesome).

To answer your actual question though:

How do I hold my mind when performing magic... It varies depending on the situation and on the people present at the time.

Old habits die hard. The need to impress has always been with me and it's prevalent in magic as well. If I'm looking at someone who's much more powerful than me or who I want to respect me in some way, shape or form, I seem to become a lot more tense and try 'harder'.

When you think about it, it's difficult to actually look 'harder' but somehow I manage it. It's a major contributer to why I have so many issues magically methinks =)

If I'm around someone who I feel I'm on par with, or who I'm assisting/instructing in some small way, there's a lot more comfort and relaxation. I never have to question myself as to whether something I did actually happened or I just imagined it, I 'just know' that it worked. Little things like that.

When I'm comfortable and relaxed everything works so much free-er (freer, free'r, how's that spelt? :S) and more easily. The tenseness and fear of seeming 'bad' in someone else's eyes makes me put in so much effort I wind up blowing a fuse.

It amuses me to find that, even though I know and can quite clearly see that relaxation proves more effective, I'm unable to avoid 'tensing up' on most occassions.

Thanks for a thought-provoking question =)

Consider spending some quality time just breathing, or pay attention the next time you yawn. This is also instructive. Even better is watching a river or stream. Or if you have a destrictive streak, try to destroy a cup full of water.


JTJ

[indigoblade]

The correct posture to hold is often a question people ask. The answer is simple...are you comfortable?

Now some traditional ways from eastern practices recommend that you sit with your spine erect, though others recommend that you lay down. I figure find the posture that works for you. In what position do you feel the flow of energy, and in what posture are you most sensitive?

You must find the position that works for you. The outcome of not doing such can sometimes be treacherous, but only if you stumble blindly. It can even take years for some people to find their seat, but with practice anyone can find it.