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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about the difference between relaxation versus unwinding. Relaxation versus unwinding. So relaxation is a state many of us are somewhat familiar with. At least we have experiences or small doses of it.
And this is where we're not caught in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn reactivity where we're not in a nervous system activation state. Something in us is allowed to be calm. The mind, feels a little bit more calm, the shoulders aren't so tense. And even though this might not be a very familiar experience to us, most of us have a sense of what it's like to be in a more relaxed state. But there's a difference between inhabiting relaxed states versus unwinding deep tension that gets accumulated over the course of a lifetime due to the traumas of life, micro and macro, and all the different experiences that we accumulate as human beings being in the world that don't always get processed in real time.
Although these are different, relaxation supports unwinding deep tension, because the thing that keeps that tension bound in us is being in an activated state. All that stuff that's lingering beneath the surface, the stuff that I like to say is in our backpack of life that's weighing us down. When we continue to just keep pushing, pushing, pushing, and we stay in that nervous system activation, none of that gets addressed. We just keep adding more and more to it. But when we allow ourselves to drop into a state of relaxation, of ease, of internal spaciousness, well now we're no longer adding more tension.
We're no longer adding more things to our backpack of life. And we also give some of that stuff that's been lingering beneath the surface, the space to unwind, to actually be released, to soften and to not be, hmm, how to say, yeah, to not just continue to perpetuate. So this happens in a meditation practice. I mean, think about like five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes that you might take when you're sitting down, you're dropping into a more relaxed state and you're also giving some of the stuff that's been there beneath the surface, the opportunity to arise. Have you had that experience yourself? If you sit down and just like, oh, I feel pretty calm now.
But then an emotion seems to come out of nowhere. Maybe a sadness that arises spontaneously, or maybe a feeling of agitation. Usually what this is, is something beneath the surface that's been unresolved. But now that you're giving yourself the space of presence, of care, of compassion, it's having the opportunity to be worked through. It's not bad, it's not wrong.
It's a sign that things are starting to move again and getting reintegrated. And so you just meet that with a calm nervous system, with that relaxed state. And eventually it will pass. It will soften. It will release.
And it will integrate with the rest of you allowing us to move back into our life without all of this extra tension and baggage that we've accumulated over the course of a lifetime. So this is the difference between relaxation and unwinding. They're both important, but they are different journeys. They inform one another specifically, relaxation, informing the unwinding. And hopefully this gives you something to think about on this journey of maybe softening some of that deep tension that has been lingering beneath the surface of your awareness.
Thanks for your practice. Let's settle in for today's meditation.
Relaxing vs. Unwinding
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Duration
Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.
Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about the difference between relaxation versus unwinding. Relaxation versus unwinding. So relaxation is a state many of us are somewhat familiar with. At least we have experiences or small doses of it.
And this is where we're not caught in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn reactivity where we're not in a nervous system activation state. Something in us is allowed to be calm. The mind, feels a little bit more calm, the shoulders aren't so tense. And even though this might not be a very familiar experience to us, most of us have a sense of what it's like to be in a more relaxed state. But there's a difference between inhabiting relaxed states versus unwinding deep tension that gets accumulated over the course of a lifetime due to the traumas of life, micro and macro, and all the different experiences that we accumulate as human beings being in the world that don't always get processed in real time.
Although these are different, relaxation supports unwinding deep tension, because the thing that keeps that tension bound in us is being in an activated state. All that stuff that's lingering beneath the surface, the stuff that I like to say is in our backpack of life that's weighing us down. When we continue to just keep pushing, pushing, pushing, and we stay in that nervous system activation, none of that gets addressed. We just keep adding more and more to it. But when we allow ourselves to drop into a state of relaxation, of ease, of internal spaciousness, well now we're no longer adding more tension.
We're no longer adding more things to our backpack of life. And we also give some of that stuff that's been lingering beneath the surface, the space to unwind, to actually be released, to soften and to not be, hmm, how to say, yeah, to not just continue to perpetuate. So this happens in a meditation practice. I mean, think about like five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes that you might take when you're sitting down, you're dropping into a more relaxed state and you're also giving some of the stuff that's been there beneath the surface, the opportunity to arise. Have you had that experience yourself? If you sit down and just like, oh, I feel pretty calm now.
But then an emotion seems to come out of nowhere. Maybe a sadness that arises spontaneously, or maybe a feeling of agitation. Usually what this is, is something beneath the surface that's been unresolved. But now that you're giving yourself the space of presence, of care, of compassion, it's having the opportunity to be worked through. It's not bad, it's not wrong.
It's a sign that things are starting to move again and getting reintegrated. And so you just meet that with a calm nervous system, with that relaxed state. And eventually it will pass. It will soften. It will release.
And it will integrate with the rest of you allowing us to move back into our life without all of this extra tension and baggage that we've accumulated over the course of a lifetime. So this is the difference between relaxation and unwinding. They're both important, but they are different journeys. They inform one another specifically, relaxation, informing the unwinding. And hopefully this gives you something to think about on this journey of maybe softening some of that deep tension that has been lingering beneath the surface of your awareness.
Thanks for your practice. Let's settle in for today's meditation.
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Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
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The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
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Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
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