There are the taxes most of us pay to a government, which if you didn’t know are due by today in the USA.
I say “most of us” because if you own a large corporation, you’ve likely found ways to avoid ponying up your fair share of taxes.
But I’m just too tired to rant about the evils of corporate wealth hoarding.
If you’ve been feeling too tired lately too, keep reading for some relief.
Light on the horizon
Not just $$$
Many people have felt an extra emotional tax these last 10 years - a vague sense of extra weight, or the known exhaustion that comes from doing more to fix . . . things.
So much is falling apart, needing to be rebuilt or reimagined. At the end of each day there’s always something, many things, left to do. Plus the knowing that too many people are suffering too much.
Why would we bother pausing just to relax? Isn’t that . . . selfish?
Or at the very least, just not enough of an action to make a difference in our little life or the big picture, right?
Enter: Complete Micro Release (CMR)
Tension blurs our vision; but under tension or next to it, we can often find a release
Letting go
Complete = as much as possible
Micro = for a very short time
Release = let go of muscle tension
I’d love to demonstrate CMR in a workshop, online or in person, to give you all the details of how and why. But we can easily practice the basics right now:
Notice your jaw, if you’re at home. Or notice one of your hands if you’re reading this in public.
Now, let the muscles in that area release.
Let them drop, or let go of as much tension as possible. Breathe.
Check the area again and give your jaw, or your hand, complete permission to not have to hold anything.
I mean anything. Complete release.
For 20 seconds or less.
It takes longer to read these instructions than it takes to do this mini practice.
Maybe your jaw hangs open, even if that looks weird and isn't how you normally hold your jaw in public. Let it hang! Feel those muscles and any other muscles in your neck and head loosen.
Or if you’re in public now and don’t want to look slackjawed, that’s fair.
Let one of your hands slowly spread its fingers. Let the fingers move lightly and loosely, like they do when you dip your hand into a serene mountain lake or gentle, meandering river.
Again, complete release. Let go of the sense of holding anything. Flooooat.
For about 20 seconds, or maybe only 10 seconds or up to 30-ish, invite the most complete muscle release possible in that area.
Breathe.
Some light in the dark
Micro meditation complete
Move on with your day.
Repeat as needed. Do before bed and/or soon after you wake up. Do before and/or after stressful tasks or meetings with stressful people.
Let your body or even just one part of your body not hold anything for at least a few seconds a day.
From snow to blossoms, spring in the mountains is wild*
Complete micro release is what I’ve come to call this practice someone taught me just last week. It is based on the teachings of Moshe Feldenkraise and his Awareness Through Movement techniques.
Is CMR the one and only tool I need to take care of my daily to-dos? No. Will CMR create sudden and widespread positive change all over the world? No.
BUT. It’s made a noticeable difference in reducing physical and mental pain for me - even though yet again, I’m not as consistent or perfect at it as I tell myself I will be.
When my pain is reduced, I can give more.
Yes, many people can and often do accomplish quite a lot while in pain. So let’s just see what happens if we can reduce some pain by - you guessed it - pausing for peace.
And FYI, even though I use the word complete, it’s ok if that’s aspirational more than literal.
Sometimes our muscles won’t or can’t let go of tension during this practice. That’s ok. Notice that and remind yourself:
You’re still doing it right, and you can still benefit from CMR, even if some muscles stay tense.
You’re just inviting as much release as possible in one part of your body, and then noticing what you notice.
Explore CMR this week, letting these Reflection Qs guide you:
Can I find/invite any muscular release in this part of my body?
Can I notice if I’m still attempting to “hold” in this part of my body, and invite it to not hold for a few seconds?
If I notice I’m striving to do this practice perfectly or for longer than a few seconds at a time, can I let go of the idea of perfection?
If you would like me to demonstrate CMR and other techniques for peace in an online or in-person workshop, just send me an email at: juniper@pauseforpeace.co
All words and photos by Juniper McKelvie. *Flower photo actually taken in a parking lot, but in Montana.
The first photo was from Northwest Colorado, on the homelands of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute). The other pictures and this email came from Western Montana so . . .
Thank you to the First Nations of what is now called Western Montana: the Bitterroot Séliš (Salish), the Ql̓ispé (Kalispel), and the Ksanka (Kootenai) - you can read more about all 3 nations on their website.
I also want to give thanks to the Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet) and the Apsáalooke (Crow) First Nations because I’ve been to and enjoyed their traditional homelands in recent years. Many thanks for your hospitality.
