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The causes of physical and mental tension

Sometimes our body and mind can be subjected to a load of increasing tension of which we realize only when it is so serious as to alter the quality of our life.

Here are some examples:

Backache
Cervical pains
Mental tension
Absence of forces
Constant nervousness
Panic attacks
Impossibility to sleep
In extreme cases even semi-paralysis
…

The causes of these symptoms can be:

Physical – Diseases, injuries, exposure to seasonal agents, incorrect postures, etc.
Mental – Work-related, family, sexual, health-related stress, etc.

In both cases there is a solution that can:

In a lot of cases, permanently solving the whole (as long as we continue to practice)
In the remaining (the most extreme) to alleviate most of the problems encountered

The “miracle medicine” we are going to analyze is called: controlled breathing.

How can breathing solve our problems

As it may seem inconceivable, practicing daily with one or more sessions of controlled breathing (in other words meditation) can drastically change our lives.

Everything that damages our well-being is caused by:

Excessive efforts both from a physical and a mental point of view (proportionally to our real faculties)
Tension that generates stress and stress that generates tension
Lack of a relief valve and freedom that goes beyond sleep
Incapacity to listen, understand and alter the state of our body
…

Controlled breathing puts us in a condition to:

Control an ample part of our mind – Remove the concentration of the mind from the source of tension (eg worries, etc.) giving it the relief it needed
Control an ample part of our body – Slow down the heartbeat and then indirectly take control of a large part of our body internal and external elements

There is no need to become fakirs, ascetics or hermits in order to act in this way at a more than satisfactory level: it is sufficient to practice and be determined (especially in front of the first inevitable failures).

Breathing for immediate relaxation

Breathing for immediate relaxation:

It is not a technique to be known and applied
It is a skill to understand and train

We can use any form of (serious) meditation:

In 6 Dragons Kung Fu, in particular, is advisable our Meditation method 5
But to start it is better to choose Meditation method 1 (and gradually follow the numbering)

What we could call a real “training” consists in focusing on the meditative practice:

On eliminating any tension – Imagining that our breath travels through our body, gradually stretching out everything that is contracted (as if it were a warm wave of the sea)
On clearing our mind – Focusing the 100% of our attention (cognitive ability) on getting a breathing more and more consistent with the method we are using
On analyzing – With calm and precision all the symptoms that characterize our problem within our body (where, how, when, why, etc.)
On a targeted action – On going to act (with a mind only focused on the breath) in the specific points where we perceive malaise, eliminating any tension

To ensure that the quality of our ability to breathe in a controlled manner is such as to guarantee us the ability to obtain immediate relaxation, we need:

Daily training – We have to start with at least 10 minutes of meditation per day (for example, before going bed at night and / or as after morning wake-up)
Use emotional anchors – Learn how to use mental anchors to recall positive feelings on command and instantaneously (read Fighting and mind control: the anchors)
Believe in it – There is nothing paranormal in all this and it is not necessary to be Buddhist, to believe in Qi (read The use of Qi in the 6DKF’s meaning) or else to embrace meditation

Final notes

Finally, it is important to reflect on the fact that:

There is nothing magical or spiritual in meditation (the philosophical-religious implications do not necessarily interest us);
This practice is about cause and effect, we distract our mind and we empty it, we breathe slowly and our body follow us by relaxing what was in tension (nothing more, nothing less)
Practicing without conviction is a waste of time; in the absence of a regular, concentrated and reasoned practice it is absolutely impossible to learn the technique of immediate relaxation
As it is not conceivable to get a sprinter performance without training hard it is equally ridiculous to think to take control of our body by doing two or three deep breaths once a month
Wellbeing will come quickly but it will take weeks / months to see the first (extraordinary) results, let’s eliminate laziness and concentrate on the fact that the ones we dedicate will be our only moments, a pure pleasure
It should also be said that as an MMA fighter does not spend all his time fighting with high-level opponents, in the same way, those who want to learn to control their psychophysical state cannot think of doing so during times of maximum tension
It is extremely counterproductive to confuse meditation training with the actual practical use, in this way the risk is to transform the practice itself into a stressful moment, thus negating all of its potentiality
Looking beyond the momentary benefit, what really changes through meditation is our way of dealing with life, gradually we will have less and less need to resolve critical issues at a high level

In the next article of this series, we will go more in depth about how to practically use the skills we are building.

In-depth articles

How to use emotions in workout and combat – How to do not be a victim of emotions / sensations using them at our favor
Accept problems to find solutions – How to take the first step, admit having a problem