The Power of Relaxation

I’ve been noticing a trend lately in my activities. It’s relaxation. It seems that being able to relax your body/mind is a crucial element to learning. When I am able to relax everything but the muscles needed for the activity I am performing, things always feel much better, and I am able to learn more efficiently. When playing the guitar, relaxation is crucial to improving speed and dexterity. Relaxing my shoulders and arms, as well as my fingers, in between chord changes. When typing, the same applies, relaxing my shoulders, and arms, and my hands/wrists, helps me type quicker, more accurately, and without any wrist or arm pain. When running, being able to relax my muscles as much as possible helps improve my form. Letting gravity and my bone structure take most of the work load helps me run for longer and without pain. In singing, relaxation seems to be the main focus overall. Relaxing the entire upper body, especially, the neck, shoulders and throat, actually changes the sound you are able to produce. I feel like this reoccurring theme is like a meta-skill, that, if mastered, can improve your ability to take on new tasks, with less effort. Meanwhile, its surprisingly difficult. Even just sitting down or lying down, and releasing tension in your muscles doesn’t seem to happen naturally for me.