Physical relaxation

[Lope]

Hello all,

 

I've had trouble with lower back pain the last decade. Experience has shown it to be due largely to stress and mental tension, which manifest physically in my lower back getting tighter and tighter. The muscles are constantly sore and taut to touch because of this tendency to carry stress and worries in this area.

 

The pain is most noticeable in the morning. Rare is the night when I'm able to sleep more than seven hours without the pain waking me up. The pain doesn't subside in the morning until I get up and move around. I assume this is due to the lower back having the entire night to clench up without being stretched.

 

With sitting meditation I've been able to work on the mental side - gradually reducing stress and worries. But I want a physical practice to help with the body tension.

 

Is there a recommended practice for muscular relaxation? Something that leaves one feeling like they've just had a massage, loose and soft? The mental relaxation piece is something I'm making progress on, but getting my body to follow has been difficult.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice.

[thelerner]

I'd take a look into guided meditations. Just google 'free guided meditations' and/or 'guided meditation podcasts', then download and explore some. For example a podcast like My Meditation Station has ZZZZZ for relaxation and sleep. Meditation Oasis has quite a few. You can google Shinzen Young, he has a couple meditations out there for free and commercially.

 

Look for and experiment with them. You can find a series that works well for you. Lots of free ones available. Others I like that cost a bit are Anna Wise's High Performance Mind, which is a series of relaxation and healing meditations. The Monroe Institute series is expensive, but runs pretty deep.

 

Most people don't get into it, but its powerful if you do is CSM-Center of Stillness meditation, its free at abardoncompanion.com .

 

Search the web you'll find some good stuff. Soundstrue.com has monthly free samples and giveaways. http://www.diydharma.org/divine-meditations is also a great site for finding good guided meditations, Shinzen Young is on there and there its a great source for dharma talks. I like Ajahn Brahm.

[C T]