Sometimes after a good massage/Shiatsu one can feel quite euphoric.
This state can feel alien or other worldly, it can seem like something has been added or changed. . But I would suggest that what we are experience in these moments is a (our) natural state; just free of pain, stress, worry etc. It’s the absence of something rather than an addition
We can layer lots of levels of discomfort onto ourselves and do so most days. Life seems to have a way of doing it. Physical pain, discomfort, unease, little niggles, rubbing, chaffing, pinching, pulling. Emotional pain, discomfort, anger, pulling away, irritation, wanting, desire,
Some of these are quite big and we might need help to deal with, but others we can tackle ourselves. It can be about making simple little choices; How we sit, what shoes we wear, which clothes we put on, where we put our attention, what bag we use, they are small things that can contribute either to a sense of unease or ease. The trick is to keep making the more skilful choices, over and over again.
A trick to make this possible is to keep a bit for awareness in reserve for our body as often as we can. So in any given situation we can ask, am I at ease now? If the answer is ‘I don’t know’, then you can ask a purely physical question. Is my body at ease now?
If the answer is no, then do the thing that makes you at ease; shift your position, change the shoes, go for a different bag, take a break, walk away, pause the conversation, stand up on the bus, sit on the floor not the sofa, really listen to the other person, change your underwear, take a deep breath. Just do the little things that increase a feeling of ease.
Over time the results can be really radical, but start small and practice, regularly
‘So am I at ease right now!’
