I have a bad habit—an annoying one that has haunted me my entire life. Every time I am sitting or lying down, no matter what I am doing—eating, writing, reading, watching TV, thinking, talking—one of my legs is bouncing, up and down. Non-stop, tapping the floor with my heels, a continuous stream of energy seeking an outlet. This habit makes me seem impatient and hyperactive.
It is a habit I have been trying to get rid of because sometimes it disturbs the people around me, disrupts the silence, and, above all, wastes my energy. My body has always been restless, and it's really hard to stop it. I have to consciously concentrate to avoid bouncing my foot. Then, as soon as I focus on something else, my foot starts bouncing again.
To the Yogis, my habitual movement of the foot is like not closing a water faucet properly. Water is wasted over time, drop by drop. Vital force, or prana, is wasted every time I tense the muscles that make my foot bounce.
"Every action, conscious or unconscious,” Yogi Ramacharaka remarks, “uses up a certain amount of vital force.”
The science of relaxation forms an important part of Hatha Yoga. It teaches how to cultivate a calm, controlled mind, instructing you to fully relax the muscles and nerves, avoiding impulses to conserve energy that will be useful when tasks have to be done.
You may think it's ridiculous. What? You don't need anyone to teach you how to relax. Anyone can do it, right?
In my case, saying that I am wasting energy with such minimal movements might seem like an exaggeration. But like the water dripping from the faucet, the waste accumulates over time. Moreover, the continuous movement can sometimes be a distraction or even evoke feelings of anxiety.
The truth is that even when we are supposed to be resting and relaxing, few of us do it properly. Few of us truly disengage the mind and the muscles to give them proper rest.
So, next time it’s your turn to relax. Let go completely. Don't waste energy contracting muscles when they are not needed. Don’t waste energy thinking. Save it.
Close the faucet of vital force dripping out of your body. When it’s time to rest, truly rest. You’ll have more endurance, strength, and vitality when needed.
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