In performance there is a strong relationship between tension and it’s opposite-relaxation. Performance can have many meanings with the best known being sports and work related. But performance happens everywhere in life- we just don’t think of it as such. Doing house work and gardening easily or going for a long walk as well as standing for long periods at a time and singing falls into this category also.
Let’s take a really basic look at muscle tension. The first thing that comes to mind is what we used to do as kids- showing off the biceps which means: see how strong I am? This relates for many people to being strong enough to do a push up or a pull up. Does this require muscle tension? Absolutely so.
A display of strength requires intense muscular contraction. For a muscle to be able to contract it must first be slack (relaxed), otherwise this process doesn’t work. That means when we carry tension (‘un-slack’ muscles) they can’t contract to their full potential. In moving sporting activities like martial arts or dance of any kind carrying unwanted tension is noted as a loss of speed and therefore performance. And in the execution of everyday life keeping muscles unnecessarily contracted either leads to stress, fatigue or pain. I am sure most people are familiar with tension headaches.
Recently I heard of an extreme example of unchecked muscle tension at work. In a situation where there has been residual tension present already for a long time this lead to the whole body aching. In this case it served as a wake-up call and a realisation of how we tend to tense up in all sorts of situations- from sitting and reading a book to watching a play or even practising music.
So the question is: Does muscle tension affect your performance (of life)? I absolutely believe so. For me it is a constant battle to have enough awareness of my body to notice any unwanted tension. It happens so quickly. One moment I think I am onto myself to relax, the next moment it’s gone again. So if you have any unexplained discomfort it might pay to check in with yourself and see where you can let go.
A great start is with learning how to breathe again the way you were designed to breathe.