The Natural Brilliance course helped me realize how tense I am all the time. I am getting into the habit of periodically doing a quick "body check" while PRing or doing anything else. If I notice something is tense, I pause for a second to release that area. It's quick and effective and is only briefly distracting. In fact, with practice, just the act of noticing the tension is enough to initiate the relax step.
To relax, I "let go" of that area. I don't get uptight about it, I just feel myself letting go and feel the tension ease. Also, circular breathing (what Win Wenger calls Velvety Smooth Breathing) is very helpful for easing tension and maintaining focus. Sometimes I'll just focus on my breathing instead of chanting. If you don't know what circular breathing is, it's the process of breathing such that there is no "hitch" between inhaling and exhaling (or vice versa). You try to make it one smooth process where one leads into the other. I imagine a marker on my lungs and watch the shape it draws while I'm breathing. I try to get it as close to a circle as I can. If this isn't clear enough, I can try to post the directions later.
