January 7, 2026
Veins, vibes, and very online opinions
Meditation as Wakeful Relaxation: Unclenching Smooth Muscle
Can loosening your blood vessels calm your mind? Commenters clash
TLDR: The post says meditation may calm you by loosening blood vessel tension that locks in mental states. The comments split between pain-and-emotion believers, body-as-computer fans, and skeptics demanding proof—an internet showdown over how stress, posture, and biology really shape everyday mental health.
Meditation isn’t just zoning out—it’s “wakeful relaxation” where unclenching the body changes your mood. Enter “vasocomputation,” a bold idea from Michael Edward Johnson: your blood vessels tense up to lock in mental states, and relaxing smooth muscle may reset your default vibe. The author, stressed by the Inkhaven 30-day sprint, says letting go made them less reactive and easier with people. Commenters pounced. Some cheered the “whole body is a computer” angle, name-dropping Michael Levin. Others turned the thread into memes about “holding frame” like it’s a video game set to Hard Mode.
Then came the drama. One old-school hardliner demanded, “sit perfectly still with every muscle tense,” sparking cries of “that’s not relaxation, that’s boot camp.” A pain-nerd brought up Dr. John Sarno, suggesting emotions restrict blood flow and cause aches—cue a flood of back pain confessions. The skeptics showed up too: “Where’s the evidence?” asked the science crowd, wanting studies before anyone starts “upgrading their veins.” Philosophers mused that if meditation reveals there’s no problem to fix, why chase stress relief at all? Between hype, hope, and hard questions, the mood was pure internet: curious, combative, and cracking jokes while unclenching and yes, still scrolling.
Key Points
- •Meditation is explored as “wakeful relaxation,” combining alertness with relaxation rather than treating them as opposites.
- •Active relaxation during meditation reveals widespread bodily tension and spasms, requiring coordinated mind–body effort.
- •Intentional relaxation can trigger anxiety and fear; equanimity is needed to reach deeper relaxation levels.
- •More complete relaxation reduces reactivity and negative scenario generation, making social interactions feel easier.
- •Michael Edward Johnson’s vasocomputation thesis posits that vascular smooth muscle tension stabilizes neural patterns, forming discrete experiential stances.