Progressive relaxation process (part two).

In part one, I described the reasons behind the need for relaxation and a method that enables a person to ‘go quiet inside’. Once your mind is quiet and clear you can start to create an incredible relaxation of your body that will leave you refreshed and revitalised. Relaxation will come from an awareness of the tension your muscles. I remember that I once concentrated so much on relaxing my shoulders that I did not notice a massive tension in my buttocks as I tried to hold in my stomach!

The best way to create an awareness of your body is to increase the movement and tension in the part of the body that you want to relax. Once you have achieved that awareness you will be able to relax every part of your body.

Whether you are sitting or lying down the process is the same. I usually do this process while lying in bed so I will describe it within this in mind.

I always start with my feet; by wiggling my toes while arching my feet back and forth. This process increases my awareness of every square inch of flesh on my feet. When doing this; concentrate on the weight of your heels on the bed and the sheet, or duvet cover, touching you toes (if you are sitting up notice the weight of you feet on the floor or in your shoes).

The next step is to breathe in deeply and then, as you let the air escape from your lungs, ‘say’ the word “RELAX” in your mind; make the word ‘sound’ relaxing in your head. Notice how you can imagine all the tension and energy leave your feet as they seem to become heavier and heavier and almost seem to sink into the mattress. During the next few breaths you may notice the feeling of blood pumping through the flesh of your feet. This should leave your feet feeling as if they are somehow dissociated from the rest of your body.

This tensioning and relaxing is then repeated for all the other parts of your body:
• Calves and shins
• Thighs
• Buttocks and lower abdomen
• Lumber region of spine and stomach
• Back and chest
• Shoulders
• Fingers and hands
• Forearms
• Upper arms
• Neck
• Jaw
• Ears
• Scalp
• Face

This should leave you in a state of deep relaxation that some hypnotists would call an ‘altered state’. Sometimes I fall asleep before I have reached this state but if I am still awake I continue the relaxation process with visualised breathing.

Breathe in through your nose and imagine drawing a glowing energy into your chest and then into your entire body; finger tips, toes and head. As you finish breathing in your body will be filled with a pulsating, sparkling, glowing energy.

In the pause before you breathe out concentrate all this energy into your lower abdomen about two inches below the navel (this is called the Lower Dantian) and behind the part of the abdominal muscles that that you tense up if you were carrying something heavy.

There are several different options from this point as you relax further:
1. Direct the energy up your chest and out of your mouth as you sink further into the bed/chair
2. Let it radiate through every pore in your body as you sink further into the bed/chair
3. As part of my Kung Fu training I would blast it out of my knuckles as I visualised the power of my punch
4. If you have an injury, or illness, you can focus the energy into that part of your body.

Visualise the energy assisting your body heal, or a blizzard of white blood cells attacking an infection, etc.

Finish with a slow movement of you arms and legs and a gentle stretch. Most important: go back to your black box and empty it!