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Lesson Two - Relaxation

1ST DEGREE - LESSON NO. 2

RELAXATION

In this world we live in there is never time to relax.

Rush, tear, madly joining the throng, rushing and tearing here, there and everywhere.

To lie down for half an hour - why? We would never have time for that. That is wasting precious

time.

TIME - do we realise that time is a man-made concept? Man invented the clock so that we could

time ourselves, break our lives up into minutes, seconds, organise everything by the clock.

Regimentation. We must CONFORM TO TIME.

Certainly it makes for a more orderly civilisation - but then, who is to say it is better that way?

Let us look at the uncivilised races. They live by the sun and the moon, they live by light and dark.

They wake at sunrise, go about the daily activity necessary for survival, they lie down when the sun

sets, so letting the body rest, ready for activity the next day.

What do we do?

We rise quite a bit after sunrise usually, and do not go to bed until the night is half over. So our body

does not obtain the rest that nature so decrees at the times nature decrees with her subtle forces.

Our body should be in harmony with nature. However, man has so made it that civilisation is in

DISHARMONY with nature.

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To compensate for this error, the least we can do is to try to learn the art of relaxation of both BODY

AND MIND.

The so-called uncivilised races do not need to learn this art; they do not have the distractions, the

stimulation of the senses that send our nervous system into a state of chaos. They are relaxed

naturally, taking things as they come, using the rays of the sun to keep their bodies relaxed.

There is more peace within when the art of relaxation is learnt, because when body and mind are

relaxed, you become desireless, free from greed, lust, jealousy, envy, anger, pride - they are no

longer dominant.

Peace does not dwell in outer things, but DEEP WITHIN the recesses of one's being. It is one of the

GREATEST TREASURES in the universe -relaxation and inner peace.

When you hear cars screech, people shout, the noise of trains, airplanes, a hundred and one other

noises that our modern civilisation has created to destroy peace and relaxation - even our electrical

appliances are aimed at destroying this peace, although they are meant to be labour-saving - think

back to the horse and buggy days, or preferably before. Certainly, there was more hard work, but to

compensate for this there were less psychosomatic diseases, less heart attacks, less disease, less

problems of society.

There was peace, quiet, relaxation. Every one had more of the inner peace.

BUT, we cannot put the clock back. It seems we cannot do without time - we have put the noose

around our own necks.

SO BE IT

Now we must learn a method to compensate. Something that will enable us to stay alive in a

reasonable state of mind, allow the nerves to relax, even if it is only for a very short time, otherwise,

like a clock that is overwound, something must give.

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Give yourself time, take at least half an hour out of each day to unwind the coil. To allow the life

force time to renew the body. Unplug the telephone, lock the door and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES

allow yourself to be disturbed, even if a visitor comes and rings the bell. This, of course, takes a lot of

discipline.

We feel we must get up and answer the bell. We remember things we have to do, chores that are

urgent - but if we become so overwound that the physical body gives up and leaves this earth, these

things would still not be done, would they? So why not give the body time to recoup? Even in lunch-

hour breaks, find somewhere that you can relax instead of rushing and tearing around.

Find a place - the floor, a bed - and if it is utterly impossible because you are at work, find a chair in a

place you will not be disturbed. But preferably wait till you come home, then close your bedroom

door and spend the half hour locked away from everyone.

The art of relaxing the body is to lie in a certain way. The spine must be straight, no pillow. You will

lie on your back placing the feet approximately 20 inches apart, making sure the feet fall outward in

a relaxed position, thus relaxing the inner parts of the leg muscles.

* Place the hands 10 inches out from the body, arms straight, palms turned up.

* Place the head so that you feel as if you have a double chin.

* Relax the tongue.

* Teeth slightly apart.

* Eyebrows raised just slightly and concentrate on the inner gaze between the eyebrows.

* Now go to the feet and lift the left foot slightly off the floor, feel the tension come into it, thendrop heavily to the floor and do not move it.

Do the same with the right foot. Then go to the hands and arms. Lift the left arm slightly off the

floor, hold till tension comes, then drop heavily to the floor, repeating on the other side.

Go over every part of the body, working from the toes, right up to the head. Check every point to

see it is in a relaxed state. You may find tension creeping in unawares - the kneecaps may tighten -

then automatically relax them. Check the feet, thighs, hands, arms, abdomen, chest, shoulders

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(shrug the shoulders to relax them), make sure the head is tilted forward, tongue relaxed, teeth

slightly apart, eyebrows raised and inner gaze focused between the eyebrows.

Once you have completed the inner examination as to the body being in a complete state ofrelaxation, then it is up to you to relax the MIND.

This is much harder than body relaxation, but because MIND DICTATES, as soon as the mind

becomes active the body tenses automatically, so UNLESS THE MIND IS RELAXED, the body cannot

be relaxed.

To be able to relax the mind, we have to train the mind to become one-pointed. We bring in frommany branches of thought to ONE THOUGHT, or one point and from that one point gradually the

mind will eventually learn to relax completely into a state of stillness.

Try to visualise between the eyebrows A STAR, brilliant to look at. Concentrate on the star, even

trying to actually see from the inner gaze a point of light that will eventually take the shape of a star.

Immerse yourself in this one pointed exercise, leaving the body completely relaxed. After some time,

relax the concentration and lie still, at peace.

Another method is to close the eyes and mentally watch the breath coming and going, as if you were

the onlooker, not the 'doer', mentally watching the breath coming and going. The breathing will

become shallow until you are barely breathing. Only then will a state of stillness ensue.

While the breath is violent or even with normal breathing, stillness is impossible. The breath has to

become almost non-existent, then the mind as well as the body will become still and a great peace

will flood your very being.

The relaxed state of body and mind helps any healing process to take place that is needed. It allows

the life force to flow without hindrance.

Stay in the relaxed state as long as circumstances permit and when you feel you must rise, only then

will you start to bring tension into the body.

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First, start to move the toes, the feet, the ankles, legs, fingers, hands, arms. Then take a long deep

breath and exhale. Stay for a few more seconds, then slowly lift the arms high above the head and

stretch. Stretch the arms up and the legs down, pointing the toes to get a full stretch, then relax

completely.

Now roll over to the right side and again stretch fully with arms above the head and toes pointed

down. Flop back to the centre. Take a deep breath, exhale. Then slowly start to rise to a sitting

position, coming up with the legs kept straight on the floor, arms by the side, raising the head, the

neck, the upper part of the body until you are sitting.

Bring the legs up into a cross-legged position, sit still for a few minutes longer, then rise to go about

your daily activity and...

PEACE BE WITH YOU