Following a simple routine, you can release the tension from your body and mind and allow yourself to enter into deep relaxation and peace

There are two types of people: those who can be helped by concentration and those who can be helped only through relaxation. And the processes are different, in relaxation you simply relax, unfocussed, contrary to concentration.

When:

Before going to sleep at night

Duration:

20 minutes

Step 1: Dropping Tension

Dim or turn off the lights, be comfortable in whatever posture you want to take and sit in your chair. For relaxation one has to be very comfortable. Close your eyes and relax the body. From the toe up to the head, feel inside where you feel the tightness. If you feel it at the knee, relax the knee. Just touch the knee and say to it, ‘Please relax.’

You will find many places of tension in the body; they have to be relaxed first, otherwise the mind cannot relax. If you feel some tension in the shoulders, just touch it and say, ‘Please relax.’ Wherever you find tightness, touch that place with love and compassion. This will take at least five minutes and you will begin to feel very relaxed.

Step 2: Relaxing the Breath

Then bring your awareness to your breathing; relax the breathing. The body is our outermost part, the awareness our innermost; the breath is the link between the two. This is why it is important to let the breathing be relaxed. So when the body is relaxed, close your eyes and have a little talk with the breathing: ‘Please relax. Be natural.’ You will see a subtle shift. Tell your breathing two or three times to relax and then be silent.

Step 3: Saying ‘One’

Now, with each exhalation, say ‘one’ and as you repeat ‘one,’ feel that the whole existence is one. It can be a little strange at first because we have never been taught to talk to our own body – and miracles can happen through it. They are already happening without our knowing it. Unless the body gives support, nothing is possible. It need not be forced, it can be gently directed. Within a week you will be able to communicate with your body. And once you start communicating with it, things become very easy. With this practice, you will feel all the tension ease.