024: Winter Solstice (Repose)
Front of House
INHALE, EXHALE
DISTENSION PRACTICES HELP REDUCE EXTERNAL, INTERNAL, AND MENTAL TENSIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, THEY LESSEN FATIGUE, INCREASE ONE’S CONCENTRATION, AND MAKE EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES MORE EFFICIENT.1
ETHOS (the body)
“EXTERNAL PHYSICAL RELAXATION”
IN THIS EXERCISE WE WILL STUDY WAYS TO RELAX OUR BODIES. BEFORE BEGINNING THIS PRACTICE, LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE MOST TENSE AREAS OF THE BODY. TO RELAX ANY POINTS OF PERMANENT TENSION, BEGIN TO OBSERVE THEM, FROM THE ROOT UP. OBSERVE THE FEET, LIMBS, STOMACH, CHEST, NECK AND SHOULDERS, FACE, HEAD, ETC.
THEN, WHEREVER YOU FIND THE MOST TENSION, STRONGLY INCREASE THIS TENSION. HOLD THIS TENSION FOR A FEW SECONDS UNTIL THE MUSCLES BECOME TIRED. THEN, ABRUPTLY RELEASE THE EXCESS TENSION. REPEAT THIS PROCESS THREE TIMES. TIGHTEN THE TENSE AREAS, HOLD THE TENSION FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN ABRUPTLY RELEASE THE TENSION. YOU HAVE NOW LEARNED TO RELAX YOUR MOST TENSE MUSCLES BY DOING SOMETHING OPPOSITE TO WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT; INTENSIFY THE MUSCLES IN ORDER TO RELAX THEM.
ONCE YOU HAVE MASTERED THIS TECHNIQUE, PROCEED TO MENTALLY FEEL THE EXTERNAL MUSCLES OF THE BODY IN A SYMMETRICAL WAY. ALWAYS FEEL BOTH SIDES OF YOUR BODY AT THE SAME TIME (ie both eyes, both hands, both feet, etc). BEGIN BY FEELING YOUR HEAD, YOUR SCALP, YOUR FACIAL MUSCLES AND YOUR JAW. FEEL BOTH EYES AT THE SAME TIME. THEN ATTEND TO BOTH SIDES OF YOUR NOSE, THE CORNERS OF YOUR LIPS AND YOUR CHEEKS. NEXT, MENTALLY MOVE DOWN BOTH SIDES OF YOUR NECK AT THE SAME TIME AND FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON BOTH SHOULDERS. NOW, GRADUALLY MOVE DOWN YOUR ARMS, FOREARMS, AND HANDS UNTIL EACH OF THESE AREAS IS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY RELAXED.
NEXT, RETURN TO YOUR HEAD, AND GO DOWN THE BACK OF YOUR BODY. START WITH YOUR CROWN, AT THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD AND FOLLOW TWO SYMMETRICAL LINES DOWN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD AND NECK THROUGH YOUR SHOULDER BLADES AND ONTO YOUR BACK. CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE TWO LINES DOWN EACH SIDE OF YOUR BACK UNTIL YOU REACH YOUR LOWER BACK AND THE BOTTOM OF YOUR TORSO. CONTINUE TO MOVE DOWN BOTH LEGS UNTIL YOU REACH THE TIPS OF YOUR TOES.
WHEN YOU FINISH AND HAVE A COMMAND OF THIS EXERCISE, YOU SHOULD EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVE EXTERNAL MUSCULAR DISTENSION. See Figure 1
PATHOS (the spirit)
“INTERNAL PHYSICAL RELAXATION”
REVIEW THE FIRST EXERCISE, AND REPEAT IT UNTIL THE TECHNIQUE IS MASTERED. TRY TO DO THE RELAXATION WITH PROFICIENCY, EACH TIME WITHOUT LOSING THE QUALITY OF DISTENSION. THEN, PROCEED TO THE FOLLOWING EXERCISE.
FIRST RELAX EXTERNALLY, AND THEN FEEL YOUR HEAD. FEEL YOUR EYES, AND TRY TO FEEL YOUR EYEBALLS AND THE MUSCLES THAT SURROUND BOTH EYES. NOW FEEL THE INSIDE OF BOTH YOUR EYES AT THE SAME TIME. EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL AND SYMMETRICAL SENSATION OF BOTH YOUR EYES, AND THEN MOVE YOUR ATTENTION TOWARD THE INSIDE OF YOUR HEAD, RELAXING YOUR EYES COMPLETELY.
CONTINUE TO MOVE TOWARD THE INSIDE OF YOUR HEAD, LETTING YOURSELF SLIP TOWARD THE INSIDE WHILE RELAXING COMPLETELY. CONTINUE AS THOUGH YOU ARE SLOWLY “FALLING” DOWN THE THROAT CHAKRA INTO YOUR LUNGS. SYMMETRICALLY FEEL THE INSIDE OF BOTH LUNGS AND RELAX THEM. THEN, CONTINUE TO DESCEND INSIDE YOUR STOMACH, RELAXING ALL INTERNAL TENSIONS AS YOU GO. KEEP MOVING DOWNWARD, RELAXING THE INSIDE OF YOUR LOWER ABDOMEN UNTIL YOU REACH THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SACRAL REGION. FINISH WITH THE WHOLE INSIDE OF YOUR BODY, COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY RELAXED.
NOTICE: WE DID NOT FOCUS ON THE ARMS AND LEGS IN THIS TYPE OF RELAXATION. GO FROM THE EYES BACK TOWARD THE INSIDE, AND MOVE AS IF FALLING TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SACRAL REGION. PRACTICE THIS EXERCISE SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN YOU FINISH, CHECK TO SEE WHETHER ANY EXTERNAL MUSCLES ARE STILL TENSE.
ALL THE EXTERNAL MUSCLES SHOULD NOW BE RELAXED, AS WELL AS ACHIEVING INTERNAL RELAXATION. THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT EXERCISE, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT MORE COMPLEX. See Figure 2
LOGOS (the mind)
“MENTAL RELAXATION”
PRACTICE THE SECOND EXERCISE AGAIN, AND TRY TO GO AT AN EVEN, CONSTANT PACE, NOT SPENDING MORE TIME IN ONE AREA THAN ANOTHER. REPEAT THE EXERCISE AND GAIN MOMENTUM WITH YOUR INTERNAL MOVEMENTS WITHOUT LOSING THE SENSATION OF DEPTH. WHEN YOU HAVE A COMMAND OF THE PREVIOUS EXERCISE, CONTINUE WITH MENTAL RELAXATION.
BEGIN IN A STATE OF EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL RELAXATION. GO THROUGH THE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL PRACTICES IN EXERCISES 1 AND 2.
THEN, FEEL YOUR HEAD AGAIN, FEEL YOUR CROWN, AND BELOW IT YOUR SKULL. BEGIN TO FEEL YOUR BRAIN INSIDE YOUR CROWN. FEEL YOUR BRAIN AS IF IT WERE TENSE. THEN, RELEASE THAT TENSION AND LET IT FLOW INWARDS AND DOWN, TOWARDS THE CENTER OF YOUR HEAD. CONCENTRATE ON THIS AND MOVE INWARD ONE LAYER AT A TIME. CONTINUE LOWERING THE TENSION WITH A SENSATION OF “FALLING” AS THE TOP OF YOUR BRAIN BEGINS TO FEEL OPEN AND RELAXED. ALWAYS MOVE DOWN, DOWN TOWARDS THE CENTER OF YOUR HEAD, DOWN BELOW THE CENTER, LOWER AND LOWER. FEEL A FULL SENSATION. FEEL AT EASE.
REPEAT THIS EXERCISE SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL YOU BECOME PROFICIENT AT IT. See Figure 3
IF POSSIBLE SET ASIDE (±) ONE HOUR EACH WEEK, TO PRACTICE THE EXERCISES. WHEN YOU HAVE LEARNED DISTENSION TECHNIQUES, FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THEM BY APPLYING IN VARIOUS EVERYDAY SITUATIONS. TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU BEGIN TO USE THE TECHNIQUE AUTOMATICALLY IN TENSE SITUATIONS AND PRODUCE DISTENSION, YOU ARE REACHING THE PROPOSED OBJECTIVE. THERE SHOULD COME A TIME WHEN YOU WILL ELIMINATE YOUR TENSIONS AS SOON AS THEY APPEAR, NATURALLY, WITHOUT OVERANALYZING IN DETAIL.
PERSEVERE WITH EACH EXERCISE. PRACTICE WEEKLY UNTIL MASTERED. EXCESSIVE TENSION IS A PATTERN WHICH CANNOT BE CHANGED OVERNIGHT. THEREFORE, THE RESULTS YOU OBTAIN WILL BE PROPORTIONAL TO YOUR INPUT. EXERCISE PATIENCE WITH YOURSELF, AND OTHERS.2
THANK YOU FOR THE INITIAL SUPPORT AND ASSEMBLAGE. PLEASE EXERCISE PATIENCE AS WE CONTINUE TO COMPILE OUR THOUGHTS.
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