Lehal Library

Whole of Legs: Tense all muscles in the whole of both hips, legs, calves, and feet, all at the same time. Hold for five seconds, then relax them, really letting them go. Stomach and Lower Back: Push out stomach and tense up all stomach and lower back muscles. Hold for five seconds, then relax. Suck in stomach and tense lower back muscles. Hold for five seconds, relax. Chest and Upper Back: Arch shoulders forward while exhaling and caving in chest. Tense all upper back and shoulder muscles, tense for five seconds, then relax. Push shoulders back and take a deep breath while pushing out chest. Tense all upper back and chest muscles. Hold for five seconds, relax. Arms and Shoulders: Tense both shoulders, arms, and hands, making tight fists. Tense and hold for five seconds, then relax. Curl both forearms and fists in toward shoulders, wrists curling inward. Tense and hold for five seconds, then relax. Face and Head: With eyes closed, roll head back, open mouth wide, and screw up face, tensing all the muscles in head and face. Hold for five seconds, then relax. Also with eyes closed, smile widely while screwing up whole face and eyelids, tensing all facial, scalp, and jaw muscles. Hold for five seconds, then relax. Frown deeply while screwing up face and tensing all scalp, jaw, and facial muscles. Hold for five seconds, then relax. Jaw: With head held in its balanced resting position, force lower jaw straight out. Tense jaw and hold for five seconds, then relax. Neck 1: Without tensing, arch neck forward slowly and press chin down firmly onto chest as far as it will go. Hold it there for thirty seconds, breathing normally, and then slowly relax it back to its normal resting position. (If you have neck tension problems, hold chin on chest for up to three minutes.) Neck 2: Again without tensing, slowly push head way back and firmly push chin straight up above. Keep pushing chin out but do not tense neck muscles. Hold for thirty seconds, breathing normally, then slowly relax back to balanced resting position. (Again, if you have neck tension problems, hold this position for up to three minutes.) Neck 3: With head in its normal resting position, slowly grit teeth and tense all neck muscles, feeling the tension spreading right through the entire neck and up into skull. Hold for ten seconds, then relax. Full-Body Stretch: Stay in relaxed position and give yourself a full-body stretch, as best you can. Gently stretch and tense as much of your whole body with this as you can, while taking a long, slow, deep breath. Tense and hold for five seconds or so, then deeply relax your whole body while exhaling. Check posture and readjust resting position at this point, as needed, but while holding on to relaxed state. Ten Breaths: Repeat this step thoroughly, really feeling all the tension leaving your body with every OUT breath. Really feel your whole body sinking into your chair or bed, sinking and getting heavier, warmer and more blissfully relaxed with every OUT breath. Awareness Hands Massage The head, neck, and shoulder areas are the most difficult of all body parts to deeply relax. Stress and inner tension particularly affect the muscles in these areas. This tension comes from within, so we must go deeper to remove it. Use your awareness hands to massage the tension from these areas. Feel у our awareness hands massaging deep inside your neck and shoulders and up into your skull, as if someone were actually massaging them for you. Use your memory to re-create these awareness actions. Feel your hands penetrating deeply within the muscles and tendons and spine in your neck and shoulders. Feel your hands stroking deeply along your spine and up into and through your head. Feel all the tension leaving your body and feel it sinking and growing warmer and heavier and more deeply and blissfully relaxed. After you've been through the whole relaxation process, relax and focus on your breathing while you move your awareness hands throughout your body, searching for muscular knots, tension, or other problem areas. Note these tight areas for future reference, to save having to search for them every time. Recheck all known problem areas occasionally, during all the coming exercises, and rerelax them as needed. 84