Lehal Library

Relaxation and Concentration Great mental effort can generate great physical tension. The physical body is intimately connected with all its mental processes; whatever affects the mind affects the physical body to some extent. Learning how to concentrate and relax at the same time teaches how to divorce mental and body-awareness actions from physical actions. Being able to separate these different types of actions is extremely important for all trance, energetic, body-awareness, and projection-related techniques. The following three exercises are designed to improve concentration and mental focus. They can be done any time and any place during the day. Take advantage of travel time to and from work, waiting time, traffic jams, and any other free moments during the day when you are required to do nothing. Just take a deep breath, relax a little, and begin, standing or sitting. At least one of these exercises should be done for a couple of minutes, several times each day. The more often these are done, the faster concentration and mental focus will improve. Single-Object Awareness Pick out an object — tree, chair, picture, cloud, cat (any-thing) — and stare gently but fixedly at it. Do not focus on any part, but let your eyes gently gaze upon the whole of it. Use breath awareness to hold your mind clear while you do this, breathing your thoughts away. Hold this object in view as long as you can without shifting your gaze or allowing any thoughts to start up. Focus on this object to the total exclusion of everything else. Feel the whole of the object and feel the image of it growing inside your mind as you gaze at it. Do not allow your eyes or forehead to tense up. Continue this for three minutes, or for as long as you can. When you end this exercise, close your eyes and cover them quickly with the palms of your hands, shutting out all light. Try to hold and follow the afterimage of the object in your mind's eye for as long as you can. Try to make this afterimage grow stronger. As the afterimage fades, hold the memory of it in your mind's eye, imagining the details in the same way as you would build and hold any fantasy. As an alternative, or if you are nonsighted, hold an object in both hands and feel it. Feel its shape and texture and fill your mind with the perception image this generates, feeling this to the exclusion of all else. Any object will do. Spot Focus Pick a small speck or mark on a wall and focus gently but fixedly upon it. Hold your mind clear of all thoughts. Use breath awareness to help hold your surface mind clear. If you concentrate and stare hard, an optical effect will occasionally cause your vision to darken. Your view will go dark around the edges, getting darker and closing in until you temporarily lose your sight. Ignore this, or just blink it away without breaking concentration. Your vision will return to normal as soon as you stop concentrating. Keep your eyes and forehead relaxed and this will not happen as often. Continue for three minutes, or for as long as you can. As an alternative, hold the tip of a pencil to your finger and press gently until you can feel a tiny point of pressure. Move your finger very slightly to make this small point of pressure continue to be felt. Focus on this point of pressure to the exclusion of all else, using breath awareness to hold your mind clear of all thoughts. Afterimage Retention Relax, calm your mind, and stare fixedly at any gentle light source: the moon, a candle, a lowwattage light bulb, an open window, etc. (Of course, do not look at the sun or any light source bright enough to damage eyes. And note that these exercises, if overdone, can cause eye strain or a tension headache. If this happens, treat it as you would any normal eye strain or tension headache.) Gaze gently but fixedly at the light source for thirty seconds or so without shifting your gaze or changing your focus. Don't focus directly on it, just gaze at it. Use breath awareness to hold your surface mind clear while you do this. Then close your eyes and quickly cover them with the palms of your hands, shutting out all light. Hold and follow the glowing afterimage that has been generated in your mind's eye. Keep 87