NOTE: It is not mandatory to practice Relaxation technique as explained below before 3DQs 1st step. You may choose to practice it when you have more time or feel very stressed or tension before meditation or any mental activity.
The following exercise may seem very simple but it is surprisingly effective. The average person has no idea how much tension they actually carry around with them, even during sleep.
1. Sit down in a comfortable chair, where both feet are flat on the floor, and your legs are neither too high nor low, but
straight out from your hips to the knees (upper legs parallel to the floor). Arms on the chair that comfortably support your arms and hands is a must! Remove your shoes, sit straight. Stay
perfectly still without moving.
2. Inhale deeply through the nose and immediately release the air through the mouth with a slight pressure and lips pursed. Repeat 3 to 6
times.
3. Now comfortably seated, concentrate with undivided attention on the bottom of your left foot. DO NOT MOVE the foot, but experience how the
bottom of your feet feels. Is it warm? Trace with your mind how the outline of your toes feels on the floor. When you have a conscious sense of the bottom of the left foot, move your mental
attention to the top of the same foot. If you have a sock on, become aware of the feel of the sock against your skin. If not, become aware of the air as it strikes your skin. Is it moving? Is it
soft? Is it warm or cold on your skin?
4. After a full two minutes on your left foot, move your attention up to your left calf. Repeat the same exercise, beginning with the back of the
calf. Experience intensely how it feels. Warm, cold; cool? Can you feel your pants leg against it? Then move your concentration to the front of the calf. Repeat next to see if you can sense the
bone, or feel a pulse.
5. Now move your mental concentration to your thigh. Repeat. Feel the pressure of the chair on the back side of your leg. Is it warm? Can you
feel a pulse? Can you sense the bone? Now move to the front of the left leg. Again feel the skin, your pant leg on your skin, the temperature, and a possible pulse.
6. Next, move to your right leg and repeat the whole process; feet; toes; calf; and thigh. Spend 2 minutes on the front and back on each side of
the foot, calf and thigh.
7. Proceed to your lower abdomen. Be aware of its rise and fall as you breathe. Is it warm? Cool? Do you feel a pulse? Let your awareness pick up
on how it feels.
8. Move around to your left, then right buttock muscles. Feel the pressure on the chair. Record in your mind how they feel. Next move your
attention to your chest. Record the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe. How does the skin feel? Do you feel your clothing touch your skin? What is your skin temperature? Be aware of your
heartbeat.
9. Now move to your upper back and repeat the process of concentration on how it feels.
10. Move your attention to your left hand. The fingers should be spread out on the arm of the chair. Let your mind run around each finger, starting with your
smallest. Feel, without any motion, how it feels on the material of the chair? Is it warm or cool, can you feel a pulse in each finger? Repeat with each finger, one at a time, moving from
smallest to the (including) thumb. Now move your attention up to the Palm. Pause. In your mind record how it feels. Then move to the back of your hand. Again, become aware of the air on the skin.
How does it feel, warm, cool etc.
11. Next move to your lower arm. Feel its weight on the arm of the chair and a possible pulse. After 2 minutes, move to the upper side of the lower arm. IS
the air striking it warm, cool or neutral? Can even the hair follicles be felt?
12. Put the attention on the upper arms. Feel the underside of the arm. Let your mind run over it , and how it feels against the chair, etc. Move to the outer
part of the upper arm. Can you feel the clothing on your skin, if it is bare, then look for the feel of air as you did with your lower arm and hand.
13. Now move to your right hand and repeat the same exercises there as with the hand and arm on the left side
14. Next, move to your shoulders; first left, then right. Concentrate on how and what they feel. Move to the back of your neck and repeat. After 2 minutes,
move to the front of your neck (throat) and repeat the process. Feel the air temperature and the pulse.
15. We now move to the lower jaw. Become aware of its outline on your face. Run your mind over every tooth in your lower jaw and how your tongue at rest lies
against your teeth. Relax any tension you find there. Next, move your mind to your upper teeth and how the tongue touches them. Continue to raise your attention to the upper lip area ( inside and
out of the mouth – feel lower lip touching upper lip as well) . Now move to the line of your upper jaw; follow it with attention. Relax it.
16. Continuing upward, move your attention to the eyes. (Closed) Record in your mind, how they feel , and relax any tension you find there. Next, move to your
nose. Feel the warmness and coolness of your breath. Follow this by moving the point of attention to your fore head. Relax any tension you find there. Is the area warm, cool etc?
17. Now move your concentration to your ears and the back of your head. Again, let your mind run over how they feel. Move your attention up the back of the
head to the crown. What do you feel? Put your mind there and mentally record this process and what you feel.
18. Quickly go back and run your mind over your entire body, one part at a time in the same order beginning with your left foot. Be sure you have not moved and
relax any part that has begun to tense.
19. Take a deep breath, open your eyes and experience how you feel in general. If you have time, repeat this whole process a second time.
20. After you have become familiar with the body relaxation technique, you may choose to do it more rapidly prior to long meditations, or any mental activity. Relax
all body parts as you proceed through the technique.
Va, Va, Va, Va En Guru Natha
Va, Va, Va, Va Thirumoolar Natha