SUMMARY OF A RELAXATION TECHNIQUE

March 11, 2005

1) Have a quiet, comfortable place to do your practice.

2) Close your eyes and breathe from your diaphragm for a few seconds or longer to establish diaphragmatic breathing.

3) With eyes closed coordinate the position of your tongue with the inhale and the exhale (as explained in the detailed instructions, below). Repeat this procedure for at least three times. You may do more if you wish.

4) With eyes closed do the alternating breathing; (as described below). Be sure you breathe from the diaphragm. Do this type of breathing for about 5 minutes.

5) With eyes closed, do mindful diaphragmatic breathing for fifteen to twenty minutes.

6) At the end of the fifteen or twenty minutes of "mindful" breathing, rest with eyes closed for at least five minutes. After the rest, commence activity gradually. Be gentle with yourself!

Practice the technique as instructed twice a day, once before eating in the morning and before evening meal. You may do a short ten-minute session before noon meal if you wish. Remember something is better than nothing. If you cannot organize your time to include two sessions per day, do one. Of course, two a day gives results more quickly, and naturally is more effective.

Remember you can go as slowly or as quickly on this program as you wish.

HOW TO PROCEED

Choose a quiet comfortable place. It is best to do the procedure sitting up with the back comfortably straight.

With eyes closed, be aware of your breathing. Be sure you are breathing from the diaphragm, not the chest. That is when breathing your lower abdominal area should rise and fall noticeably with your inhale and exhale. There should be only minimal movement of the chest.

Once you have established proper diaphragmatic breathing with the eyes closed, then try coordinating the tongue position with the inhale and exhale like this:

Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your upper front teeth with the mouth closed on the inhale. Inhale fully in this position. Hold the breath to the count of seven, then drop the tongue to its normal position in the floor of the mouth and open the mouth slightly and slowly exhale. When exhalation is complete hold the breath for the count of seven and then close the mouth, place the tongue on the roof of the mouth and inhale. Repeat this form of breathing three times (more if you wish). Remember keep the eyes closed and keep your awareness on your breathing.

After having completed the three or more breaths as described, proceed, with eyes closed, to alternating breathing.

The alternating breathing consists of, a) Breathing normally from the diaphragm, b) using your thumb to close your right nostril, inhaling through the left nostril. Next release the right nostril and close the left nostril with the fingers and exhale through the right nostril. Then inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril with the thumb and exhale through the left nostril then inhale through the left nostril, close and exhale through the right nostril. Continue the alternating nostrils breathing for five minutes with the eyes closed.

Now discontinue the alternating breathing technique. As you continue to sit quietly with the eyes closed, bring your attention to your breath. Continue to breathe from the diaphragm.

Be mindful of inhaling and exhaling. If you wish, you may think the word "SO", as you inhale and the word "HUM", as you exhale. Continue this "mindful" breathing for fifteen or twenty minutes. If during the breathing your mind wanders and gets off on thoughts then, as soon as you realize that your attention is not on the breathing but on thoughts, simply turn your attention from the thought to the breathing. Do not try to control your thoughts; do not dwell on them. Just let the thoughts pass by as a stream would flow past you. As soon as you realize that your mind is on thoughts and not mindful of the breathing, then turn your attention from the thoughts back to the breathing.

At the end of fifteen or twenty minutes of the "mindful" breathing lie down and relax with your eyes closed for at least five minutes. At the end of your rest commence activity nice and slowly. Avoid any immediate strenuous activity. Even though your mind may seem very alert, remember that you body has been at profound rest. It would sort of jolt the body to immediately jump up from your rest and start strenuous activity. Be gentle and easy with your body.

Remember: try to practice this technique twice a day, morning before eating and evening before eating. If you wish you may do a five or ten minute session before eating lunch.

More to come next month.

(Counselor and professor of biology John I. Mosher, PhD, is the author of several articles at the DoctorYourself.com website, including:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public".

Theodore Roosevelt