Appendix A

Relaxation Process

First, turn down the lights and make sure the room is quiet so you won’t be disturbed. Loosen any tight clothing, and make yourself perfectly comfortable in every way. Now you are going to relax, thoroughly relax, from head to toe. Starting with your breathing, take three deep breaths, very slowly, and with every breath you will go deeper into a state of profound relaxation.

Now your breathing is returning to normal, but with every breath you take you are relaxing even further. You are now breathing in a calm, regulated manner, forgetting the cares of this day, thinking of nothing but your own bodily process of relaxation, and allowing yourself to drift down even deeper.

Now, starting with the head, all the muscles in that area are beginning to relax. Around the skull, the forehead, deep within the head area, complete relaxation of those muscles is now taking place, so there is no tension whatsoever in this area. Now this relaxed feeling is going into your eyes, your eyelids, and deep within your eyes, relaxing all the tiny muscles in and around and behind your eyes; letting your eyelids just feel loose and limp, and relaxed. No tension whatsoever.

The relaxation is now traveling down your face, to the muscles of your cheeks, your mouth, tongue, and on down to your jaw, relaxing all of the muscles of the chin. Just letting go of all tension and enjoying this deep, calm, relaxation. This wonderful relaxed feeling is now going into your neck, around the throat, to the back of your neck, so that your entire head area is now completely relaxed.

This relaxed feeling is now going into your shoulders, releasing their tension; just letting go, letting go completely, relaxing every muscle in this part of your body, and traveling down your arms, to your hands and fingers. Now your shoulders are feeling loose and limp and relaxed, and a warm but pleasant heaviness descends down your body as you rest here in perfect relaxation, thinking of nothing but the peace of the moment.

Now your chest area is responding to this feeling of restfulness, so that all tension in that area is completely released. Your breathing is perfectly relaxed and regular, and there is complete relaxation in your upper torso. You are now relaxing your stomach muscles—more and more—so that with every breath you take you will allow yourself to drift down even deeper.

This relaxed sensation is now traveling down your back, down that wonderfully intricate spinal cord that connects all of the nerves of your body, and branching out from it to your entire nervous system, relaxing all of your nerves. Going deeper and deeper into this wonderful state of relaxation, because it feels so good to be just letting go like this and giving all of your muscles and nerves a chance to rejuvenate.

Now all the muscles and organs in the lower part of your body are relaxing. The bladder, kidneys, and organs connected with your eliminative system are completely relaxed. You do not need to picture this, just give the order to the consciousness within; relax now. There will be no muscle too tight and none too loose; every muscle will have perfect tone.

This relaxed feeling is now descending into your lower back, the pelvic region, and going down into your legs, relaxing each muscle more and more. It feels so good to be so completely relaxed. You can feel this deep relaxation in the powerful muscles of the buttocks, traveling down your thighs, legs, knees, calves, ankles, and on down to the bottom of your feet, so that now you are completely encompassed by a wonderful, warm feeling of deep peace and relaxation.

A feeling of serenity, of peace and tranquillity, is now covering your entire body, and you are responding to it, because it feels so good to be so completely relaxed like this. You feel completely calm, completely at peace. More relaxed than you have been in a long time. All the tensions of the past week have left your body, and while you are in this relaxed state, your body is in a position to begin adjusting itself and express in a more healthy way. We know that when we are completely relaxed like this we can then begin directing the Creative Power Within to make any adjustments necessary to bring your body to a more healthy expression, and it is doing so now.

Continue to rest here for a few moments while Spirit Within brings your body to a state of perfectly normal functioning.

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