<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?--><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"/> <title>Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion</title> <link href="../Styles/stylesheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> <meta content="urn:uuid:8eb24d12-18de-403d-966c-8fdc81962807" name="Adept.expected.resource"/> </head> <body> <div id="P194-195_CompleteYogicRelaxation"> <h2 class="a_head" id="yoga3434">Complete yogic relaxation</h2> <p class="a_head_intro_text" id="yoga3435">Yogic relaxation has three aspects: physical relaxation, mental relaxation, and spiritual relaxation. As you lie in Corpse Pose for your <a href="../Text/P192-193_FinalRelaxation.xhtml">final relaxation</a> , practice the thought-focusing exercises below to relax body, mind, and spirit.</p> <h3 class="b_head" id="yoga3436">Part 1: Physical relaxation</h3> <p class="body_text" id="yoga3437">Take a few slow, <a href="../Text/P180-181_PreparatoryExercise.xhtml">rhythmic breaths using your abdomen</a>. Then follow this exercise in autosuggestion for five to ten minutes. Have a clear mental picture of your feet, think about the downward pull of gravity, then send a mental command to your feet by silently saying, “I am relaxing my feet, I am relaxing my feet, my feet are relaxed.” Move up the body; each time clearly visualize the area you are focusing on, think about the pull of gravity and your rhythmic breathing, then send a command to relax to your ankles, calves, knees and thighs, hips and buttocks, abdomen and chest, lower back, middle back, shoulders and neck, hands and fingers, arms, mouth and eyes, facial muscles and scalp. Finally, relax your internal organs. Again, visualize the area, breathe slowly, and send the command to relax to one organ at a time: kidneys, liver, intestines, bladder, pancreas, stomach, heart, lungs, and brain. Your subconscious mind conveys the command.</p> <div class="container" id="yoga3438"> <div class="landscape_large" id="yoga3439"><img alt="image" id="yoga3440" src="../Images/pg194.jpg"/> <div class="caption_head" id="yoga3441">PHYSICAL RELAXATION</div> <div class="caption_text" id="yoga3442">Each time you move on consciously to relax another part of the body, make sure you have a clear mental picture of that area before tuning your thoughts into the downward pull of gravity and the rhythmical flow of your breath. Finally, give the mental command to relax by silently repeating the phrase beginning “I am relaxing...”</div> </div> </div> <div class="container" id="yoga3443"> <div class="landscape_large" id="yoga3444"><img alt="image" id="yoga3445" src="../Images/pg195.jpg"/> <div class="caption_head" id="yoga3446">COMPLETING YOUR PRACTICE</div> <div class="caption_text" id="yoga3447">Sit comfortably upright with your legs crossed after completing all three stages of the relaxation. Place your hands in <a href="../Text/P202-204_PractisingMeditation.xhtml#yoga3553">Chin Mudra</a>, then chant “OM.”</div> </div> </div> <h3 class="b_head" id="yoga3448">Part 2: Mental relaxation</h3> <p class="body_text" id="yoga3449">The mind is always moving between the past and the future, and in the present it is constantly pulled by the five senses. It needs to relax, so practice this mental relaxation for about two minutes. Continue abdominal breathing, this time inhaling and exhaling for five seconds each. The speed and rhythm of your breath and your thought waves are intimately linked. Start to observe the flow of air moving in and out of your nostrils. Soon your mind will be calm; if you sense it becoming active, focus on your breathing until it quiets.</p> <h3 class="b_head" id="yoga3450">Part 3: Spiritual relaxation</h3> <p class="body_text" id="yoga3451">Complete spiritual relaxation is possible only if your thoughts have a carefree focus, so now visualize a calm lake, unruffled by waves. Picture the still water resting on your inner self, which is timeless and unchanging. Continue for five to eight minutes. Then take a few deep breaths, slowly move your legs and arms, and give your whole body a good stretch. Finally, spend a minute sitting cross-legged and chant the mantra “OM.” Now you will be able to hold this sense of relaxation and focus for several hours.</p> <p class="quote_text" id="yoga3452">“During spiritual relaxation the Yogi identifies himself with the all-pervading, all-powerful, all-peaceful and joyful self within himself, the real source of knowledge and strength” <span class="quote_name">Swami Vishnudevananda</span></p> </div> </body> </html>