Heaven Earth Natural Therapies Clinic

 A Balance of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

 Acupuncture - Herbal Medicine - Lifestyle Counselling - BodyTalk - Kinesiology

Meditation Exercise I - Releasing Physical Tension

The Body-Awareness Scan
Let us start with a lying down meditation, no it isn’t called sleep, but that can happen, so do it when you are fresh and awake.

A point here. The yogis say if you fall asleep while meditating then you fall asleep, no big deal. The important thing is that you have the will to show up at your mat each day. The mind can easily stop you by faking tiredness. It can be an ego ploy to stop you going deeper. Or you could be truly tired and need the rest. The main thing is to keep going and not making falling asleep another excuse not to meditate.

To make this exercise easier for you to do, you can record it first and play it back.

This is one of the most important poses in yoga. It is called the Shavasana position. It is important because its main purpose is to bring the body into total conscious relaxation. It is very helpful when you are feeling tense or stressed.

Great for people with high blood pressure, anxiety, in fact any illnesses that might come from excessive body/mind tension. The first thing to remember is, healing happens 10 times faster when you are relaxed.

So first, lie in the shavasana position, flat on your back on the floor, arms slightly out, legs apart and relaxed. Try not to ‘hold’ anywhere in your body. surrender to gravity, let your body weight be carried by the surface you are laying on. Breathe and feel your spine sinking into the floor.

Remember on each of the following contractions, hold for a slow count of three. Now...

• Bring your awareness to your left foot. Flex your ankle and fill your foot with tension. Hold, count to three, then release, letting all the tension flow from your foot.

• Flex your left calf muscle and hold, then release letting tension flow out of your lower leg, through your toes.

• Bend your left knee just slightly and contract your thigh muscle tightly. Imagine all the tensions and negative or stagnant energy in your left leg gathering in the thigh muscle. Then, release and visualise this negative energy and tension flowing down your leg and out of your toes, transformed as positive, life affirming energy. Notice the relaxed feeling in your left leg. Does it feel more relaxed than your right leg?

• Repeat with your right leg, then note whether both legs feel equally relaxed. Stay mindful!

• Squeeze your buttocks together as tightly as you can. Release and feel the tension flowing away.

• Squeeze your abdominal muscles as tightly as you can. Release, and feel the tension flowing away.

• Bring your awareness to your spine. Imagine the tension trickly down your spine and flowing out your tail bone. Feel each vertebrae becoming heavier and looser, sinking into the floor.

• Contract your upper abdominals, under your rib cage, drawing your navel back toward your spine as far as you can, then release, allowing all the tension in your torso to flow out your tailbone.

• Contract your chest muscles as tightly as you can, then release, feeling the energy flow down your spine and out your tailbone.

• Now, bring your awareness to your left shoulder. Tighten your shoulder muscle, lifting it slightly off the floor with the effort. Then release, letting the shoulder sink into the floor. Imagine negative energy and tension flowing down your arm and out your fingertips, again transformed as pure joy.

• Tense your lower arm muscles (biceps and triceps) as tightly as you can, lifting your upper arm slightly off the floor. Then release, and feel the tension slowing down and out your fingertips transformed as joy.

• Tense your lower arm, lifting it slightly off the floor. Release, and feel the tension flowing down and out your fingertips transformed as joy.

• Make a tight fist with your left hand. Squeeze, then release, letting the tensions flow away.
• Now, spread the fingers of your left hand wide and hold. Release, then feel all the remaining tension in your left arm flowing away out the ends of your fingers., Notice the feeling of relaxation in your left arm. Does it feel more relaxed than your right arm?

• Repeat with your right arm. Then notice whether both arms feel equally relaxed. Stay mindful!

• Pull your chin back toward your neck, tensing the muscles of your neck and throat. Release, and imagine the negative energy and tension flowing down your spine and out your tailbone, transformed as pure, positive joy.

•Clench your jaw tightly and scrunch up your whole face, then release. Feel the negative energy flowing out the crown of your head, transformed as joy.
•Create a smile on your face and send the feeling of that smile down into every cell in your body. See and feel all the cells in your body smiling.

• Open your eyes and mouth as wide as you possibly can, hold, and release, feeling the negative energies flowing out the crown of your head. Released your mouth and jaw as you become aware of all the pure positive energy your body has gathered and transformed.

• Now imagine your awareness is a warm, glowing ring of light. It begins around your toes and moves slowly, slowly up your body from your toes to your crown, searching for any tension that might be left. Where ever you sense tension, the light glows red, alerting you to tense areas. Let this “scanning light” move up and down your body several times. Whenever it senses tension, tense the area again, then release, until all tension is gone. Imagine the ring of light gradually turning a calm, tranquil blue as you progressively relax.

• So by now you will be feeling a deep relaxation throughout the whole body. Imagine your body melting into the floor or ground. Breathe deeply, and with each breath, feel your muscle fibres dissolving and loosening. Remain completely mindful and aware. Try not to let your mind drift away into sleep. Notice everything. Let your consciousness vibrate with your mindfulness and body awareness.

•Where ever you sense tension, tense the area again, then breath out and release, continue to do this until all tension is gone.

• Remain still and quiet. Allow yourself to stay in this relaxed position for at least 10 minutes. Say to yourself that “there is nothing to do , nowhere to go, just be here now”. As the Beatles sang “let it be, let it be, let it be”.

•Then when you are ready slowly imagine your body separating from the earth and becoming itself again, lighter, easier, and freer.
• Sit up slowly, stand up slowly, be gentle with yourself

Remember it takes practice.

Each time you do relax you are teaching your body how it feels to let go. If you have been holding tension in your body for along time then it will take time to teach your body a new way of being. We know from research that when you practice relaxation you are causing your brain's electrical circuits to change and are increasing the production of postive chemicals to be formed.

It is ok to smile and have fun with this exercise. The message we want the body and brain to get is, that this is a time to rest and recharge. That is safe and can take time out to Relax and Enjoy. Recreation means re- creation.

So be patient and give yourself some time to fully feel the results of your practice. Remember it takes between 10 to 30 days for the body to go through one complete blood change and over 2 years for the bones to compelety change.

Be patient and gentle with your expectations. Your will feel the benefits from each relaxation exercise

This type of Relaxation exercise has measurable physical benefits on the body.

it calms the nervous system - lowers blood pressure - improves blood flow to the heart -lessens fatigue -increases energy - improves the digestion - balances the hormones - Opens the energy channels(meridians) to free the flow of vital energy (chi/prana/ki/life force) and most importantly relaxes and calms the Mind- Body-Spirit.

Next the Emotional Level and its effect on the bodymind.

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contact us
Shauna & Robert Kendall @
HeavenEarth Natural Therapies Clinic
Phone (07) 5522 0411
1/12 Classic Way, Burleigh Waters.

Queensland. 4220 - Australia