have arrived at that ultimate point where we do not even need to spend time relaxing individual areas. We can just sit down and feel a wave of relaxation move throughout the body, producing that total, deep calm.
However, there is no hurry to speed up the procedure. We need to feel confident at each phase before advancing. The accent is on ease. No effort, no striving, just a natural progression to a faster, easier way. Again, the point to emphasize is that we arrive at the end point where the body will be deeply relaxed and so will the mind. If we do need to employ the PMR exercise to achieve this, we do so. If we can relax just as effectively but more quickly, we do so.
Using Discomfort to Deepen Relaxation
Once we begin to develop the capacity to relax at will, we are ready to use a more uncomfortable starting position. What, more discomfort? Yes, just a little at a time. Why? Well, a measured element of discomfort makes the physical relaxation a little harder to achieve and this makes us focus more on what we are doing. Undoubtedly, this in turn heightens the effect of the meditation. It is like when you go to the gym, work out, and develop your physical muscles. Here, we develop our “relaxation” muscles. You really do need to try this, the results will be obvious.
The suggestion is that if you began learning to relax and meditate in an armchair, once the technique is working well, try it in an armless chair. The change is very little, but I am sure you will notice a different effect. Once you are comfortable with that and it has become easy and effortless, go on to trying it on a stool. Harder still, but still fairly easy and, again, a greater benefit. Then you could go on to experiment with sitting cross-legged on the floor, or going outdoors. In the open air the sounds and smells increase the potential distractions while adding to the naturalness of it.
In my own situation, I generally meditate sitting cross-legged on the floor or on a chair in the morning and at lunchtime. My back can often be tired after a day on one leg, so frequently I lie on a hard surface in the evening, as this allows it to relax better. I notice that lying down produces more benefit in terms of relaxing my body, but there is no doubt sitting cross-legged produces a better overall effect, particularly when it comes to the mind.
Using Imagery to Focus Relaxation—The Radiant Light Imagery Exercise
We will be examining the benefits and techniques of imagery in chapters 8 and 9; however, when it comes to deepening our relaxation and meditation, there is a particular form of imagery that is easy to learn and can be of great benefit. This is what we call the “radiant light” imagery exercise. This is an “extra” technique worth experimenting with. If you warm to it and find it helpful, continue on with it; if not, simply move on to the next step. What you may discover is that this exercise has the added advantage of leading on to a heightened body awareness. Using this technique you will be in better touch with your body and more responsive to its messages. Similarly you will be able to control it better.
To practice this technique takes around thirty minutes. It can be done in any position, but I find this particular exercise does work best if you lie down on a hard surface. The floor is ideal. Choose a carpeted area, or place a blanket underneath yourself to begin with. Lie flat on your back, hands loosely by your sides. Legs should be out straight, just comfortably apart and the feet allowed to flop loosely outward. Some find a pillow under the knees quite helpful.
When you have taken the time to practice this a little, and you can do it well, you will have a means to relax yourself deeply and revitalize yourself amazingly. Practicing this technique regularly, once a day for a few weeks, will produce a new dimension in body awareness and relaxation.
The clarity of visualization, how clearly you “see” the different body parts, is not so important. Obviously, someone with detailed anatomical knowledge will be able to build up a more detailed image than others. The important thing is to feel that close contact and awareness of each part of your body. So, in a large complex area such as the abdomen, you feel as if your mind is moving through the whole area. You feel the deep sense of relaxation and then the glow.
When it comes to areas affected by cancer or other disease, just do the same thing. No effort or striving, just feel your mind moving through the area, relaxing it and letting the light build up to the same level as in the rest of your body. This produces a feeling of uniformity throughout the body—a vital, healthy uniformity and it promotes the healing response.
Sometimes, relaxing areas affected by disease causes some initial discomfort. This is because we often have long-standing tension in the region around them as a defense mechanism. These exercises relax that tension and often produce sensations of temporary discomfort, occasionally tingling, even brief muscle spasms or jerks. Be assured this soon gives way to a feeling of warmth and ease. Also, this radiant light technique is very helpful for pain relief, and we will discuss this in detail soon (chapter 10).
The Radiant Light Exercise
Begin by putting all your attention onto just one big toe. Form an image in your mind of your toe and travel through it, examining each part in your mind. It is as if in your mind, you travel around the skin, under the nails, through the joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. As you do so, you aim to relax each part in minute detail. So this is a process to take slowly. You really do dwell on each part of the toe, feel into it and feel it relaxing deeply and completely.
You may well notice feelings of warmth flowing into the areas you relax in this deep way; maybe even a light tingling almost like mild pins and needles. This is a sign blood is flowing more freely through the area and relaxation is deepening.
Next, you build up an image of radiant white light suffusing each area of the toe. It is as if that toe was a light globe with a dimmer switch. You turn on that switch and gradually increase the light until the toe is full of vibrant white light. You will find it feels marvelous. When you do it well, you will be thinking of nothing else, just experiencing the vibrancy of it all.
So, having begun with one toe, then move to the next and so on, until the whole foot is “lit up.” You may find that at the first session attending to just one toe takes all your time. That would be fine. Next session you will find that you can recapture the feeling in that toe more easily and more quickly and so you can start with the next toe. At each session work on more areas until you can capture the feeling throughout the body. It is the feeling of relaxation, lightness and vitality that is the main thing. You aim to complete the exercise feeling deeply relaxed, filled with the radiant, healing, vibrant light.
The aim of the radiant light exercise is to lead us to a point of profound relaxation, with an accompanying sense of wholeness and vitality. So this exercise really serves to add another means of reaching the stillness of passive meditation. It is that end point which is the really important thing.
Relaxation Trigger Points
As you become more aware of your body, you will almost certainly find that some areas feel more tense than others. Common areas of tension are the muscles of the forehead, jaw, shoulders, tummy, hands and lower back. You will find that when you are placed in a stressful situation, one or more of these areas may tense up first. Just watch what happens next time you are “pushed.” These areas are called trigger areas and they are very useful! Remember the reflex?
Anxiety + Stress = Muscular tension
Muscular relaxation = No anxiety, no adverse effect from stress
Having identified localized areas where tension shows up, we can concentrate on relaxing those
