one long and one shorter version, are included here for you to try. The longer exercise can be used at the beginning of any intuitive session and the shorter version can be used before beginning any other techniques you might choose to explore during the session. It is not so important what techniques you use, but it is important that you take time out for some kind of relaxation before attempting any exercise.
The technique I use the most often involves tensing and relaxing the body’s major muscle groups. Tensing and relaxing your muscles helps you to relax and let go while facilitating your concentration by focusing your attention on specific areas of your body. As you relax, you will become much more aware of your body and your physical environment, and you may even begin to notice small physical discomforts that you were not aware of before. For example, you may find that you are sitting in an uncomfortable position or that your nose has started to itch. Your clothing may feel tight or restricting, or you may become aware of the pressure of your watch, ring, or earrings. Perhaps your shoes will feel like they are pinching your feet. The first thing to do is to attend to all of your distractions so that they are no longer there. Change positions or find a more comfortable chair. Remove your jewelry. Slip out of your shoes. Loosen your collar or belt. Take the time you need in order to make yourself feel as comfortable as possible.
As you begin, you may also become aware of all of the little distractions in your environment. Little sounds that you were not really aware of in your normal conscious state may become amplified to the point where they are annoying. When I find this happening to me, I mentally travel around to all the sounds and put them into an imaginary box with a volume control knob on it. When I have collected all of the sounds in the box, I mentally turn down the volume control knob until the sounds no longer bother me. In time, you may discover your own methods of tuning out environmental distractions; whatever works for you is fine. The important thing is to remember not to ignore the distractions but instead to attend to them in some way so that you can go beyond them. If you find your attention wandering during the exercise, simply bring it back very gently to your own breathing or to a single point of focus within yourself.
It doesn’t matter if you sit in a chair, on a pillow, or lie down on the floor to relax, but it may be best to sit in a straight back chair so that you do not fall asleep during the relaxation experience.
There are several ways to conduct this exercise. If you are practicing with a group, have someone read the exercise aloud or pretape the exercise on a recording device. If you are not in a position to record your own CD, you may wish for someone else to read through the exercise for you slowly, or you could read it through yourself beforehand and then do the exercise mentally, one muscle group at a time.
If someone is leading the relaxation exercise, here are a few tips. First, be sure that the person is relaxed. Tension and nervousness can be communicated through one’s voice and behavior. On the other hand, a calm and relaxed manner will be expressed quite naturally to others. Secondly, be sure to present the exercise in a slow, steady, gentle manner, pausing as indicated. Finally, allow plenty of time for the exercise. Those who are new to this may need more time than others. In the beginning, fifteen to twenty minutes may be appropriate in order to become truly relaxed. Later, with experience, you may find that five to seven minutes is quite long enough.
At the close of the exercise, see how long you can recall or maintain this relaxed state of body and mind—an hour, a day, a week, or even longer. Whenever you feel yourself becoming tense or anxious, practice the relaxation experience again and feel its calming positive effects. When you’ve accomplished the relaxation technique, feel free to move onto the first intuitive experience, which is Energy Sensing.
“Inner conflict between left and right Brain processes may reflect out into The world as prejudice.” Carol Ann Liaros
Relaxation and Concentration
(Long version)
This exercise is important because it will encourage you to set aside a total reliance upon the left-brain logical thought processes and through the process of relaxation, facilitate the activities of your own imagination, creativity, and receptivity. In addition, relaxation helps to connect the left and right brains for more balanced functioning.
This is an exercise to help you relax and concentrate. Sit comfortably, with your feet flat on the floor and your hands upon your lap; then close your eyes.
Take a slow, deep, even breath, filling your abdomen to capacity, and hold it to a count of three. One . . . Two . . . Three . . .
Breathe out very slowly through your mouth . . . and tell yourself to relax . . .
Take another slow, deep, even breath, filling the abdomen to capacity, and hold it to a count of three. One . . . Two . . . Three . . .
Very slowly, breathe out through your mouth. Gently telling yourself to relax, knowing that your body follows the commands of your mind . . .
Take another slow, deep, even breath and hold it to a count of three . . . One . . . Two . . . Three . . .
Breathe out through the mouth . . . very gently telling yourself to relax . . .
Now tense up the muscles in your feet by curling your toes and making them as tight and taut as you can. For a moment, hold this tension . . .
Now relax those muscles . . .
And relax them even more . . .
Tense up the muscles in your lower legs, making those muscles as tense and taut as you can . . .
Tense them even more . . . and feel that tension with your body and mind . . .
Now relax . . . and tell those muscles to relax even more. . . .
Tense the muscles in your abdomen and lower back . . . tense them even more . . . and relax . . .
Now tell yourself to relax those muscles even more . . . and feel the relaxation with your body and mind.
Now, tense up the muscles in the upper part of your torso by hunching up both shoulders.
Tense the muscles in the back and chest . . . and feel this tension with your body and your mind.
Now relax those muscles . . . and relax them even more . . .
Tense up the muscles in both arms by clenching your fists. Make hard, tight fists and feel all the muscles in your arms become very tense and taut . . .
And slowly relax . . . relax them just a bit more . . .
Now tense up every muscle in your face that you can, particularly around your eyes . . . Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and crease your brow . . . make all the muscles in your face and head feel very tense and taut.
Now relax . . . relax the eyes, the tongue, the jaw, the forehead, and relax those muscles even more . . . feel this relaxation with your body and your mind.
Now tense every muscle in your body, beginning with the toes and going up through the legs . . . the abdomen and lower back . . . the chest and shoulders . . . the arms and hands . . . and the face . . .
Now tense up all the muscles in your body even more, and feel this tension in every muscle . . .
Now, very slowly, as though you were moving in slow motion, relax every muscle
