Congratulations! Here are the exercises for the first week. This week, try to do the exercises before doing orb runs and notice what happens to the resonance. Please feel free to report directly to the Facebook Forum or let us know how it goes at class next week.
As a note – there are instructions for doing the draining exercises solo at the bottom of the page.
Group Exercise: Dropping the Mask
Purpose: To demonstrate the use of the facial mask as a monitor and controller of the body’s state of tension and relaxation.
Exercise: Relax the body as in the Draining Exercise but keep the eyes open. Focus your attention on the face. Use the hands to clear the tensions, by wiping the face downward with the hands (including jaw, scalp, and ears). Drop the tensions and then sense internally. As tensions in the facial mask are noticed, let them release.
Comments: Using a relaxed facial mask doesn’t mean non-awareness of other body tensions. The facial mask is a feedback mechanism. Although it may appear to be too complex to monitor all the tensions in the body, by focusing on the facial mask you can become aware of tensions in the rest of the body. Dropping the mask does not mean “stone face.” The face should be alive while activating a relaxed mask. Do not allow the energy to drop when dropping the mask. The mask serves as the director of the rest of the body. We can learn to keep the whole body relaxed by monitoring the tensions in the facial mask. As you do this exercise, notice how tensions will reappear. Just because we relax once does not mean we stay relaxed. Make the effort of attention needed to scan for tensions as they emerge.
Group Exercise: The Draining Exercise
Purpose: To learn to use a part of your attention to keep the body relaxed, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of relaxing the body in quieting the mind and emotions.
Exercise: The group members will remain seated in chairs in a circle. The group leader will read the following instructions, allowing sufficient time between each instruction: “Close your eyes. Place your attention on your feet. Now release all tensions in your feet. Move your attention upward and release any tension being held in your legs. Now move your attention upward to your hips and buttocks, directing them in the same way to release all tension. Feel gravity take hold of your body and press it downward. Now turn your attention back to your feet to check if any tension has crept back in and relax the feet again. Do not take for granted that if you relax once, you are totally relaxed. Now bring your attention to your abdomen, releasing the tension being maintained there. Direct your attention to your lower back and release all the tension there. Bring your attention to your chest and upper back, letting the tension go. Move your attention to your neck and shoulders, releasing any tension there. Now, each time you exhale; pass your attention through the body from the feet upward, instantly releasing any tensions you notice. Continue doing this until you are satisfied with the body’s relaxation. Indicate that you are finished with this exercise by opening your eyes.
Solo Version:
Purpose: To learn to use a part of your attention to keep the body relaxed, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of relaxing the body in quieting the mind and emotions.
Exercise: Obtain and use a tape recorder to record the instructions as given above. Leave about 30 seconds of silence at the beginning to allow time to return to your seat after turning on the tape player during the play back and leave about 5 minutes of silence at the end to allow for the completion of the exercise. Rewind the tape and replay the exercise instructions so that you may follow them out. (If you would prefer, you can get a tape from the Institute giving the instructions for the relaxation session.)
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