Deep relaxation;Contemplative Breath
Some beginners seem to achieve the sensation of warmth during the Contemplative Breath easily and quickly. It often happens even during the first few attempts, while placing the hands on the solar plexus. Others achieve this experience only after repeated attempts. Approximately a quarter of the students complain that they are unable to ‘produce’ the sensation of warmth. That they use the wrong approach is shown by the choice of the expression. The conscious effort of trying to ‘produce’ shows that the person has failed to understand the very essence of the Contemplative Breath. This wrong attitude is responsible for their failure to be passive and let go.
The conscious ‘direction of warmth’ is nothing but the second step of deep relaxation which follows the experience of heaviness during the first stage. This experience of heaviness can be induced in all parts of the body, for instance in the eyes, arms and legs and also in the inner organs. It is but a directed de-tensioning. It is easy to understand how to de-tense or relax if one realises how tension comes about in the first place. Linguistic usage is quite correct when it sanctions the expression that one does not ‘produce’ a cramp but that one ‘gets’ it. However, it can be removed with the technique of ‘appealing to’ or ‘letting go’.
The Contemplative Breath is a first step in the direction of the non-doing of the Raja-Yogi. It is the beginning of every relaxation: a letting go, a passive looking on. It represents a kind of self-examination in which the harmonious interaction of body and mind is greatly enhanced.
The relaxation of an adult differs from that of a sleeping child or of an animal, as it is experienced consciously. It proceeds along the same lines and leads to the same results as the unconscious relaxation of a child but it is intensified. It is a mental process and as such the culmination of a systematic self-education : the high art of being kind to oneself.
Improve blood circulation
Deep relaxation can increased blood circulation. It is essential to realise that the experience of warmth is founded on the blood circulation throughout the body. This is only possible when the capillaries are open. Depending on their constriction or dilation, certain glands or muscles are either able or unable to function. The blood supply is subordinate to the autonomic nervous system over which we have no direct control.
This system can only be appealed to with repeated mental invitations which may have to be continued over a period of half an hour or more. It often happens that a beginner stops too soon with the Contemplative Breath. His body reacts only slowly but if he gives himself more time he will find that he, too, can achieve the experience of warmth. If the euphoric sensation of warmth does not occur after several repeated attempts, it is possible that the student has not considered the close link between body and mind.
The experience of warmth is in many cases prevented by the strange unkindness with which people treat their bodies. They flop down on the floor without considering its hardness, the cold, the draught and other factors of a similar kind. Any Indian would regard this as an incomprehensible cruelty. He would find it incredible that there are people who lie down on a blanket but leave the head to rest on a cold stone floor. He certainly would fold the blanket to protect his whole body to make himself comfortable.
The observation of such details simply belongs to the art of being kind to oneself. The sooner we adopt this oriental attitude, the further we shall go in Hatha-Yoga. It is equally natural that one should be covered with another blanket while practising the Contemplative Breath. The hands, too, should be put under the blanket. To achieve a sensation of warmth it is essential not to start with a loss of warmth. To place the hands on top of the blanket is a sure sign that the student has largely lost his bodily awareness through sheer neglect. ‘
In one respect the Indian is apparently less sensitive than the Western student: he can endure more noise. For us it is best to practise the daily session in a period of relative quiet which presumably occurs in every household at some time or other. Besides the elimination of all disturbance, there are also positive aids. For example, one can assist circulation in the lumbar region by brushing the back in upward strokes with a strong brush before beginning with the Contemplative Breath. In India certain types of percussion and treading massages are used to assist relaxation.
Mental Resistance
Even if all physical impediments are removed, there still remain some obstacles of a mental nature which stand in the way of deep relaxation and improved circulation. It is mainly people in an executive capacity who suffer from such complaints. It seems as if a certain resistance has been built up in their foreheads which prevents them from letting go and being passive. They also often complain to be unable to relax their foreheads. These are the victims of the well-known ‘manager disease’. Their impediment is part of their whole being, for they even want to command the sensation of warmth, which of course is impossible. They live in a constant state of self-hypnosis, being driven from one activity to the next. Sometimes it happens that they burst into tears during their first relaxation.
For them it is often a great relief to discover that their bodies do not resist relaxation, but even long for it. As a matter of fact the body is only waiting for an opportunity to help itself. It is not at all necessary to give commands, for the body has known it all since birth. All it demands is that there is no interference. The relaxation with the Contemplative Breath is a kind of introspection, a passive witnessing. As such it is an introduction and a step towards the deeper meditation of Raja-Yoga. Those who have not learnt to relax will never be able to meditate.
Next to these tense and hyper-efficient people are those with a butterfly mind. They, too, are unable to feel the sensation of warmth in deep relaxation. They are too impatient to watch the performance taking place in the body. Every partial or complete relaxation is like a theatrical performance. The body is the stage, the author of the play is nature and our wakeful mind is the audience. If the audience leaves, the performance comes automatically to a stop. Hence the mind must take part in the relaxation process. This will be discussed in detail in the chapter on deep relaxation.
One of the best ways of achieving concentration is the mental observation of the movement of the breath. It is much easier to concentrate on movement than on a fixed point. It is best to get absorbed in the sensation of warmth and the regularity of the breath. In addition to this one should remember to relax the tongue as well. The rest follows. Suddenly the sensation of warmth is felt. It seems a good idea to end this section with an exercise so that all that has been said here can be put into practice right away.
Perform the Shoulderstand (viparita-karani) twice, then the Cobra and the Locust three times in succession and follow it with Contemplative Breathing. Relax on your back with your hands loosely framing the solar plexus. Focus your inner vision on the spot behind your eyes and observe the flow of cold and warm breath. Inhale and exhale regularly. Inhalation is cold, exhalation is warm. Visualise how the warmth is soaked up by your back and then direct your attention again to the rhythm of your breathing.