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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1963)
HOW TO BE REALLY RELAXED (Continued from page 5) p i J u FIG. 11 6 m WIT T3 U FIG. 5 3rd DAY: Today we learn to identify ten sion in both legs. Slowly bend both feet up at the ankles as far as you can (Fig. 5). Where is the tension now? Quickly relax and note the dif ference. Repeat the bending and locate the ten sion again. After holding it a few seconds, you should feel it along the shin. Quickly relax and continue to relax for about 15 to 25 minutes. Next, check the tension in your calf muscles. Point your feet down by raising the heels off the floor (Fig. 6), leaving the toes touching. Now notice the tension in your calves. Quickly relax, dropping the heels. Raise the heels again until you feel the tension strongly in both calves. Quickly relax toward zero and continue for 20 to 25 minutes. Total time: 45 to 60 minutes. FIG. 7X- I 4th DAY: Today we study tension in thigh muscles. Assume the basic position. Slowly ex tend both legs, lifting your feet from the floor as the legs straighten at the knee (Fig. 7). Hold your legs straight out for several seconds, and note the tension in the tops of both thighs. Quickly relax, allowing both feet to drop to the floor. Again straighten the legs as before and note tension in upper thigh muscles. Quickly relax and remain at zero, eyes closed, for 15 to 25 minutes. Next, we investigate tension in those large muscles that lie beneath the thigh bone. Bend both legs back at the knee, dragging both feet back toward your chair (Fig. 8). Hold the legs in that bent position for a minute or so and note the tension in muscles at the lower, back part of the thigh. Quickly relax and note the difference. Now bend the legs back hard again, locate the tension, and relax. Let your thigh muscles go negative; remain so for 20 to 25 minutes. Total time: 45 to 60 minutes. A f - ; tLJ t4 U I FIG. 9 5th DAY: Your torso and its muscles are the subject of today's study. After reading these instructions, take the basic position, close your eyes, and pull in your abdominal muscles. Pull in your stomach until it is hard and flat, noting the tension that spreads all over the abdominal wall (Fig. 9). Quickly relax and notice the difference. Now contract the same muscles but only slightly, just enough to note the beginning of tension over the abdomen. Relax slowly this time, slowly, until you are entirely free of tension over the abdomen. Stay at zero for another 15 to 25 minutes. Next, arch your back. Arch it slowly but firmly until it reaches the extreme arched position (Fig. 10). Hold it until you feel tension in your back muscles. Quickly relax. Now simply imagine that you are arching your back, and see if you note a faint tension in the region of your spinal col umn. You may feel it quickly or it may take several days, for it is there even though you are only imagining it. After about 30 seconds, stop imagining that you are still arching the back, and relax, letting the back muscles go to zero. Remain relaxed for 20 to 25 minutes. Total time: 45 to 60 minutes. 6th DAY: In this week's final session, you learn about tension in your breathing and shoul der muscles. Take a deep breath and hold it. Note where diffuse tensions are felt in the chest (Fig. 11). Then breathe out normally. Take another deep breath, again making a mental note of the location of tension, and exhale. Now, breathing normally, see if you can feel a trace of those tensions in your chest muscles. After a minute or so, discontinue this search and go to zero, breathing without effort for 10 to 15 minutes. Next study tension in your shoulders by pull ing both shoulder blades straight back until you feel the contraction along the spine between them FIG. 12 (Fig. 12). Relax! Repeat the movement of pull ing the shoulder blades together hard, hold, and relax. Repeat again, but this time use only enough contraction to provide a weak sensation of ten sion. Relax and go to zero for 10 to 15 minutes. Lastly, slowly raise both shoulders as high as possible (Fig. 13). Note where you feel the ten sion and relax. The contraction was probably strongest over the tops of your shoulders. Now, without moving, slightly tighten the muscles that lift your shoulders, study the tensions you feel, and relax again. Let your muscles stay negative without any perceptible tension for 10 to 15 min utes. Total time: 45 to 60 minutes. ram.lv Wffkly, Frtirtmry 17, 196.1 nil FIG. 6 U 1 iff U " FIG. 8 FIG. 10 FIG. 13
