Instructions for Practice Sessions
FIRST WEEK-EVERY DAY: You start each
session in the basic position shown here. Rest your feet
on the floor about six inches apart, on heels or flat. Rest
forearms on the chair arms and drop your head for
ward. Gradually close your eyes and keep them closed
except when you are reading these instructions. If the
back of your neck begins to hurt after a time, raise
your head a few minutes for relief.
Your assignment each day is to contract certain
muscles in order to learn where to look for tensions,
then to practice letting them go. This is continued until
all major groups of muscles have been included, ' and
you may scan your body mentally for trouble spots.
Practice always starts with five minutes of rest.
Think of your body with its many muscular activities'
as an automobile speeding along at 60 miles per hour.
You want to stop the car, but you have no brakes. So
you turn off the ignition and coast until the car stops.
In the same way, you can turn off your personal igni
tion by sitting down to relax, but your body also must
JW1
BASIC STARTING POSITION
coast to a stop. In most persons, even after training in
relaxation, this takes from 15 to 20 minutes. Though
you seem to remain tense and restless, you are learning.
Many slow learners become expert at relaxing.
You need at least 45 minutes of uninterrupted prac
tice for a relaxing period. Do not watch the clock, but
set an alarm or use a kitchen timer. Don't answer the
phone or doorbell. Lock other members of your family
out of your relaxing room.
These instructions will tell you to relax, to go nega
tive, and to go to zero. They all mean, "Let yourself go."
This may be difficult at first, but don't worry. Continue
to practice, and you will be rewarded. Learning any
skill takes time; very tense people may need as much
drill as in learning to type or to swim. Don't be dis
couraged. Remember that you are studying a hard,
condensed course and gaining a lifetime skill. With
practice, you discover unsuspected tensions, some of
which you may have harbored for years. And you may
get rid of them with ease if you don't give up too soon.
FIG. 1
1st DAY: Place this page of instructions on a
chair or table before you. Assume the basic position,
closing your eyes except when you must read. In
general, you are going to be directed to contract a
muscle, to note the tension in the muscle produced
by that contraction, to release or relax the muscle,
and to note the difference. Then you will be in
structed to continue in your wholly relaxed state
for several minutes. It's as simple as that.
So assume the basic position now and rest quietly
for five minutes, guessing at the time. Today we
learn to locate tension in the forearm muscle groups.
Bend up both hands (Fig. 1), fingers straight. Hold
this position for about 30 seconds. Muscles in your
forearms have contracted to bend up your hands.
Where do you feel the effort? Where are the tense
muscles? Some persons will indicate the wrist but
this is discomfort from tendon stretch or strain, not
from effort felt in the muscles themselves. The tense
ness is in the upper, outer, and back part of the
forearm where the muscles bulge. Can you feel it?
Now let the hands fall and dangle. Continue to
relax for two or three minutes, then repeat the bend
ing up movement of the hand. Hold it still. Feel the
tension. Relax! Continue to relax for about 15 to
25 minutes.
Next, turn your arms onto their sides and bend
the hands inward (Fig. 2). Note the feeling of ten
sion centered now in the large muscles on the inner
surface of both forearms. Relax the tension sud
denly and let the hands hang. Did you feel the ten
sion decrease or vanish?
After relaxing two or three minutes, again bend
the hands inward, hold, and relax as completely as
you can for another 15 to 25 minutes. Total time
for both muscle groups: 45 to 60 minutes.
FIG. 2 "
Mi 1
J 1
FIG. 3
2nd DAY: Assume the basic position and relax
for five minutes. Today we learn to observe tension
in the lower and upper arm as a unit. We begin with
the left arm. Without moving it, slowly tense the
whole arm, curling your fingers into a hard fist.
Continue until the arm is rigid as you can make it.
Observe tension all through the arm (Fig. 3).
Now, gradually let muscles go limp until no ten
sion is felt. Continue to relax the arm for about
15 to 25 minutes.
Next, repeat the tensions with both arms at the
same time, squeezing the fists until all the muscles
of your lower and upper arms are rock hard (Fig.
4). Notice the tensions in all contracting muscles
of both arms.
Now slowly decrease this tension, gradually relax
ing the effort that holds the muscles hard, permit
ting the entire arm to go negative.
Continue to relax both arms for 20 to 30 minutes.
Total time: 45 to 60 minutes.
FIG. 4 L
ItlUSIIAtlONJ IT MAGAn YAKOVINKO
Turn page for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th days
Family Wttkly. ffbrnorj, J 7. 196 i