and this time timely relax, letting the forehead
muscles go negative for a few minutes. Now lift
the eyebrows again, just enough to feel slight
tension across the forehead. Hold it, then slowly
relax the tension completely, continuing to let
go for 10 or 15 minutes.
Next, frown strongly by drawing your eye
brows together (Fig. 6) and note the tension be
tween and around your brows. Quickly relax I
Frown again, fairly Btrongly, and then slowly
relax the tension. Frown again, but merely
FIO. 6 FIG. 7
enough to feel the tension slightly. Relax, go to
xero, and remain negative for 10 to 15 minutes.
Finally, close your eyes tightly and continue to
squeeze them together for a moment (Fig. 7),
noting tension in both lids and around the eyes.
Quickly relax 1 Repeat the movement but with
somewhat less tension, then slowly relax. Next,
with eyes still shut, merely imagine that you are
closing the lids tightly, and feel the very slight
tensions in the same places as during harder con
traction. Then relax completely for 15 to 25 min
utes. Total time: 45 to 60 minutes.
3rd DAY: Several sets of muscles move your
eyes or hold them in a steady gaze. They work
every waking moment unless you deliberately re
lax. Today you will learn to relax them. First,
with both eyes closed, imagine looking as far to
the right as you can. Then imagine looking to the
far left. Repeat this right and left movement
twice more (in your imagination). As you "look"
right and left, note any tension felt to the right
or to the left of each eyeball. Next, with your
eyes wide open, look to the right (Fig. 8), then
to the left (Fig. 9), and repeat the movement
FIO. FIO. 9
both ways twice more. Again, did you detect the
slight tension at the sides of your eyeballs as
muscles pulled them in the direction you were
looking? Such tensions occur thousands of times
each day. Finally, let your gaze return to front-and-center
and, looking at nothing in particular,
relax all your eye muscles to negative.
Next, close the eyes and imagine looking up at
the ceiling, then down at the ground. Repeat
twice. You are now using different muscles. One
set pulls the eyes up, another pulls them down.
As muscles pull, they shorten, becoming tense.
Note this tenseness, then let your gaze return to
a central point, and relax.
Finally, with the eyes closed, imagine that you
are looking straight across the room at a picture
on the wall. As you "look" at the picture, try to
note tensions present in the eye muscles that are
focusing on that scene, then relax your eyes. Re
peat the same procedure: "see" the picture in
your imagination, then relax and go to zero. Total
time: 46 to 60 minutes.
''''fioo''
4th DAY: Today, read these instructions, then
begin with closed eyes. Start by imagining that
you are on a porch. The house across the street
has a flagpole at its roof peak and a big front
window. Imagine that you look down the street
to the right and see a man approaching (Fig. 10).
Watch him as he passes before you and goes to
the left until he is out of sight Can you feel the
same tensions as when you turned your open eyes
from right to left? They are there I
Now, in imagination, note that a young lady is
coming into view at the left (Fig. 11). Walking
from left to right, she passes before you. Watch
her until she disappears on the right.
This time, did you feel corresponding tensions
In your eye muscles?
Next, imagine seeing a sparrow in the street
before you. Suddenly, it flies to the top of the
flagpole on the house opposite. "Watch" it alight
for a moment, then glide back down to the street
at your feet. Again your eyes will have corre
sponding tensions, first in the upper, then in the
lower eye muscles. Relax them! Stay at zero for
a few minutes.
Finally, imagine seeing a little girl in the win
dow of the house opposite. Note the very slight
tensions around your eyeballs as you focus on
her. Suddenly, stop watching and let your eyes
go to zero. See if you note a tiny difference. Re
peat several times. When you learn to relax your
eye muscles (this may take long practice), all
mental pictures tend to fade out for short inter
vals, and you may fall asleep. Total time: 45 to
60 minutes.
5th DAY: Today you locate tensions in your
cheeks, lips, and jaws; these are some of the ten
sions that help you to speak. First, smile broadly
(Fig. 12). You should notice tension all over the
cheeks, especially above the cheekbones. Quickly
relax! Now half-smile with half as much tension.
FIG. 12 FIO. 13
Slowly relax. Next, faintly smile so as to create
the slightest possible tension in your cheeks. Re
lax again. Continue to zero for a few minutes.
Next, pucker the lips strongly as if preparing
to whistle. Note the pronounced tension in them
(Fig. 13). Quickly relax 1 Pucker again with less
tension and slowly relax. Now imagine you are
whistling, and try to note the slight tension in
your lips. Relax to zero again and remain nega
tive for a short time.
Finally, close your jaws very firmly until you
feel tension in the muscles at the angles of the
jaw in front of each ear lobe. Quickly relax! Now
close them a bit less vigorously and slowly relax.
Next, close them with only enough pressure to
develop a slight tension. Then quickly relax to
zero and remain there to the end of the period.
Time: 45 to 60 minutes.
if
FIG. 14 FIG. 15
6th DAY: This lesson introduces the principal
muscles used in speaking. With head comfortably
erect, eyes closed, push your tongue forward
against your front teeth (Fig. 14) and note ten
sion in the tongue muscle. Quickly relax! Repeat
and relax slowly, going to zero for several min
utes. Next, pull or roll your tongue back in the
mouth (Fig. 16) and note tension at the base of
the tongue and floor of the mouth. Quickly relax
and continue at zero for several minutes. T
Second, count aloud slowly and distinctly from
one to ten, noting the various tensions that come
and go in your tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw.
Slowly say, "One," noting the ebb and flow of ten
sions required for that single word. Quickly re
lax! Say, "Two," then relax. Say, "Thu-ree,
fu-wer, fl-vuh," and on up through "tennnn," re
laxing after each word.
Tensions are also to be felt where muscles con
tract in the throat and larynx, breathing muscles,
chest, and abdomen, all of which may be used in
speech. Wherever you feel contractions and
search for them diligently relax them, letting
them go to zero. When you perfect this skill, you
may be able to rid yourself of persistent tunes
or jingles that run through your head, or banish
the internal talk that runs interminably through
the minds of most persons. This may be done just
by relaxing the speech muscles, the lips, and the
tongue.
SUMMARY: Excessive tension is a habit.
Your goal is to substitute another habit, that of
relaxing. You can do this if you practice. You
have learned 12 sets of instructions. You should
practice each set for one week, one hour a day.
Break the hour up into 16-minute sessions if
necessary. Every time you practice, it helps.
On the 3rd and 6th day of your practice week,
instead of tensing and relaxing, sit down and
immediately let your entire body go to zero. Stay
there, without any voluntary tension, for 30 min
utes or longer.
At first, as you sit, your mind will wander,
fuss, and fume, and perhaps suggest that you
are wasting your time. Sit it out. Tension is doing,
which involves the contraction of a muscle. Relax
ation is not doing, which involves the lengthening
of a muscle. By not doing, your muscles learn to
relax; thus the nervous system relaxes, too, and
nature takes over to heal and invigorate.
You now know the scientific fundamentals of
relaxation. The method is easy. Use it to erect
a bulwark against personal illness and Ineffi
ciency. The cost is a fragment of time and a jot
of your will power.
The reward can be beyond description.
Family Wetkly, ftbrtury 24. IH1