Yoga Teacher Training Forum

As Paulji would often say: "Rather than dwell on the problem, let's find a solution." The solution is making time for relaxation to compensate for an over abundance of stress. In order to achieve optimum relaxation, three methods are used by the Yoga practitioners - Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual relaxation techniques.

Emotional relaxation: Making time for friends and family makes one emotionally stable. Bonding with people important to you is a form of group therapy - even if the group is only two.

Mental relaxation: During mental tension one should breathe slowly and rhythmically for a few minutes and concentrate on breathing. Slowly the mind will become calm and one is able to feel a kind of floating sensation, peace and joy.

Physical relaxation: Thoughts take form in action and the body reacts to it. Just as behind the muscular contraction or tension there is a thought, so also behind the relaxation there is again thought vibration. As we send a message to contract the muscles, so also another message will bring relaxation to the tired muscles and to the internal organs which also need rest and relaxation to increase their efficiency to do their work. During relaxation, the conscious mind sends a message to a particular organ, such as the heart or a liver. First, physical relaxation starts from the toes upward and the autosuggestion passes through the muscles and reaches up to the eyes and ears at the top. Then slowly, messages are sent to the kidneys, liver, and so on, internally.

Spiritual relaxation: However one tries to relax the mind, one cannot complete remove all tensions and worries from the mind unless one goes to spiritual relaxation. All the source of power, knowledge, peace and strength are in the soul and not in the body. Unless man can withdraw himself from the body idea and separate himself from the ego consciousness there is no way of obtaining complete relaxation. So, from the mental relaxation he withdraws himself and identifies himself with pure consciousness within himself. This completes the process of relaxation.