12. First Relax!

We live at an exciting point in history. There is an exponential growth in new ideas, new products, new discoveries. Never before have we been called upon to change so many of our habits, beliefs, opinions and so much of our life style.

To some people it represents a welcome and exhilarating challenge. To others it brings a high level of stress and anxiety.
The toll of this anxiety and stress is rising hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, insomnia. Stress related disease is the fastest rising category of illness in the Western World.

We have always lived with stress, but modern humanity has no easy physical escape. Unlike our primitive ancestors, who might be forced to fight, but who could then run away to relax and recover, we often remain in a state of anxiety and tension. Our nervous system is constantly aroused, but we are unable to resolve the tension by either "fight or flight".

Dr. Hans Seyle, who is a director of the Institute of Experimental Surgery at the University of Montreal has shown that unrelieved stress produces hormonal imbalances.

These can lead to high blood pressure. Additionally the hormonal changes can produce lesions in the walls of the arteries. The body tries to repair these by building up cholesterol plaque, but this can in turn produce a hardening of the arteries and a further increase in blood pressure.

Dr. Seyle's real discovery, however, is that unrelieved stress supresses the immune system, which is responsible for fighting and destroying viruses and cancer.

These important findings have been supported by a study at the University of New South Wales, which showed that bereavement lowered the body's immune response. Dr. Humphrey at the British Medical Council was also able to demonstrate that the body's immunity to tuberculosis was significantly affected by hypnotic suggestion.

The physiology of the process may have been explained by Dr. George Solomon of California State University. He showed that incisions in the hypothalamus lead to a suppression of the immune system. The hypothalamus affects the endocrine production in the body, and the hypothalamus is part of the limbic system, identified as being largely the seat of our emotions and subconscious reactions.

For the first time then, we have a well supported theory that shows how the mind and the emotions, can directly affect our health for good and for ill. The reduction of stress is not only conducive for better learning, it is literally vital for well-being.

So how can we overcome state of unresolved arousal? One of the most efficient ways is to learn the simple technique of deep breathing and relaxation. When our muscles are relaxed, the brain receives a signal that all is well, and arousal is lowered.

Strenuous exercise and sport also releases excess muscle tension - but pure physical activity is rarely enough for full relaxation. We do, however, recommend that you do a few minutes gentle exercise and breathing at any time of the day in the kitchen, office or work place - because it undoubtedly does help to prevent tension, headaches and neck aches.

Young children learn easily and without effort or strain because it is spontaneous. Later, as we have seen, we grow to expect learning to be more of a problem, to require effort. The result is an instinctive tensing of the body, a tightening of the jaw, a change in the chemistry of the nervous system - in other words tension.

The ideal way to approach learning is the way you'd approach a music concert. You would be calm, with a pleasurable anticipation, ready to let it happen. This approach is not passive because, although you are not yourself making the music, the music is working on your mind, creating moods, ideas, and associations. One form of creativity producing another.

The following relaxation technique has the specific objective of creating pleasurable anticipation and a calm receptivity. It has been refined over several years to be easy to learn and fast to take effect.

The technique is called Awareness Relaxation. It enables you to focus your awareness on your body and breathing, becoming
aware alternately of tension and release.

As a simple example, make a fist with your hand. Tighten your fist and lower arm. Hold that tension and be aware of the feeling. Make it tighter. Then release your fist, relax your hand and take a full deep breath. Feel the tension flow from the hand as you breathe out. Be aware of all the sensations in your hand and lower arm. This is the physical awareness of your body's tension that you will learn.

Breathing

Correct breathing is the first step in Awareness Relaxation. Deep breathing from the diaphragm is the key to relaxation. It is the breathing used in the practice of meditation, in Yoga, and in relaxation during childbirth. A full deep breath increases the amount of oxygen as the body begins to function efficiently, especially during mental activity.

When a full, deep, intake of breath is taken, the diaphragm moves down to create a vacuum in the lung cavity and pushes out the abdomen. To feel the effect place your hand over your navel and imagine you have a balloon in your stomach. Breathe deeply through the nose, filling the balloon. Feel the balloon inflate and your hand move outwards. The further your hand moves, the deeper you have drawn air into the bottom of your lungs. Breathe as deeply as possible but without overbreathing. If you find breathing difficult through the nose, breathe through your mouth, but always draw the air into the bottom of the lungs.

As you breathe out, imagine the balloon deflating and feel the abdomen falling. Your out-breath should take longer than inhaling, and be accompanied by a slight sigh, because this sigh also helps to release tension.

After breathing in, hold the breath for 2 to 4 seconds, then exhale and again hold the breath for 2 to 4 seconds. Become aware of this precise moment of stillness and how easily the mind can focus on a single idea. Also remember this quiet relaxed moment when you are next in a stressful situation.

If you practice slow deep breathing, you will also find that your ability to relax increases and your heart rate will decrease. It will no longer be necessary to follow a conscious breathing pattern.
Instead just allow your body to become automatically and naturally relaxed during the concert sessions. The music will automatically create the right frame of mind for easy absorbtion of material. You will find that your breathing will follow the rhythm of the music.

You can reach a wonderful relaxed state with the following simple procedure.

1. Imagine the balloon in your abdomen. Feel it inflate when breathing in, feel it deflate when breathing out.
2. Breathe in. Be aware of the air flowing in as the balloon is filling.
3. Breathe out gently, with a long sigh as the balloon deflates.
4. Pause.
5. Breathe in. Be aware of the air filling your lungs.
6. Hold it.
7. Breathe out with a sigh. Feel the warm air leave your body.
8. Pause.
9. Breathe in. Be aware of the air flowing in.
10. Hold it.
11. Breathe out with a sigh and feel the tension draining away.
12. Pause.

Before starting any exercise on relaxation always take three full deep breaths and feel the tension drain away on the out breath. Try it now and prove it for yourself.

Body exercises

A few extra, simple exercises involving gentle movement and stretching, will help the muscles relax and will also help to relieve a great deal of tension.

Begin the exercises in a standing position and take three deep slow breaths, exhaling with a long sigh and allowing yourself to relax on the out breath.

(1) Shoulder and neck exercise

Your shoulders and neck carry a lot of tension, particularly if you drive long distances, or work at a desk all day.

Let your arms hang loose. Pull down your shoulders, feel them drop. Then pull them down even further.

Rotate your shoulders.

Let your arms hang loose, rotate the shoulders forward. Roll them up and down in large circles. Hunch them up towards your neck. Now reverse the rotation, rolling them up and backwards in a circle. Do as many rotations as is comfortable. Try and rotate just the shoulders - not the arms.

Take a deep breath and exhale with a sigh.

Bend your shoulders.

1. Put your hands on your thighs and push your shoulders forward. Cave in your chest. Feel the movement around the neck and shoulders. Pull back the shoulders. Repeat as many times as is comfortable.

2. Bend your shoulders back. Try to bring the shoulder blades together. Do this as many times as is comfortable. Take three deep breaths.

Neck rotation.

1. Stand straight with your head erect, chin in, looking straight ahead. Gently turn the head from side to side. Try and look over each shoulder. Turn left, then turn right. Turn left and right again. Only do it as many times as is comfortable. You may feel the neck creaking - a sign it is getting stiff! Take a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh.

2. Stand straight with your head erect, chin in. Lower the head gently to the right shoulder. Now raise it slowly and continue to lower it to the left shoulder. Lower and raise the head several times from side to side. Again do only what is comfortable. Breathe deeply. Hold it. Exhale with a sigh.

3. Head straight, nicely balanced, chin in. Now drop the head forward and feel the back of the neck stretch. Lift your head slowly. Again only do it as many times as is comfortable.
Do not get over-enthusiastic at the beginning, but build up the number of these exercises over a period of time.
Take three deep breaths.

(2) Hand and arm exercises

Let your arms hang loosely by your side, lightly shake your hands, fingers apart, with limp wrists - as the Olympic swimmers do. Gradually let the movement involve your lower arms and elbows, feel them become loose and free. Now shake the entire arm - involve the shoulders - swing them loosely around. You're shaking out all the tension. Do it for a minute to start with.

Take a full deep breath, exhale with a sigh and be aware of the tingling sensations and warmth of the hands.
Take three deep breaths.

(3) Leg exercises

Balance yourself by holding on to a chair for stability. Lift your right leg and rotate your foot and ankle, then reverse the rotation. Start shaking your foot, lower leg and knee. Shake it slowly, gradually increase the momentum. Involve your entire leg, shaking the upper thigh. Swing the leg loosely, shaking tension out of the foot, ankle, calf, knee, and thigh. Now exercise the left leg.

Sit down after this exercise and you will feel a tingling, relaxed sensation spread through the legs and feet. You may find it a little difficult at first, so start the exercises gradually. With practice it becomes easy. These exercises are worth doing at any time of the day.

Relaxation

The relaxation sessions should be done in a sitting position - lying down may cause you to fall asleep! During Accelerated Learning periods you must be relaxed but alert.

In an upright chair

Find the position most comfortable for you. Your back should be well supported with your feet flat on the floor one foot apart. The angle of the knees should be slightly more than 90º, i.e. slightly forward from upright. Sit up straight and stretch your spine and neck. Your arms should be hanging straight down at the side of your body. Drop your shoulders and neck and head (almost slump down), place your arms on your thighs, hands towards your knees with your fingers apart. Find the most comfortable position that gives a good balance.

In an armchair

This is similar to the upright chair position. The position of the feet will be the same. Your arms and hands can either rest on the chair arms or your knees, whichever is the most comfortable. Sit well back so your back is supported with your head resting against the chair back in an upright position. Place a cushion against your neck, if the chair back is not high enough to support you.

Sitting on the floor

For those who like to sit on the floor, sit with your back supported against a wall with a cushion in the small of your back. Place your feet 12" apart, turned outwards with your arms on your thighs.

The best place

When you start Awareness Relaxation, you need a place free from interruption and as quiet as possible. Try and be warm, as your body temperature falls slightly during deep relaxation. (If necessary wrap a blanket around yourself). You will find that, after practicing your technique, you can go into a satisfying state of relaxation in a very few minutes. Then a slight noise and disturbance will not bother you. Indeed we find that by using headphones or walkman type personal tape recorders it is possible to practice Accelerated Learning exercises in public places.

Mental relaxation

We have been reviewing exercises that can bring you a wonderful sense of physical relaxation. Creation of full mental relaxation needs a rather more sophisticated technique and this is included on a four part audio-cassette tape, "Introduction to Accelerated Learning" that has been prepared for readers to experience the whole technique.

This tape uses the new concept of Awareness Relaxation. The previous physical exercises have enabled you gradually to become aware of your body's muscles. The mind calming exercises of Awareness Relaxation teach you to produce the same feeling of relaxation by visualisation alone. Just as your mouth watered when you imagined a lemon, you can smooth away stress and attain a refreshing sense of physical and mental relaxation through sheer imagery!

Being able to relax and visualise things "in your mind's eye" is a gift that will not only reduce stress in your life, but will greatly help in achieving the goal of Accelerated Learning. It involves the whole brain, it allows you to reach an Alpha brain wave pattern at will, and it greatly improves your ability to remember through associative imagery.

The tape starts with a simple meditative technique designed to be especially effective, even with people who have never tried any specific form of mind calming exercises before. You quite simply light a candle. This should ideally be in a slightly darkened room irrespective of the time of day. Placed about three feet away, the candle's orange flame is warm and steady. You focus your attention on the flame whilst specially edited baroque music plays. The flame is soothing to look at. This uncomplicated action is nevertheless an important aid in developing your ability to concentrate. While your attention is focussed you attain what Wordsworth called "a happy stillness of mind".

The actual use of the candle is only needed to help your concentration and visualisation for the first few days. Later, after practice, you will be able to see the bright magic of the candle flame in your mind's eye by simply closing your eyes and fixing your gaze at a point in the centre of your forehead.

After the meditative exercise with the candle flame, which you will find beautifully refreshing and relaxing, the tape stimulates your visualisation ability by taking you on an imaginary journey through peaceful country scenes. In the background is a baroque music score and this, with additional evocative and relaxing sound effects, helps to synchronise all your body rhythms - heart, breathing, brain. Not only will your ability to memorise increase but many people report a marked general improvement in their health and emotional life. An indirect bonus that can be equal to the benefit of Accelerated Learning itself.

Many doctors now believe that if we can approach a heart rate of 60 beats a minute our whole bodies and minds work more efficiently - the holistic benefit of mind and body in harmony.
Significantly, when people are performing extraordinary mental feats - super fast mental arithmetic for example - EEG tests show that their bodies are relaxed and that their dominant brain waves are Alpha - 7-13 cycles per second. That's the relaxed and receptive state of mind that the taped exercises achieve.

After a few days practice you will be able to reach an immediate relaxed state at will. Thereafter you can use a simple two minute exercise.