Meditation Course- Chapter 3

Center yourself

Step One: Find a comfortable position. Keep your spine straight, legs uncrossed, and relax any tense muscles in your body.
Step Two: Head-and-neck exercises. Do each of the following three times: head forward, head backward, head to the right shoulder, head to the left shoulder, rotate head in a complete circle clockwise, rotate head in a complete circle counterclockwise. Do not strain or force.

Note: All head-and-neck exercises should be done slowly and gently, without straining or forcing the muscles in any way.
1 Repeat three times
Sit in an upright position.
Tip head forward, trying to touch chin to chest.
Return head to upright position.

2 Repeat three times
Sit in an upright position.
Tip head backward, as if to look at the ceiling.
Return head to upright position.

3 Repeat three times to right; three times to left:
Sit in uprightposition.
Tip head towardshoulder, as if totouch it with your ear.
Incorrrect: Shouldershould not liftor shrug.
Return toupright position.

Step Three: Deep breathing exercises. Fill lungs from bottom to top, exhale from top to bottom. Breathe in through your right nostril and out through your mouth; repeat three times. Breathe in through your left nostril and out through your right; repeat three times.

Stage 1: Fill bottom of lungs; abdomen expands.
Stage 2: Fill middle thirdof lungs; chestcavity expands.
Stage 3: Fill top third of lungs; shoulders lift..

Emptying the lungs:
Stage 1: Top third of lungs empties first, shoulders relax.
Stage 2: Chest cavity contracts, pushing air outof middle third of lungs.
Stage 3: Abdomen is pulled in, forcing all remaining airout of lungs.
Repeat three times, using the three-stage deep-breathing exercise.
Alternate-Nostril Breathing
Left nostril is held closed, air is drawn in through right nostril.
Air is exhaled through mouth.
Right nostril is held closed; air is drawn in through left nostril.
Left nostril is then closed; air is exhaled through the open right nostril.
Repeat three times, again using the three stage deep-breathing exercise.