A Simple Relaxation Induction

Trance is greatly enhanced by physical relaxation. Our habits of mind are carried with us in the habitual postures of our body. So, when we learn to relax deeply and completely we learn to release those habitual tensions, and we send a powerful message to ourselves that we can be in control of our bodies and minds. Working a deep relaxation exercise such as this regularly will help you retrain your body, as well as providing various direct physical benefits.

• Sit comfortably, and breathe deeply… take a few deeps breaths… breathe from your belly… finding your rhythm… in… hold… out… hold…
• Continue to breathe in your rhythm… and with each breath, allow yourself to relax… let your breath flow through you… washing away tension, and allowing your body to settle into peace… as you hold the rhythm of your breath…
• With your body settles in place, it is time to find a deeper relaxation… we begin with the feet… as you inhale, focus on your feet and, as you exhale… allow your feet to relax… let stillness fill your feet… as you pull your awareness away from your feet, to your calves…
• Breathe deep, and notice your calves… exhale, and allow them to relax, and withdraw your attention…
• To your thighs, as you inhale… hold… and relax your thighs as you exhale… keeping your rhythm…
• With your attention on your hips and loins… exhale… and relax, withdrawing your attention…
• Be aware of your hands… as they relax… and your attention moves to your forearms…
• Breathing deep… allowing tension to flow away from your forearms and elbows…
• Breathing deep… relaxing the upper arms… withdrawing your attention…
• Feel your belly and your back… warm relaxation rising, as you exhale…
• Your chest and shoulders… tension vanishing… attention withdrawing…
• Your neck, and the back of your head… relaxing as you breathe…
• Focus on your face and scalp… let your breath allow your face to relax… as your attention turns inward…
• So you breathe… as your body sits relaxed… hold the rhythm of your breath… your silent count…
• Let the counting of your breath be your focus for a time… as you sit in peace…
• So you sit, body and mind relaxed but alert… if you wish, you can open your eyes… while you hold the rhythm of your breath… if tension creeps into your body, your breath carries it away…
• Remember… remember this feeling… so that each time that you practice this work you will be able to be more relaxed, more focused… able to find this relaxed, aware state with ease…
• But for now, stretch your body and let your breathing return to your common patterns… as you return to yourself, relaxed, alert, and fully and completely awake.

Basic Meditative Silence

Just as we learn to relax our bodies, so there is benefit in learning to relax the mental chatter and emotional involvements that characterize our daily habitual mental contents. When we enter our sacred space, we want to be able to address the Gods and Spirits with a whole heart, free of common distractions. Exercises such as thishelp us learn to detach ourawareness from the common flow of thought, allowing us to focus on the work at hand.

• Breathe deep, and let your body settle in its place… shake out your arms… let your shoulders relax and drop… and focus, for a moment, on your breath… in… and out… and, as you breathe, remember… remember the feeling of deep physical relaxation… let the feeling flow in your flesh… your legs relax… and your arms… your torso, and your shoulders… as you count your breath…
• Your breath finds its rhythm… and you focus your awareness on the process of counting your breath… As you sit comfortably, repeat the count of your breath silently to yourself…. let this simple repetition be your `mantra’… the focus to which you return whenever distraction arises in your mind… just as you have learned that you can control your breath, and allow your body to relax, so you can learn to relax your mind, and let your awareness step back from your thoughts…
• As you sit, breathing and counting your breaths, thoughts will naturally arise… and your body may find ways to become tense… The first goal of the practice is to remember to allow your body to relax… thoughts will arise, and float naturally through your awareness… and you can allow them to disperse like smoke… your conscious mind may begin `thinking about’ your thoughts, trying to pursue them in the ordinary way… you choose to let the thoughts go, instead… by gently returning the focus to counting the breath, common thoughts can be released to flow away… so count the breaths, and any time you find yourself focused on any train of thought, or find your shoulders or face, etc., becoming tense, simply breath, relax, and return your attention to counting your breaths…
• This basic mental poise… this relaxed alertness… is the blank slate on which we write our Pagan magic… it allows us access to our own minds… to the inner temples and paths that bring us into contact with the Gods and Spirits… it is the door to deeper trance, vision, and inner devotional work…. It relieves stress, frees the mind from worry for a time and creates an open, receptive state for worship and magic…
• Now, for a time, sit in this peace… in this relaxed state… let your thoughts drift by… holding to none… and know that by this practice, you become more able to move ahead in this skill… more able to step back from your body and mind, at will… even as you experience them fully… stay, for a time, in this trance, and when you are ready, stretch, breathe, and return to your common awareness…