Physical and Mental Relaxation
© Alfred J. Parker
Relaxation should not be confused with a state of inactivity. Relaxation is not inactivity, but an applied cosmic law of devolution.
Devolution is a process of preparation for activity. All forms of seeds, land, trees, all manifestations of nature, have a period of relaxation. It is a method of withdrawing consciously (in the human kingdom) at will from the active states of existence, to relieve tensity of the muscles for the purpose of tuning in with the great reservoir of power called negativity. Think for a moment of the state of relaxation in which the tiger, leopard, cat, serpent, or elephant lives; the source of their strength lies in relaxation.
Tensing is exhausting, weakening, and devitalizing. All conscious activity comes under this exhausting process. Relaxation, on the other hand, is invigorating, recharging, and vitalizing, and it re-establishes connection with negative magnetic rejuvenating power. After a day of physical hard work or mental concentration either subjective or objective, one should be able at will to withdraw, detach, and relax—to separate oneself at will from the work he or she is doing.
Sit on a chair with both feet flat on the floor, hands on the knees, with head, neck, and spine straight. The fingers should be well apart. In this position, let yourself go; i.e., relax completely all over, without a single muscle in tension in the entire body. From five to fifteen minutes of this relaxation will bring unexpected results in the process of recharging the devitalized body. Remember, please, that this is relaxation and not sleep. Assume your work with careful deliberation, and increase the speed or intensity which your work requires, by degrees until you are completely tuned in with the work. Relaxation of this kind two or three times during a day when work is strenuous, noisy, or the surroundings are inharmonious, will keep you from overtaxing your nervous system, and will keep you from being unnecessarily irritable or angry.