Daily exercises for developing presence and relaxation.

Because breathing charts the life rhythms, the way we breathe signals the disposition of our energies. When we are agitated or excited, our breath tends to be uneven and rapid, when we are calm and balanced, our breathing is even, slow and soft. This close relationship between our breathing patterns and our energies means that we can alter our mental and physical states by the way we breath. For example, when we are very upset, we can calm and balance ourselves simply by breathing slowly and evenly.

Day 4 – Tasting Relaxation Exercise

Breathing deeply about 10 times and slowly relax your whole body.

Relax your eyes, closing them if you wish, and let your mouth fall open.

Let tension slip away from your forehead an scalp. Slowly sense every part of your head—your nose, ears, jaw, cheeks, the inside of your mouth—until your while head becomes completely relaxed.

Then relax the back and sides of your neck, your throat and the underside of the chin before moving to your shoulders, chest, arms and hands, belly back, legs, feet and toes.

When you find a tense place, enjoy the sensation of tension melting away.

Taste the feeling of relaxation, enjoying it more and more until it nurtures every part of your body.

Continue 15 to 30 minutes.