Acharya Mahaprajna
Complete Kayotsarg (Relaxation)
Three postures of practising Kayotsarg:
Urdhva Kayotsarg
Practice of Kayotsarg in standing position.
Stand straight. Put your arms down on side of your body with palms touching your thighs. Keep your feet parallel with heals together maintaining a distance of 4 inches between the toes. Align your spine and the neck; slightly lower your head with chin tucking in maintaining a distance of approximately four cm from your chest.
Nishidan Kayotsarg
Practice of Kayotsarg in sitting position.
The sitting posture of Dhyan may be Sukhasan (simple cross-legged posture), Ardhapadmasan (half-lotus posture), Padmasan (full-lotus posture) or Vajrasan (prayer posture). Select a posture in which you can sit comfortably for a long period. Sit straight so that your spine remains straight with eyes closed or half open.
Shayan Kayotsarg
Practice of Kayotsarg in lay down position.
Lie down on your back. Keep a distance of about a foot between your heels. Keep your hands along the side of your body maintaining distance of about half a foot. Palms should be turned up. Relax your head and neck. Close your eyes softly.
Instructions for Practice
First Step
Prepare yourself for Kayotsarg. Initiate for Kayotsarg in standing position. Make sure that there is an ample space for lying down. Take a resolution of Kayotsarg in standing position. With folded hands repeat the resolution:
"I am practising Kayotsarg to be free from physical, mental and emotional stress."
(For trainer - fix the time of practice)
Second Step
- Interlock your fingers.
- Raise your arms over your head while inhaling; stand on your toes and stretch your body completely (like Tadasan).
- Bring your arms down while exhaling and experience complete relaxation.
Repeat the above for 3 times. Take any comfortable posture discussed previously. To start with we suggest lying down posture - Shayan Kayotsarg - here.
Third Step
- Lie down on your back. Keep a distance of about a foot between your heels. Keep your hands alongside with your body maintaining a distance of about half a foot. Palms should be turned up. Relax your head and neck. Close your eyes gently.
- Now visualize that each part of your body is becoming as heavy as lead. Try to experience this for a minute. Take a couple of long breaths. Now visualize that each part of your body is becoming as light as cotton. Experience this state for two minutes.
Fourth Step
- Make your breath long, slow and calm. Concentrate your mind at the big toe of your right foot. Give autosuggestion to relax the big toe. Experience that the big toe is relaxing. Now experience that the big toe has relaxed.
- Similarly suggest the other toes, sole, heel, ankle, calf muscles, knee, thigh, to the waist to relax. Feel that they are relaxing and experience that they have got relaxed.
- In the same way, concentrate on your left foot from toes to the waist. Give autosuggestion to relax and experience relaxation. Now experience that lower part of the body is completely relaxed.
- Take your mind to middle part of your body from waist up to the neck. Concentrate on each part one by one starting with lower abdomen, in and around the belly, inside the abdominal cavity - kidneys, large and small intestines, spleen, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach. Give auto suggestion and experience relaxation.
- Switch your attention to the chest cavity - diaphragm, intercostal muscles, lungs, heart (up to shoulder). Concentrate on them one by one and experience relaxation.
- Concentrate at your back - lower back, middle back, upper back, your spine and throughout your back muscles. Give autosuggestion to relax and experience relaxation.
- Now concentrate on your arms. Focus your mind on right hand thumb, fingers, palm, wrist, elbow, upper arm up to the shoulder. Suggest them to relax, and experience that they have relaxed.
- Similarly suggest your left arm to relax completely. Experience that your lower and middle body is becoming more and more relaxed.
- Now relax the upper part of body. Take your concentration to the upper body and suggest - to trachea, neck muscles, vocal cord, chin, lips, gums, teeth, tongue, palate, left cheek, right cheek, nose, ears (in and around), temple, eyes, eyebrows, forehead and entire head - to relax. Experience the body parts are becoming as light as cotton.
- Try to visualize and feel the flow of bright white particles all round your body. Experience the purity of aura. Experience yourself filled with peace and tranquility.
- Now try to realize the separation of body from the soul. The way churner separates butter from milk, Kayotsarg is a process of churning or separation of soul from the body. Practice this for ten minutes.
Try to realize:
- Body is physical whereas Soul is conscious.
- I am Soul and not the body.
- Body is an object and I am its observer.
- Experience yourself as a passive observer.
Let your conscious mind and vital energy travel to each part of the body from toe to head (suggest it for three times). Realize the awakening of consciousness from toe to head. Feel the flow of vitality energy into each and every part of the body.
Complete the process of Kayotsarg with three long breaths. Experience that each part is energized with these breaths. Now come into a sitting posture. Recite the 'sharan sutra' three times. Repeat 'vande sachcham' three times.
Complete Kayotsarg.
