Step Two

January 29, 1998 / 5:31 PM EST / Learn2.com

Step 2: Try the Body Sweep
In this exercise, you move your attention slowly up your body. As you pass over it with your awareness, flex and relax each muscle group that you pass. Once again, the goal is not to fight off the thoughts that arise, but to keep yourself detached from those thoughts, letting them depart rather than chewing them over.

Breathe low and easy. Start at your toes. Flex your toes, and relax. Then flex your toes and your feet and relax. Then your toes, feet and ankles, calves, etc. If you aren't sure that you're flexing the correct muscle group, don't worry - a calm attitude is more important than precision.
Feel your body getting heavier and sinking deeper into the ground. Continue flexing. Work up your belly and chest, and then move up your back. Then move your awareness from the fingertips to your hands, and up to the shoulders.
From your shoulders, go up to the neck. Contract all of the muscles front and back, and feel the tension flow out as you release.
Lastly, work up to your head and face. Some people carry a lot of tension, often related to anxious thoughts, in the muscles of the mouth, jaw, ears, eyes, and skull. Flex each of these, or close them shut tightly in the case of the eyes and mouth. Exhale as you release, allowing all tension to flow out of you.

Tips:
When you go to bed, turn your alarm clock towards the wall so you don't worry about the time.

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