Part 3 · Relax the Body, Free the Mind · points 29–33 of 33 in this Part

This week: total relaxation

Tension manufactures worry. Relaxation is a skill, not a mood.

5 numbered points · 2 study questions · 1 min read

The one line to keep

Tension manufactures worry. Relaxation is a skill, not a mood.

The exercise is an extension of sitting still: go further and relax, let go, let every muscle return to its normal, easy condition. Tension squeezes the nerves and produces worry, care, fear and anxiety — so releasing the body releases the mind. Haanel asks for one thing by the end of each sitting: to feel quiet, restful, and at peace with yourself and the world.

Why this matters to you

You cannot think your way out of a clenched body. The muscles are the one thing on this list that will obey you immediately.

Study questions for this sublevel

Haanel put a review question at the end of every part. Answer out loud first — the recall is what moves it into memory.

29. How may we awake the solar plexus?

Mentally concentrate upon the condition which we desire to see manifested in our lives.

30. What is the creative principle of the Universe?

The Universal Mind.

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Haanel's own words — points 29–33

Quoted exactly from The Master Key System (1912, public domain). The translation above is ours; this is his.

For your exercise this week, I will ask you to go one step further. I want you to not only be perfectly still, and inhibit all thought as far as possible, but relax, let go, let the muscles take their normal condition; this will remove all pressure from the nerves, and eliminate that tension which so frequently produces physical exhaustion.

Physical relaxation is a voluntary exercise of the will and the exercise will be found to be of great value, as it enables the blood to circulate freely to and from the brain and body.

Tensions leads to mental unrest and abnormal mental activity of the mind; it produces worry, care, fear and anxiety. Relaxation is therefore an absolute necessity in order to allow the mental faculties to exercise the greatest freedom.

Make this exercise as thorough and complete as possible, mentally determine that you will relax every muscle and nerve, until you feel quiet and restful and at peace with yourself and the world.

The Solar Plexus will then be ready to function and you will be surprised at the result.