Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/191

Rh who, the moment sleep overpowers him, relaxes and stops contracting the muscles of the neck, allowing the head to drop forward.

(11) Relax the muscles of the shoulders and chest, allowing the upper part of the chest to fall forward loose and limp.

(12) Sit in a chair and relax the muscles of the waist, which will allow the upper part of the body to pitch forward like that of a child who falls asleep in its chair and gradually falls out.

(13) One who has mastered these exercises so far may, if he sees fit, relax his whole body, commencing with the neck, until he gets down to the knees, when he will drop gently to the floor "all in a heap." This is a valuable acquirement, as in case of one slipping or falling by accident. The practice of this entire body relaxation will do much to protect them from injury. You will notice that a young child will relax in this way when it falls, and is scarcely affected by severe falls which would seriously bruise adults, or even break their limbs. The same phenomenon may be noticed in the cases of intoxicated persons who have lost control of the muscles and are in an almost complete state of relaxation. When they fall they come down "all in a heap" and suffer comparatively little injury.

In practicing these exercises repeat each of them several times and then pass on to the next one. These exercises may be almost indefinitely extended and varied, according to the ingenuity and power of invention of the student. Make your own exercises, if you will, using the above as suggestions.

Practicing relaxation exercises, gives one a