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Well trained yoga teachers are aware of the precautions and contra – indications necessary in delivering an asana programme, but some seem surprised if I suggest that this applies equally to relaxation programmes.
There is a condition known as “relaxation anxiety”. This seems to be a contradiction, but has been explored in the literature on psychotherapeutic use of relaxation techniques.
The precautions in teaching relaxation techniques fall broadly into two categories; anxieties caused by some of the physical effects of relaxation, and particular effects related to illnesses such as schizophrenia. I will deal with the second category first as this could be potentially more serious. There is an easily understood chapter on this in “How to Meditate Using Chakras, Mantras and Breath” by Dennis K. Chernin. The first thing which can happen with students who have had psychotic episodes is the phenomenon called depersonalisation.(See article under Schizophrenia). This has been defined as a feeling of disconnection from one’s sense of self, and is often allied to a condition called derealisation, which can be defined as a disconnection from the world around one. This can lead to a perception that one is not in control of one’s own actions and speech, or even that one in some way does not exist. Those who are interested can follow this up in the psychiatric literature as it is a complex subject with many variations. For our purposes, it can be partly understood from such suggestions as the one in “Job’s Body”, by Deane Juhan, that much of our sense of self comes from movement and its related sensory inputs. In some relaxation techniques, most movement ceases and part of the brain possibly goes into a sleep- like state. This could also lead to hallucinatory experience in extreme cases.
The unfamiliar physical effects of some deep relaxation techniques could also lead to anxiety in mentally or emotionally fragile students. One of the first effects which can cause discomfort is the general change in breathing pattern which can produce too great an expulsion of CO2 from the system, thus reducing the impulse to take the next breath. It can be a scary experience for a yoga teacher to see her student becoming pale and to be almost unable to see any movement of the chest wall or abdomen! As I watch the students like a hawk, and have small numbers, a gentle speaking of their name or placing my hand above their diaphragm usually produces the next deep breath and an opening of the eyes. I avoid actually touching, as I do not want to produce a shock. This effect can be made worse by some sedating medications.
Dave Coulter, author of “Anatomy of Hatha yoga”, writing in Yoga International Magazine (Jan-Feb 1993), speaks of the experience of being unable to move. This can be a result of a diminished control over the motor neurons as a result of lying in an unmoving state. It probably only arises after some time in the immobile state, but every person’s system is different. And it can produce anxiety. If in doubt, I sometimes keep people in savasana for several short periods throughout the session rather than one long one at the end. If teaching mentally or emotionally vulnerable students, the final period of relaxation is also only for about five minutes as I find the students either become unsettled or drift into deep sleep if it is longer. Of course, I also take time to re-establish the waking state before the session ends. Of course, when you have been doing yoga comfortably for some time, longer periods and more advanced relaxation techniques can be used safely
Muscular tension is often used as a coping technique to keep troublesome thoughts and emotions at bay. I used to have a poster in the bathroom depicting a fierce ostrich saying “don’t tell me to relax. It’s only my tension that’s holding me together!” Muscular relaxation can be seen as a loss of control, and it certainly can allow repressed thoughts and feelings to surface. This may be a desirable result in a controlled and skilful therapeutic setting. Many psychiatric professional workers use relaxation techniques in this way. However, I do not have these skills, and have once or twice had a student in a general class who has had a profound emotional release. I have just remained quietly seated beside such a student, after asking an experienced student if they could continue the class.
So now, having possibly put everyone off relaxation techniques, we ought to look at why they are an important part of any yoga programme. Patanjali says (2:16) that through the practice of yoga, “future suffering can be avoided.” My understanding of this is that yoga can bring about a gradual, integrated, and permanent cessation of problems caused by old, unproductive habits of body and mind. He tells us (2:12) that the reservoir of subliminal impressions is the root of the primal causes of suffering. Compare this with the statements by Deane Juhan in “Job’s Body” (p.189) that our sense of “rightness” in movements and habits may only mean familiarity,rather than optimal efficiency, and that even painfulness may not change our way of doing things. He later says that new ways cannot be learned until “the characteristic tension patterns” are removed. Compare this with Patanjali’s image of the farmer preparing the ground for planting (4:3).
Our emotions and thoughts affect, and are affected by, the state of the various bodily systems. The maintenance of these systems at optimal efficiency is part of what I have come to understand as the work of purifying the nadis. Relaxation (or tranquillity) at the level of thoughts and feelings begins with lack of disruption at the bodily and energetic level. Constantly tensed muscles reduce the rhythmic pumping action which is the muscles’ contribution to the irrigation of the spaces around all living cells. They also squeeze the capillaries which supply the nutrients and carry away waste, whilst themselves producing waste products from their contraction and demanding an increased supply of nutrients to maintain it. Constant pressure on nerves also reduces their efficiency. Deane Juhan suggests that five pounds of pressure for five minutes on a nerve trunk can reduce its transmission efficiency by up to forty percent.
The dangers of long term muscular tension and other stress reactions are now reasonably well known. There is much popular as well as scientific information on stress reduction techniques, and yoga is usually included with these. The Occupational Therapy department in the hospital where my classes are held also does “relaxation” sessions. However, I believe that yoga is a unique, whole person, science and art, and has more to offer to those at the edge of mental coherence than just one more “keep fit, keep healthy and manage your stress level” class. I think some clues can be found in the ancient yoga writings as to the real purpose of yogic relaxation.
Hathayogapradipika (1:32), speaks of savasana as removing tiredness and enabling the mind to relax. The commentary by Swami Muktibodhananda Saraswati says that this practice is useful for developing body awareness and pratyahara. “When the body is completely relaxed, awareness of the mind develops” It is thus a part of the ongoing process leading to samadhi. My feeling is, however, that this should be worked at in conjunction with an alert state of mind, especially for beginners.
Georg Feuerstein, in “the Yoga Tradition” (p.432) speaks of the goals of yoga as unmani (rapture) and yoga –nidra (yogic sleep). Hathayogapradipika speaking of khechari mudra,(4:47) says “The state of unmani is realised through the practice of kecari mudra”. Most often khechari mudra refers to a placing of the end of the tongue into the back of the throat. However, earlier verses indicate that, in this case, it is using the term to denote mental focus. In “The Shambhala Guide to Yoga” (p.51), Feuerstein says that the endeavour of yoga is to remove the binds which sustain the illusion of a contracted Self. Relaxation, then, is the letting go of the tensions which reflect this blinkering contraction. For most people, bodily relaxation is the starting point of this work, and yoga postures can be a vehicle for this. As Patanjali says (2:46), “yoga asana is a steady and comfortable position” Relaxation is also a pre-requisite for yoga breath work and for meditation.
Bhagavad Gita – various translations
Chernin, Dennis, K “How to Meditate Using Chakras, Mantras and Breath”
Coulter,Dave “Yoga International Magazine” Jan –Feb 1993
Feuerstein, Georg “The Shambhala Guide to Yoga”
“The Yoga Tradition”
Hathayogapradipika – various translations
Juhan, Deane “Job’s Body”
Patanjali Yoga Sutras – various translations