הרפי'ה
Relaxation- Releasing from the Illusion of Tension
Bereishit- the first thing, Bara- is a state of health. This state of health is created from Elokim- from bringing awareness of the Divine into our consciousness. This allows us to acquire a new Divinely inspired perspective of reality. To create for oneself a new perspective is to create a new world, and it is essential that it be healthy world.
Relaxation is the necessary state to enter into any meditation.
1) Entrance Niggun- Kol Dodi
2) Relaxation Meditation
The way to relaxation:
Relaxing the Body
After finding a comfortable place to sit, one starts the relaxation process by working to release all the muscles of the body. To do this, one focuses his attention to each and every limb and muscle, one at a time, starting with the base of the foot and slowly working upwards until ones attention reaches to the crown of the head. In each place that you concentrate, a conscious effort must be exerted to release the tension carried there. At the same time as one releases the tension from the muscles, one also allows all of the weight of the body to rest on the bones or on the ground which is ones support.
As you become aware of all the muscles in the body, pay special attention to the space between the shoulder blades, the neck and all the facial muscles, for these areas tend to be especially tight. Allow your attention to work slowly through the body, examining all and allowing the tension to dissipate. You should come to a point where the whole body is relaxed and the only movement that you experience is the rising and falling of the breath in all the organs of respiration.
At this point, one must breathe deeply a few times. Each breath contains a process and a rhythm, both of which one must strive to keep consistent. One first breathes out, exhaling completely all the air found in his lungs and when breathing in, allow the lungs to expand fully. One should try and keep the in breath and out breath to an even rhythm.
The general cognitive awareness that one works with during this deep breathing is consciously working to rid oneself of all thought concerning his worldly existence and to purify his mind from all of its useless associations. This then opens a space to the new understandings that will come as one continues in the meditation.
Relaxing the Soul
In order to have a true bodily relaxation, there must be a simultaneous relaxation of the soul. "He returned to Hashem and G-d has cured (relaxed) him" We see from here that true relaxation derives from returning and reconnecting to ones source, Hashem.
To begin to come to this, one must start to focus on the here and now and to let all thoughts connected to the past and the future slip away and dissolve into oblivion.
As one experiences the ever unfolding present, he must leave behind all physicality of this world, placing its burden in the hands of the Creator. One must tell himself:
"I have nothing of my own- all is Hashems and I don’t need to worry about anything in the time of my meditation because it all belongs to Hashem and He is taking care of it at all times. Hashem is with me always. He is only good. He is guiding my steps." Through really coming to a place where one experiences this, he can go along with G-ds Divine guidance in a relaxed and happy way.
The mind can now be cleared of all strange and foreign thoughts- this means, anything which is not connected to the subject of the meditation. Ain Omdim Litpalel Elah Metoch Koved Rosh"(one does not stand to pray(meditate) except with a seriousness(cleansed) head" A cleansed head is one free of any foreign thoughts, and any physical attachments.
Once one has separated from all of his physicality, he is ready to come to a true relaxation. One now allows the simple memory of creation Yesh Meayin (Ex-nihilo) to rise in him. This idea, in short is that at each and every moment one is created a new, from utter non existence. Every minute, G-d re-arouses his desire for creation, re-infuses his infinite light into creation for one purpose: in order that the created come to know their Source and unite with It. (for more details, see 'Continusous Recreation').
This union nullifies the misplaced feeling of separation, reaffirming the truth which is that I am one with my Creator. All feelings otherwise, feelings of separation and distance from G-d is the source of all the stress which we experience in this life.
"He returned and G-d has cured (relaxed) him"-we can now –"ושב ורפה לו"
understand the meaning of the Possuk. When one becomes aware of his source and comes back to it, to unite in true unity, he overcomes any former separation. "He returned"(made Teshuvah) and, automatically he is released from his tension, for his tension only existed because of a feeling of separation. One unites, realizes there is no fear of separation and he sees that "G-d has cured him". His unity with G-d has taken away his illness. He is released from his tension and is truly relaxed.
One important Possuk connected to relaxation is found in Tehillim 30
- "Hashem my G-d I was crying to you that you will "ה אלוקי שיועתי אליך ותרפאני"
heal (relax) me" The Mittler Rebbe explains that this is the shouting of each person to Hashem, begging Him to weaken(relax) my desires for this world. From here we see that this is the inner purpose of relaxation- to weaken the eyes from the falsities of this world in order to start to perceive a rectified picture of the world and reality. True relaxation comes through crying to Hashem in prayer, asking for help, and feeling our great dependency on Hashem to relax and release him.
Summary:
The relaxation explained above is the main tool to enter into any real prayer and is the key which allows us to meditate on any concrete thoughts. The goal of relaxation is not G-d forbid to nullify all feelings of self-existence; rather, its purpose is to fill our existence with Divine content and to nullify it before the Will of G-d. A person always needs to feel a want to be connected to the Divine. In this state we can live in harmony and peace and have full joy and pleasure and satisfaction at every moment.
1) Relax body:
-Release muscle tension
-Breath to shake off thought of this world
2) Relax soul:
-Focus on now (past and future fall away)
-Leave worldly worries- all is Hashems, so trust Him to watch over it
-Clear mind of all not connected to the meditative subject
-Continuous recreation- in order for me to unite with my creator
- Feel connected, stress melts away
- Recognize falsity of world- start to perceive rectified reality- reach true health
True existence is that the creation is nullified to the Creator
3) Ending Niggun- Ani Ldodi Vdodi Li
