Through the Flaming Sword

Note on the series

I have created a page aggregates the posts in which I describe various techniques for centering down or deepening, shared from my own practice and experience. Here’s the link:

Deepening Techniques for Friends

When the series is finished, I will publish a pdf file for downloading on that page with all of the posts in one document.

Counting Down

I combine the deep breathing and the focused relaxation on parts of the body with two countdowns. Counting down is its own deepening exercise, one often used in hypnosis, and also in some yoga teachings. I learned it from Silva Mind Control. There’s something about the process of counting down. 

Moreover, when combined with other techniques, you condition your brain to associate the countdown with the results of the more effective techniques, until the countdown itself helps bring the deepening by its conditioned association, even if you don’t combine it with other techniques.

The exercise is a combination of visualizing the number and saying it to yourself at the same time.

Counting Down: 3–2–1

With the first countdown, I visualize and say to myself the number three three times, then two two times, then one once. With each repetition of the number, I do one of the relaxations:

• 3 : forehead and eyes
• 3 : mouth and throat
• 3 : shoulders and chest
• 2 : stomach
• 2 : lower abdomen and inner thighs
• 1 : legs and feet

So now we’re doing three things at once: breathing once, counting once, relaxing an area—all at once. Takes a little practice, and it may be too much for some practitioners; it may feel overly busy and therefore distracting. Everyone finds their own way.

Counting Down: 7–6–5–4–3–2–1

After the first countdown, I do another, starting with seven

On seven, I project my awareness out into the environment around me, especially to whoever might be in the house with me.

With six, I do the same thing I did with the 3–2–1, but this time, focusing: 

• with six on the face, 
• with five on the mouth and throat, 
• with four on the shoulders and chest, 
• with three on the stomach, 
• with two on the lower abdomen and inner thighs, and
• with one on the legs and feet.