The 61 Point relaxation Technique

1. 61 point relaxation technique

Study = This figure
This figure illustrates 61 points on the body. To do this exercise, you need to memorize the sequence of
points. (This is not difficult, because the points are arranged in a simple pattern) They begin at the
forehead, travel down and up your right arm, then across to your left arm, down to your torso, down
and up your right legs, then back up your torso to the forehead.
2. Focus your attention on one point at a time
Begin at your forehead, focus your attention between your eyebrows and think of the number one.
Keep your attention fixed at point one for several seconds until you feel that your awareness of the
location is clear and distinct. Think of yourself being located at this point. Before moving on to the
next point, you should feel a sense of warmth and heaviness at this spot.
3. Move through each point in sequence
In the same manner, successively focus your attention on each of the first thirty-one points. Proceed
slowly, and imagine you self being located at each point as you reach it. Feel the sense of warmth and
heaviness before moving on. Do not allow your mind to wander. At first you may find this difficult to
do: you will find that at times you suddenly will forget that you are doing the exercise and start
daydreaming or thinking about something else. IF you lose your place, return to the beginning or the
last numbered point you attended to, and continue. Practice with thirty-one points until you can attend
to them all in sequence without daydreaming or losing track.
4.Extend your practice to include all sixty-one points
When you can attend to thirty -one points in sequence, repeat steps 1 and 2 with all sixty-one points.
Practice this until you can do all points without losing your focus. Now you are ready to use this
exercise with lucid dreaming induction techniques.

This technique was acquired from Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming, by Stephen Laberge and
Howard Rheingold. ( Figure was adopted by Exercise without movement by Swami Rama [Himalyan
Institute, Honesdale, PA.])

61 Points:

1 center of forehead
2 base of the front of the neck
3 right shoulder
4 right elbow (inside or outside, as you prefer the same for all other joints)
5 right wrist
6 right thumb
7 right index finger
8 right middle finger
9 right ring finger
10 right little finger
11 right wrist

12 right elbow
13 right shoulder
14 base of the front of the neck
15 left shoulder
16 left elbow
17 left wrist
18 left thumb
19 left index finger
20 left middle finger
21 left ring finger
22 left little finger
23 left wrist
24 left elbow
25 left shoulder
26 base of the front of the neck
27 center of chest
28 right of chest
29 center of chest
30 left of chest
31 center of chest
32 navel
33 pubis
34 right hip
35 right knee
36 right ankle
37 right big toe
38 right second toe
39 right third toe
40 right fourth toe
41 right little toe
42 right ankle
43 right knee
44 right hip
45 pubis
46 left hip
47 left knee
48 left ankle
49 left big toe
50 left second toe
51 left third toe
52 left fourth toe
53 left little toe
54 left ankle
55 left knee
56 left hip
57 pubis
58 navel
59 center of chest

60 base of the front of the neck

61 center of forehead

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Lucid Sleeping (Yoga Nidra)

Also known as Yoga Nidra, lucid sleeping is among the deepest possible states of relaxation while still
maintaining full consciousness. It is not the same as the similarly named "lucid dreaming", though the
two can be easily confused, since the practices that lead to lucid sleeping can also generate lucid
dreaming. What further confuses the issue is that, as opposed to being completely separate experiences
in kind, the two states are actually only different in degree, existing as they do at opposite ends of a
particular slice out of the spectrum of consciousness. Hence, lucid sleeping can "slide into" lucid
dreaming and vice versa, a fact which can cloud the real difference between the two.
The distinguishing difference is the degree to which you remain cognizant of your actual physical
environment as opposed to a dream environment. In lucid dreaming, we are only (or mainly) cognizant
of the dream environment, and have little or no cognizance of our actual environment. Sounds or
events in our actual environment may become translated into very different dream material and we will
feel our bodies "moving" just as in normal dreaming. During lucid sleeping, on the other hand, we
remain fully cognizant of our physical environment and of the actual content of sounds and other
events, and likewise maintain a correct sense of the position of our bodies.
Hence, so-called "out of body" experiences are instances of lucid dreaming, even though we may have
a sense of the room in which we are sleeping. Nevertheless, the sense of our body as moving in space is
dream material, likely initiated by the activity of the propioceptive sensory organs influencing the
subconscious mind. What "out of body" experiences nicely demonstrate is the fluid nature of the
boundary between lucid sleeping and lucid dreaming, existing as they do at a point somewhere midway
between the two.
On a final note, neither state is necessarily "deeper" than the other. That said, lucid sleeping can
potentially be far deeper, given the kind of brain waves predominantly generated, than lucid dreaming.
During any kind of dreaming, we are effectively blocked from the deepest states of relaxation by the
generation of dream material, which occurs within a specific range of brain wave frequencies which are
relatively high in comparison to those of deep sleep. While engaging in lucid sleep, on the other hand,
we can consciously relax ourselves beyond that dreaming range of frequencies into the slowest range
of deep sleep frequencies.
It is best to attempt this practice only after you have mastered 61 Points insofar as 61 Points is the
easier of the two. It serves as a good way to learn how to navigate progressions of points through the
body (there are nearly 150 points used in the following Lucid Sleeping exercise), and it also offers a
stepping stone to the deeper relaxation youll experience with Lucid Sleeping.
It will also likely be necessary to stop practicing 61 Points altogether once you begin with Lucid
Sleeping. The format of the concentration points is quite different. If you try to alternate the practices,
you can become confused as to the correct progression of the points, which in turn can make you tense
and unable to relax. Nor do you want to have to concentrate on remembering which point follows
which, as this too will affect your ability to relax. Each point should follow effortlessly and
automatically one after the other, with no need to try to remember which one comes next.
Of course, the first few times you do the exercise, you will need to make an effort to remember the
format, so dont expect to have a deeply relaxing experience right away. Once you know the format by
memory, the deep relaxation will follow.
The practice is best done lying down on your back. You can place your hands by your sides palms up
or else palms down upon your hips/lower belly. Its best to use either no pillow or at most one low

pillow beneath your head as your neck should remain fairly flat. Basically, try to be as comfortable as
possible so you wont have to move for the duration of the practice.
The progression through the points is quite different from 61 Points, both in the specific points used as
well as what you do with each point. First off, you dont count or imagine anything at each point. You
simply come briefly to rest and then move on to the next point. Secondly, the pace is considerably
faster with roughly one second spent at each point. Dont time the movement with the breath. If you
like, you can hear a silent, slow mantra such as om, with each repetition lasting roughly 8 seconds,
which is to say 8 points.
It seems odd that a faster pace can lead to deeper relaxation. The reason is because a steady, slow
rhythm is set up which can be very relaxing indeed. But this can only happen once the progression of
the points is well memorized and comes automatically. So again, expect to spend some time just
learning the progression before you can experience the deeper levels of relaxation.
Here is the progression of the points:
Right thumb
Right index finger
Right middle finger
Right ring finger
Right little finger
Right palm
Back of right hand
Outside right wrist
Inside right wrist
Inside right lower arm
Outside right lower arm
Outside right elbow
Inside right elbow
Inside right upper arm
Outside right upper arm
Outside right shoulder
Right armpit
Right side mid chest
Right side abdomen
Right side iliac crest
Right side between iliac crest and hipbone
Right hipbone
Crease at right side of groin
Front of right thigh
Back of right thigh
Back of right knee
Front of right knee
Front of right lower leg (shin)
Back of right lower leg (calf)
Outside right ankle
Inside right ankle
Top of right ankle
Right heel
Bottom center of right foot
Top center of right foot
Right large toe
Right second toe
Right third toe
Right fourth toe
Right little toe
[Repeat same progression for left side]
[Now you proceed down the front of the body]

Base of the front of the neck

Simultaneously two points to each side
Center of upper chest
Simultaneously two points to each side
Center of mid chest
Simultaneously two points to each side
Center of lower chest
Simultaneously two points to each side
Center of upper abdomen
Simultaneously two points to each side
Center of mid abdomen
Simultaneously two points to each side
Navel
Simultaneously two points to each side
Center of lower abdomen
Simultaneously two points to each side
Upper pubis
Simultaneously two points to each side
Lower pubis
Simultaneously two points to each side
Perineum
Simultaneously two points to each side
Anus
Simultaneously two points to each side
Tailbone
Simultaneously two points to each side
Mid sacrum
Simultaneously two points to each side
Top sacrum
Simultaneously two points to each side
Lower back
Simultaneously two points to each side
Lower mid back
Simultaneously two points to each side
Upper mid back
Simultaneously two points to each side
Lower upper back
Simultaneously two points to each side
Mid upper back
Simultaneously two points to each side
Upper upper back
Simultaneously two points to each side
Lower back of neck
Simultaneously two points to each side
Middle back of neck
Simultaneously two points to each side
Upper back of neck
Simultaneously two points to each side
Lower back of head
Simultaneously two points to each side
Middle back of head
Simultaneously two points to each side
Upper back of head
Simultaneously two points to each side
Top of head
Down to center of head
Down to center of neck
Down to center of lower neck
Down to center of mid chest
Down to center of upper abdomen

Down to center of belly

Down to center of lower belly
Back to center of belly
At this point, rest your attention for a few moments at the center of your belly. Then imagine a plane
that passes through the center of your belly dividing your upper body from your lower body. On the
next exhalation, feel the plane pass down through your lower body to the soles of your feet, completely
relaxing everything on the way through. On the inhalation, the plane returns to your belly and then, on
the exhalation, passes up through your upper body to the top of your head, relaxing everything on the
way through.
Now the plane turns on its side so that, still passing through your belly, it divides the right side of your
body from the left side. On the next exhalation, feel the plane pass through the left side of your body,
completely relaxing everything on the way through. On the inhalation, the plane returns to your belly
and then, on the exhalation, passes through the right side of your body, relaxing everything on the way
through.
Now the plane turns flat so that, still passing through your belly, it divides the top half of your body
from the bottom half. On the next exhalation, feel the plane pass through the back half of your body,
completely relaxing everything on the way through. On the inhalation, the plane returns to your belly
and then, on the exhalation, passes through the front half of your body, relaxing everything on the way
through.
At this point, you should be either fast asleep or else deeply relaxed. If you are still awake, just enjoy
the sensations of deep relaxation, allowing yourself to go deeper and deeper, as deeply as you can.

From. Peter Crawford, Meditaiton Mojo

http://www.meditationmojo.com/meditation-articles/advanced-meditation/lucid-sleeping-yoga-nidra

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