What is meant by the term relaxation in Fourth Way work? Here is another word that we “think” we understand, but do we? Typically, when stressed and tense, we think in terms of taking an external action to address the issue. Exercising, vegging out with a book or a movie, taking a yoga or meditation class. Or just running a hot bath to soak in with that glass of red wine resting on the ledge, above the bubbles. Ahhhhh.
Yes, all those methods are good approaches to relaxing, but in Gurdjieff work, relaxation means something else. In fact, the inner work of learning to relax, in my experience, is the foundation for sensation. Once I’d learned to bring myself into a relaxed state, sensation began to flow more freely and deeply in me.
So, how do we approach relaxation as an inner experience? With focused attention. As with all Fourth Way exercises, one begins by sitting comfortably in an upright posture, head balanced on the shoulders. I was taught to put my palms, face down, on my thighs so that the energy would flow contained within my body.
Basic Fourth Way Relaxation Exercise:
Eyes can be open with the gaze soft and unfocused. I have found that my eyes tend to toggle between open and closed, depending on the inner strength of my focus. Bring your attention inside, becoming aware of the forehead. Explore your forehead, feel the tensions. Give your forehead permission to relax. If an area isn’t ready to let go, move on. Bring your attention to your eyes, aware of the small muscles in and around your eyes. Try keeping your attention behind or inside your eyes as you look out at the world. Don’t name what you see but simply be aware of color, movement and shape. Invite the eyes to relax.
In this way you can move your attention to each feature of the face. Relax the muscles beneath your skin, explore the senses without thoughts. Use the “head brain” to hone and move your attention instead of thinking. Begin to be aware of tensions draining downwards through the neck, shoulders and arms. Move down the trunk of the body, as if it were a tub of warm water and someone had pulled the plug. Release tensions through the legs and feet. I have found it useful to visualize this unwanted energy as spilling out through my hands and fingers, feet and toes.
Where Does the Tension go?
I wrestled with the notion of releasing excess, unwanted energies into the world—where did they go? My solution, which feels right, is to freely send them down into the Earth knowing that She can transform them for her own purposes.
Relaxation, an Inner State
In Gurdjieff work, inner relaxation is a recognizable state. This cannot be reached through automatic or external methods, but through one’s own focused and guided attention. Relaxation takes effort—letting go is work.
Pierre commented in a talk that relaxation needs to go deeper than the muscles. I interpret this to point toward emotional relaxation and meditation.
What is your experience Roberta?
Indeed yes. Bennett even spoke of the seven layers of relaxation. But my experience is that over time, simply working with focused attention moving over and into the body brings one into a different state. One of deep relaxation. The state becomes recognizable and that is the point from which deeper work can begin. If it helps, you could think of it in terms of going through the body to relax muscle tension, going through the body again to relax emotional tension, going through the body a third time to relax the tension of thoughts. However for me, it seems to happen as a package.