After every action there must be a reaction. Now that you have the key to complete deep relaxation, the next step is to learn Deep Contraction. The two together will enable you to better utilize the full potential of your body and mind and gear them to working for you. Think of this as a preliminary mo­bilization of all your resources for approaching the more complex physical and mental routines you will be trying later on.

We already know that Yoga relaxation has nothing in com­mon with relaxation as it is understood by most people in the Western world who equate it with rest, recreation or play. Similarly, Deep Contraction has nothing to do with various methods of "toning up" or "keeping fit" with which we are familiar. Nothing can be further from Yoga practice than subjecting the body to physical drills. Deep knee bends, push­ups, weight-lifting—all the routines generally associated with physical culture—are the very antithesis of what Yoga tries to accomplish. For while such drills are fine for the young and the athletic, they encourage muscle tension in the average person for whom tension is usually already a problem. Real­istically, too, they require more daily effort than anyone but an athlete is likely to be willing to make. But most importantly they tend to dissociate body from mind, while the Yoga ap­proach is always to consider the human whole, treating it as indivisible.

The greatest of modern theatrical directors, Constantin Stanislavski, to whose techniques actors throughout the world refer with bated breath simply as "The Method," advised his students to learn from animals how to first relax, then "wind up" for perfect body control. "Watch the tiger," he wrote in An Actor Prepares, "watch his domesticated counterpart, the cat. See how completely they let go of every muscle, becoming a dead weight in sleep or relaxation. Then watch them as they wake: they stretch, yawn, slowly get to their feet and arch their back, changing from limp rag to coiled spring with no apparent effort."

What Stanislavski wanted to demonstrate was the tremen­dous economy of energy and movement which gives the feline its peculiar grace and power. Thus he was able to teach his students how to move, tireless, through taxing emotional roles; how to breathe so that their voices projected, without ever straining, to every corner of a great hall even if used in a whisper. It is not surprising to learn that he had studied the methods of Hatha Yoga.

Most of us will never be called upon to play Hamlet or King Lear eight times a week, to sing in Grand Opera or to go barnstorming through the country for a presidential can­didate. Nor will we attempt to chalk up Olympic Games records. But we have it within our reach to learn quickly and all but effortlessly a kind of body control that even the fine athlete doesn't always possess since he too, unless he is either naturally lucky or has learned the secret of alternate relaxa­tion and contraction, is likely to be laboring under much un­necessary tension.

Animals, unlike man, know instinctively how to keep fit. Yet their "secret" is simplicity itself. It consists merely of in­dulging in the most stimulating physical exercise there is— natural, spontaneous body movements. Let us go back for a moment to the awakening tiger-kitten: The yawn and big stretch are nothing more nor less than passive forms of deep muscular contraction after a period of Deep Relaxation—con­traction that reaches into every muscle group from head to toes. Then, after he has awakened his sinews in this pleasant and satisfying manner, the kitten suddenly leaps after a speck of dust. He has gone from passive into active contraction. The motion, you will notice, is effortless. An animal never tries to prove anything; he moves for the sheer pleasure of being in motion.

One of the reasons why Western physical culture is un­satisfactory except for the young and the athletic is that in ad­dition to tiring and over-exerting already weary hearts and arteries it tends to develop the body unevenly. It concentrates on certain muscle groups while never involving others, so that body imbalance is likely to follow. Over-zealous athletes often become muscle-bound. This means ugly bulges, stiffness and an inability to let go, which sometimes has to be treated by massage. Middle-aged men and women who once were ath­letes, on the other hand, tend to suffer from flabbiness—the result of formerly over-developed muscles now gone to seed. This in turn invites stiffness, rheumatism, neuritis and rheu­matoid arthritis. But when muscles stretch during Deep Con­traction, a lubricant called synovial fluid is immediately secreted, helping disperse the waste matter which causes stiffness at the joints. At the same time lymph flows more freely, nourishing and stimulating body cells. Blood circulation is im­proved, of course, because you are breathing properly.

Expensive slenderizing salons are filled with persons of both sexes who are looking for their lost youth and their lost figures, letting themselves be pummeled and shaken up on massage tables and in electrical contraptions. How much wiser and pleasanter for them if they turned to the natural method of Deep Contraction. Not only would the results be more far-reaching, but far longer-lasting as well.
As a matter of fact, Deep Contraction can form a bridge to ease you, all but effortlessly, into the more difficult phase of learning the Yoga postures on which the Deep Contraction method itself is based. Once you have grasped the underlying principle and formed the habit of regular routine, your body will quickly begin to grow limber, your muscles and tendons elastic, so that when you are ready to try your first asana, you will not find it too difficult. In the meantime your muscle tone will be improving, stiffness disappearing and your figure getting back to its youthful optimum all because Deep Con­traction, along with Dynamic Breathing, tones the body, stimulates circulation and causes waste to be carried away and deposits of fat and calcium to be utilized instead of remaining a dead weight.

As we have just pointed out, Deep Contraction routines are based on the most important of Yoga asanas. Like these asanas, all Deep Contraction is nothing more nor less than a prolonga­tion of natural, instinctive stretches carried to the point where a person's whole mood and physique become involved. Bear in mind that you will not be expected to try poses which require endless application, for these are wholly unsuited to our Occidental way of life. Instead, you will be given a few of the simple, albeit important poses which may be learned in easy stages by any ordinary Westerner, even one used to sedentary living. Nor should age be a barrier, or lack of stam­ina. All you are asked to keep in mind is that you must not over-exert yourself.

At the very first, begin by practicing stretches of your own devising. Do whatever is comfortable and natural, only make sure that you do your stretching three different ways: lying flat on your back, sitting down, and standing upright. You might begin, as suggested in Chapter III, by taking a good stretch when you wake in the morning, taking a tip from our friend the tiger-cat. Rather than jump out of bed, take a minute or two to yawn, stretch your legs, feet and toes as far as possible, stretch your arms high above your head, stretch your neck, your chest, your waist and your back. Above all, let every movement be natural, unhurried, fluid. During each stretch try to contract as many muscles as you can consciously trace. Then hold the stretch for as long as a minute, building up tension gradually. Then, just as gradually, let down again. Remember never to move jerkily, since this negates the bene­fits of the exercise.

Repeat the same kind of stretching several times during the day, at least once while sitting in a chair and once while you are standing. Try to allot five minutes in all to these three routines. Remember to pay especial attention to the waist and the back, for in that way you will be benefiting two vital areas—the spinal column and the abdominal cavity; in other words, you will be toning the main trunk-line of your nervous system and the internal organs concerned with digestion and elimination.
At the end of a few days, when you have begun to feel completely natural in your stretching routines, you can go on to the next step, which is to do your Deep Contraction exer­cises directly following the relaxation period. Remember, dur­ing Deep Relaxation you have been lying flat on the floor on your back, eyes closed, arms along your sides, in the Savasana or Death Pose. Now, as you rouse yourself, start lifting both legs from the hips, toes pointed and knees held straight. Do this slowly, being careful to keep the rest of your body, neck and head down on the floor. Lift as high as you can, preferably until your legs are at a right angle with your body, always be­ing careful to notice the various contractions that begin with the feet, extend up the calf, through the thighs and into the abdominal region. Hold this stretch for as long as possible without feelir.g strain. Then, slowly and gently, lower the feet to the floor in one smooth movement. Then rest. You probably don't know it, but you have just completed the first step toward learning two extremely important asanas—the Sarvangasana, or Cradle Posture, and the Halasana, or Plough, whose benefits will be discussed elsewhere.

Next sit up and try grasping your toes or ankles with your hands, bending the trunk and keeping the legs stretched out. Continue to bend as far forward as possible, holding this posi­tion for a few moments before loosening your grip and slowly sitting up once more. Do not worry if at first you are unable to grasp your feet. You will gradually grow more Umber as you continue exercising a little every day. The main thing to keep in mind is that you are doing the best you can—and not to overtax yourself. Remember, too, to avoid jerky motions: the stretch should be natural. Again you have just completed the first step in a Yoga posture which has special value in strengthening the abdomen and spine, the Paschimottanasana (see Chapter XI).

Now lie flat on your stomach, keeping your legs straight out. Place your hands on the floor in line with the shoulders. Try to hft yourself by pressing down on the hands. At first this may seem hard, but after a week or so you will be able to hft your whole body from the hips up—and you will have performed the first part of the Bhujangasan, or Snake Posture (see Chapter XI), which is excellent for the spine.

Your last stretch is to be done standing. Stand with the feet slightly apart, knees slightly bent. Place the hands on the thighs. Take a deep breath, exhale, then expel the breath sharply. Now try to draw the abdomen in and up, raising the diaphragm as high as possible. Hold this position a moment, then relax. You have completed the first step toward the Uddiyana Bandha (See Chapter XI), an asana which massages the colon, the large and small intestines, and starts peristaltic action, generally doing away with any tendency to constipation by invigorating the nerves which control intestinal move­ments. Moreover, muscles which ordinarily are beyond our voluntary control are involved here. This is an exercise which also helps a fallen stomach, intestines or uterus. It should, of course, always be done on an empty stomach.
Ideally, when you try this final routine the stomach should be sucked in so deep that it practically disappears. But the be­ginning student is hardly likely to achieve anything like such an effect, for the average person's neglected abdominal mus­cles are apt to be weak and unresponsive. However, here again you are not striving for perfection. This, like the previous routines, should be in the nature of a glorified stretch. Do not ask too much of yourself. Be content to make haste slowly.

As to timing—each of the above four exercises should take about a minute so that, with rests in between, you should allow five minutes for the lot. Get in the habit of doing them immediately after your Deep Relaxation period, either before breakfast or the last thing at night. If neither time is feasible, find some other convenient break during the day. But always be sure to wear loose, comfortable clothing and to allow at least two and preferably three hours to elapse after a meal before you begin.

In order to get the full benefit of both the relaxation and the contraction, remember that your mental attitude is of the greatest importance. It is useless to go through the motions of exercising unless you are prepared to focus your entire atten­tion on what you are doing. Just as, during relaxation, you must empty your mind of all distracting influences, so during the stretches you must teach yourself to dwell on their per­formance only, to study each action and its effects on your body, allowing yourself to relish the sensations you are ex­periencing. Only if you are thoroughly aware of the good you are doing yourself will the benefit of the routines stay with you. On the other hand, if you do follow the routine faithfully you will begin to acquire greater limberness and to experience both physical and mental well-being within one short week. You will sleep better, have greater vitality and your nerves will be your friends instead of traitors.

Even if you never do progress to the more complicated forms of Yoga exercise and content yourself merely with the first three steps—Dynamic Breathing, Deep Relaxation and Contraction—the benefits you will derive will astonish you. This is so because, from the very first, the emphasis here is not on building up one or another part of your body, not on one or another "angle," but on the whole being. For at all stages Yoga aims at creating a balanced mental-physical com­bination of improvement and growth. In the process, espe­cially during Deep Contraction exercises, certain muscle groups and skin areas are brought into play which during ordinary physical drills remain unaffected. The skin, specially, is stretched and pulled and stimulated so that it gets the benefit of thorough cleansing and flushing. When you consider that a piece of skin the size of a postage stamp contains some three million separate cells, a yard of blood vessels, four yards of nerves and twenty-five nerve endings, not to mention hun­dreds of sweat and oil glands, and when you realize that ordi­nary exercise doesn't begin to wake up all this complex organ­ism, you really understand why the Yoga approach is like no other—why it seems to show the way to the Fountain of Youth. Healthy, well-nourished skin will not sag nor grow sallow nor wrinkle. And even tired skin, after a little system­atic Yoga stimulation, can once more acquire the firmness and glow it once had. And this is only a secondary benefit! The complex of processes which constitutes Deep Con­traction has one final, most important aspect which so far we only mentioned in passing while discussing mental attitude. We have pointed out that it would be quite useless, not to say impossible, to practice true Deep Contraction while thinking of something else. This orientation inward, which becomes a must, is the first step toward a further, deeper development of your Self according to Yoga principles. For once you have learned Deep Contraction and have practiced it for a while, you are ready to go on to something still more important, something essential not only to the welfare of your body but of your entire being: You are ready to learn Concentration.

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