Eye Roll Technique to help concentration, relaxtion , for use in suggestive treatment
This is for the use of advanced practices under professional supervision as an aid for mindfulness.
Eye Roll Technique to help Alertness, Concentration and Relaxation
This three step process takes less than 30 seconds and will keep you alert, concentrate your mind and help relax your body. In this alert concentrated and relaxed mental state your mind will be more able to deal with problems and special issues in a new way.
First practice this, on the count of one you look up at your eyebrows and towards the back of your head, on two, you keep your eyes up and back, as your try to close your eyes as much as you can, on three you relax your eyes. Doing these three things will begin to shift your mind into the experiencing mode and out of the thinking mode of the mind.
Combine the eye roll, lid closure, and relaxing with breathing and you can bring about a powerful alertness and concentration as your body feels lighter as if floating, and your muscles will relax. Now practice adding breathing to the three steps, on one do one thing, look up and back, on two do two things, take a deep slow breath, and close your eyes as much as you can ,as you continue to look up and back, and on three do three things, relax your eyes as you let your breath out and you exhale, and you notice your body feeing lighter as if floating.
Step 1. On the count of one do one thing “look up and back”.
This brings you into the present moment as you use all your concentration to focus only on lifting and holding your eyes up as you get ready for the next two steps, thus clearing your mind of all other thoughts and feelings from the present, past and future. Your mind stays in the present moment as you feel and sense the eyes moving and being held up. Throughout this exercise you keep feeling, sensing and experiencing in the front of your mind, as you keep all thinking present, past and future in the back of your mind. You also do not judge what you are doing based on feeling good, bad or neutral but you accept and allow all that happens without criticism, comparison or expectations. There is no goal, no right or wrong, just experiencing by feeling-sensing the eyes, moving and being held in your head, no thinking no judgment, just feel, sense, allow and accept.
Step 2. On the count of two, as your continue to look up and back do two things, 1. “Take a slow long deep in breath”, and 2. “Close your eyes as much as you can.”
Still focus only on the feelings and sensations around your eyes and those of your breathing staying only in the present moment keeping this in the front of your mind, no thinking from the past or future, no comparisons, no judgment based on feeling, good, bad or neutral, accepting everything equally, no criticism, no expectations, all of which if and as they occur you keep in the back of your mind. Just feel, sense, allow and accept.
Step 3. On the count of three do three things, while still holding your eyes under in place, 1. “Let go of your breath, and exhale”, 2. “Relax your eyes”, and 3. “Feel your body get lighter, more relaxed, and feel like it is floating”.
At the end of the three steps just continue to feel the floating sensations in your body, and continue to feel the physical sensations of the breathing, over and over , again and again.
Notice that on the in breath your mind is more alert and concentrated and on the out breath there is a general letting go feeling associated with calm and muscle relaxation.
If you notice any muscle tension especially around the eyes, forehead, face, jaw, neck, scalp, shoulders become more aware of it with the in breath and let it go with the out breath.
As you do this over and over you mind becomes more open to helpful suggestions because you will be simultaneously more alert yet relaxed with better and better concentration with more and more control of your thinking and emotions.
This sequence prepares one for more intensive help, because it causes a brief but powerful mindful present moment sustained awareness and then a letting go , a mini-meditation, which simultaneously makes one alert, focuses and concentrates the mind, as it stabilizes the emotions and relaxes the body. This intentional present moment awareness using feeling and sensing, accepting what is regardless of feeling good, bad or neutral, and not using thinking, controlling or having any expectations or goals except to be and experience what is happening in the present moment, and then moment by moment. This is mindfulness, do it over and over and you are doing mindfulness based meditation.