Two Ways of Learning Relaxation

--by Shinzen Young

There are two ways of learning relaxation, because there are two distinct levels at which a person can relax. I speak of top-to-bottom relaxation versus bottom-to-top relaxation. "Top" refers to the surface conscious mind, "bottom" the deep unconscious.
Top-to-bottom relaxation is what most people think of when they think of relaxation. It's voluntary relaxation, like a progressive relaxation where you make an effort to relax. When a person sits to meditate I think it is good to do whatever possible to relax the overall body. I usually try to get an overall sense of the body relaxing. I call it a "settled-in" sense. For example, I notice that during sitting sometimes my shoulders will come up, so I'll relax them as an act of conscious intention.
This form of relaxation, although it's valid and useful, is also limited, because there are certain things that you can't relax intentionally, like the kind of intense sensations that come up when you stub your toe. You can't go through a progressive relaxation, and just relax the sensations going on in your stubbed toe. And what about the sensations that go with a stubbed ego? For that type of phenomenon, it is desirable to learn about a second kind of relaxation which I call bottom-to-top.
Bottom-to-top relaxation deals with the source of tension which is deep within the unconscious mind and way out of the range of conscious control. How can you relax tensions that are not within conscious control? By observing them with skill. "Skill" means heightened awareness, a sense of accepting the tension as is. Bottom-to-top relaxation is an attitude. You watch the tension very, very carefully. You get very specific in terms of location, shape, flavor, rates of change, etc. You just keep pouring awareness and equanimity, awareness and equanimity on the tension pattern.
That tension pattern is a conduit into the unconscious mind. By flooding the tension area with the "super-adult" qualities of "witness awareness" you are helping the unconscious infant/animal levels of the mind to untie their own "knots". The tension pattern will start to break up on its own. Paradoxically, the quickest way to have it break up is to stop wanting it to break up. The attitude of wanting it to break up adds subtle new knots. For the really deep relaxation, a person has to be willing to watch tension in a skillful way, without desiring relaxation.
--Shinzen Young, in an interview with Charles Tart

Evolution's Gold Standard

--by Diane Ackerman

Feeling low? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, when people feel bad, their sense of touch quickens and they instinctively want to hug something or someone. Tykes cling to a teddy bear or blanket. It’s a mammal thing. If young mammals feel gloomy, it’s usually because they’re hurt, sick, cold, scared or lost. So their brain rewards them with a gust of pleasure if they scamper back to mom for a warm nuzzle and a meal. No need to think it over. All they know is that, when a negative mood hits, a cuddle just feels right; and if they’re upbeat and alert, then their eyes hunger for new sights and they’re itching to explore.

It’s part of evolution’s gold standard, the old carrot-and-stick gambit, an impulse that evades reflection because it evolved to help infants thrive by telling them what to do — not in words but in sequins of taste, heartwarming touches, piquant smells, luscious colors.

Back in the days before our kind knew what berries to eat, let alone which merlot to choose or HD-TV to buy, the question naturally arose: How do you teach a reckless animal to live smart? Some brains endorsed correct, lifesaving behavior by doling out sensory rewards. Healthy food just tasted yummy, which is why we now crave the sweet, salty, fatty foods our ancestors did -- except that for them such essentials were rare, needing to be painstakingly gathered or hunted. The seasoned hedonists lived to explore and nuzzle another day -- long enough to pass along their snuggly, junk-food-bedeviled genes.

As with so many other aspects of life, we adults still play by the rules we learned in infancy. Feel bad, need a hug. Scary movie, grab the hand of your date. Hungry, nosh on salty chips not kelp noodles.

What does this have to do with “consumer research?” Wouldn’t you know it, five experiments have pinpointed how to capitalize on the findings and connect with shoppers in different moods. Apparently, someone feeling low is likely to respond more to the velvety ooze of a hand lotion, while a cheerful person is likely to respond more to the product’s shiny bottle and festive packaging.

Is no mood safe from marketing and manipulation, you may wonder? Apparently not. They can ambush your animal senses, whatever state your brain may occupy, no matter if you’re in the dumps or riding high. If the meringue-like hand cream doesn’t entice you one day, the Eiffel Tower-shaped box might on another. [...]

Can one outsmart the dictates of evolution? Sure, we do it all the time.  [...] Are we aware of where our drives are driving us? Rarely.

--Diane Ackerman, 

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సాధించడం అంటే కొండలను పిండి చేయడమే కాదు , పిండితో రొట్టె చేసుకోవడం కూడా సాధించినట్లే .అలాంటి రొట్టెలు తిన్న వస్తాదుల వాస్తవ విషయాలు తెలుసుకోవడమే మన ఆలోచనల  విజయం. మన ఆలోచనలే మనకు గొప్ప జీవితాన్ని  ఇస్తాయి. కేవలం మన ఆలోచనలను మార్చుకోడానికి మనం చేసే చిన్న ప్రయత్నం  ఇది.

 గొప్ప వ్యక్తులు ఉండరు , వ్యక్తిత్త్వమే గొప్ప మనిషిని చేస్తుంది .మనం గొప్ప గొప్ప పనులు చేస్తేనే సాధించినట్లు   కాదు. చిన్న చిన్నపనులే  గొప్ప వ్యక్తులను చేస్తాయి. మనం చేసే చిన్న చిన్న పనులు కూడా మనం సాధించిన పెద్ద పెద్ద విజయాలుగా బావిద్దాం.మనం చేసిన చిన్న పనులే ఎదుటివారికి  గొప్ప స్పూర్తిని ఇవ్వోచ్చు .

 ఇదే నా జీవితం !