Shaking

"Osho's solutions to stress are to create a space for us to let go of our inner turmoil so our body, mind, heart and soul can be connected. "
- Elle Magazine

 

BENEFITS
The Shaking meditation is great for releasing physical stress
and tension and bringing you to inner stillness and silence. If
you like this technique, do it every day, or as often as you can find the time. The best time to do it is at the end of the day, when you get home from work. It’s a great way to literally shake off the tensions of the day, leaving you refreshed to enjoy your evening. It can also bring you insight and clarity about your day.

This Shaking meditation, which Osho created and called Osho Kundalini, is done in four stages of fifteen minutes each, so set aside an hour for it. Close your eyes for all
four stages. We begin with the body, shaking it. My students sometimes
ask, “Shaking is so active, so deliberate—how can it be a meditation?” Shaking is actually a warm-up process. It’s important not to force the shaking, or it will become just like physical exercise — the body will be shaking, but you will be like a rock within.
Just allow it to happen, as if nobody is “doing” it. You know how musicians spend time tuning their instruments, checking their guitar strings or the sound of the drums, preparing before they actually play the music? Shaking is like that. It is a preparation,a “getting in tune” with ourselves so that when we sit thetensions are dissolved and the space of meditation descends on us.

As the shaking takes over it begins to penetrate to the very core of your being. Your whole body becomes a turmoil of energy, a cyclone. This is continued in the second stage. Through the energy of the cyclone you can then reach the center. This is a preparation for the third and fourth stages, when you will be silent and still, open to receive the guest of meditation.

STAGE ONE: SHAKE IT (FIFTEEN MINUTES)
Standing comfortably, with eyes closed, just let your whole body shake, feeling the energies moving up from your feet. Let go. Feel yourself become the shaking.

STAGE TWO: DANCE (FIFTEEN MINUTES)
Let your body move in any way it wishes. Dance.

STAGE THREE: BECOMING STILL (FIFTEEN MINUTES)
Now, either sitting or standing, be still. Relax deeply within yourself. Be aware of your breathing and witness any thoughts or emotions, with no judgment.Don’t cling or reject; simply accept what is. Allow the silence of meditation to descend on you.

STAGE FOUR: LIE DOWN AND BE STILL (FIFTEEN MINUTES)
Now, without opening your eyes, lie down. Just lie there in stillness for another fifteen minutes.

When I do this meditation I find it helpful, in the first stage, to imagine myself as a rag doll shaking out all the tensions from the body/mind, remembering in particular to shake my head a lot if I have had a very mentally stressful day. I like to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground so that I stay rooted in myself and don’t tip over. I find that this allows me to experience greater flexibility of movement in the shaking. It’s a good idea to keep your knees slightly bent, remembering to shake the legs, hips, upper torso, shoulders, arms, hands, and head. This is an extraordinarily gentle yet powerful way to release stress and free up the body from any straitjacket it has been in, such as sitting in the car or in front of the computer.

The sense of freedom carries over into the second stage. You can use the dance to release and express any kind of emotional stress, such as frustration, anger, sadness, and disappointment and also to express any playfulness, contentedness, and joy you might be in touch with that day. It is surprisingly refreshing to get in touch with ourselves nonverbally and to allow the more hidden or repressed parts to come out into the open. This is a great way to get to know ourselves and to gain clarity and insight into whatever is going on in our lives at the moment.

After all the physical expression and release, to then sit or stand is both relaxing and an opportunity to witness whatever is happening with ourselves, compassionately and without judgment. Finally, when we lie down in silence, the body, fully supported
by the floor, can sink into a deep relaxation. This depth of relaxation allows the energy generated by the first two stages to take our meditation to the deepest corners of our being.

Excerpted from Laughter, Tears, Silence: Expressive Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Open Your Heart Copyright ©Pragito Dove, 2010.Reprint with Byline below and inform Pragito: info@pragito.com or 1.800-919-3683.

Byline:
Pragito Dove is author of Laughter, Tears, Silence: Expressive Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Open Your Heart(2010) and a meditation master, keynote speaker, and trainer. Visit Pragito's website at www.pragito.com, email her at info@pragito.com or call 415.925.9533 for more information on books,cds, trainings, and workshops and to book her services.