Just Relax

Most everyone that I speak to wants to speak with Hashem, in personal prayer, but they are finding it difficult to speak to Hashem on a regular basis. Some people have trouble finding the words to express themselves to Hashem; others say that they can’t concentrate and quickly lose patience with the process. Still others say that they become anxious with the unstructured nature of personal prayer. Whatever difficulty that you may be having in connecting to Hashem on your own – don’t despair. Even the pros get tongue-tied now and then.  Even if your attempts to connect with Hashem, have led to frustration – your efforts have already earned you a priceless reward. For those of you who would like to experience how easy and natural it is to converse with our Creator, I respectfully offer you the following method which has been helpful to others in developing their own individually subjective style of speaking with Hashem.
 
Most of us underestimate the enormous value of simple relaxation. Someone once joked that we are called the “human race” because we have practically lost the precious art of taking breaks to stay in touch with ourselves and Hashem. Speaking to Hashem, in personal prayer, is much more enjoyable and pleasant after we make ourselves physically comfortable. Once we achieve bodily comfort, it becomes much easier to clear our minds and organize our thoughts before Hashem.
 
Here is a short script that you can use as a warm-up exercise prior to personal prayer. You can ask a trusted other to read it to you or you can simply record it for your own listening convenience. The words should be spoken slowly and in a soft tone. Try to pause slightly on the words in bold print to allow time for the comfort to develop. 
 
Find a comfortable place to sit. Close your eyes and just rest back in any way that makes you comfortable. Rest your hands on your thighs, or on the arms of the chair…and, as you settle back, this will be an opportunity for you to become even more comfortable and to experience… very easily… and, very gently… a deep and satisfying state of relaxation.
 
Soon you will be able to just let go of all unnecessary tension, anxiety and stress and become progressivelymore and more comfortably relaxed. Take a few very deep breaths and let them out…each time that you breath out…just think about breathing out uncomfortable bodily tensions and sensations…that’s right…just let yourself begin to feel how good it feels to do this…feel how much your body can completely let go and free itself of more and more stress with each exhalation. Take a minute to do this and enjoy how the tension is being replaced by the pleasant and beneficial sensations of relaxation…you can… let go and at your own pace…and Hashem can take you to a still deeper level of relaxation.
 
Give yourself permission to enjoy these few minutes…tell yourself that you deserve this time to compose yourself and withdraw from your usual everyday way of being. Now pay attention to the muscles of your face…and just allow all the muscles of your face to relax…let your face go…and become more and more loose and more limp. Your muscles of the forehead, eyelids, cheeks, jaw, lips and tongue can all relax together…just them go as you breath out…even the tiny muscles of your scalp can relax…feel how pleasant it is to release your jaw and other muscles, and allow Hashem to send you a Blessed feeling of relaxation and physical comfort…Now let the tranquility and serenity in your face flow gently into your neck and shoulders…just allow the pleasant feelings of calmness and inner peace flow like a gentle brook…down…from your face…into your neck and shoulder muscles…just feel all of the muscles around your neck becoming pleasantly relaxed…more loose..more limp…like a raggedy Ann doll…just letting go. Feel you shoulder muscles just relaxing…letting go…melting away tension…like butter melting in a frying pan…just melting away all tension…removing all fear…like water running off a duck’s back..just peace…and quiet and deep slow breathing.
 
Take your time… there is nothing to do now but relax…you are doing this for yourself…you are not obligated to anything else now…just to you… and only you. Now imagine a pebble dropping into a silky smooth pond…perhaps you can picture the widening concentric circles spreading out wider and wider on their own…so to your relaxation can spread down into your upper arms…go deeper relaxed into your lower arms…and more relaxed into your hands and fingers…all of the muscles in your arms and hands can loosen and unwind…Your arms can just hang effortlessly the way they are. Take a deep breath and as you breath out you sink down to a more profound feeling of comfort, tranquility, inner-peace and sense of well-being…just enjoy your ability to fully experience everything that I say to you…more and more easily. By now you have successfully reduced your respiration…you are breathing more slowly and more deeply…you are breathing with a heightened emuna…you are relinquishing control of your breathing…you are allowing Hashem to breath you.
 
Just think about the muscles of your chest and stomach…and as you do…just feel them go loose, limp and relaxed…just relaxing the muscles of your chest and abdomen as the wonderful sensations of relaxation flow down into your thighs…through your knees…relaxing your calves…relaxing your ankles…relaxing your feet…relaxing your toes. And now the relaxation can flow all through you in a circular way…from your feet…back up through your legs…up through your back…to the top of your head…every place where it flows…the relaxation leaves you peaceful, calm, placid, tranquil and serene. Now count slowly to yourself…count down slowly from 10 to 0…and with each count down you can enhance the wonderful relaxation that you’ve achieved. Counting slowly: ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…and zero…you can be completely…and thoroughly…relaxed…and at ease… your mind and body are very…very…calm. Your mind and body are one…you have helped your mind…by helping your body…you can now think more clearly…you can concentrate more easily…your memory is improved…you can focus more easily on your thoughts and on your feelings…you have emptied yourself…relinquished yourself…and prepared yourself to connect to Hashem…you have opened yourself…and allowed yourself…to receive His Blessing of peace…you may feel grateful to Hashem…for this peace…for this comfort…for your peace of mind…and…if you want…you can softly say “thank you” to Hashem…you can tell Hashem…quietly…in your own words…how much you appreciate Him for this positive experience…you can thank Him for your breathing…you can thank Him for your calmness… you can thank Him for slowing down your heart rate…you can thank Him for lowering your blood pressure…you can thank Him for improving your circulation…you thank Him for quieting the noise in your mind…you can thank Him for your brain that transforms your understanding of these words into real physical changes…so  slowly…easily…almost effortless…at your own pace…in your own way…you can begin to accept Hashem’s loving-kindness…to feel His great power…feel His love… and feel his desire to connect to you now…you can feel Hashem’s presence…you can picture yourself surrounded by Light…Hashem’s Light… and you may continue…allowing the feelings of your heart to become words which flow from your lips to your Father in Heaven…
 
You can tell Him anything that you want…to express yourself to Him in any way that you wish…you can just speak…and He’ll listen…you can ask for advice…you can think about goals…you can ask to come close to His great Holiness and Purity and request that he fill you with His Holiness…fill you with His strength…fill you with His wisdom…fill you with His confidence…His joy…His Trustworthiness…and His perfection…you can continue, even after this [recording] to speak with Hashem on any topic and ask Him for whatever you need. Or, you can gently return now to a more alert state of mind.