Lecture
This exercise should be performed lying down, in a warm, relatively
dark, and comfortable place where no one will disturb you. This exercise
can sometimes evoke very strong emotions. If necessary, you should change
how you carry it out, in order to keep your emotional responses within such limits that you can
learn something from them.
Choose one of your favorite pieces of music with a total
duration of fifteen to twenty-five minutes. Do not use music with vocals, so as not to become absorbed in the meaning of the words. Flowing,
soothing music is best suited for this. Turn on the sound and spend
a minute or two simply relaxing.
Now perceive the music with both of your feet. Pay attention to all the sensations that arise in your feet, and gently allow the music to be present in these sensations. Do not try
to force this: there are no especially specific sensations that
you must necessarily strive for. Gently move your mind into your feet.
Feel everything that is happening there, and "listen" to the music sounding in your
feet.
Do not let intellectual arguments bother you, telling you that in fact
you hear with your ears and not with your feet. That is not so anyway – because in
fact you hear with your mind. What matters is that if you
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wish to hear the music in any
part of your body, you will experience the process of hearing/feeling in that place. Music helps you concentrate your attention on pleasant, positive feelings in the particular part of your body in which you hear it. Enjoy the music in your feet, and the sensations that arise there.
After about a minute has passed, move your attention to your calves, from the ankles to the knees. Direct your attention to the sensations that arise there, and perceive the music in this part of your
body. Enjoy the music in your calves and the sensations in your calves.
Then, after about a minute (the exact time is not critically important), move your attention to your thighs and feel and listen there.
Move through the whole body with the same one-minute intervals in the
following order: the genitals; the pelvis, paying particular attention to the area located two finger-widths below the navel; the abdomen, chest, and back (however, do not concentrate very strongly on the area
of the heart), then the shoulders, the upper arms, the middle of the arms, the palms, the neck,
the face, and finally, the scalp.
Then, for a minute, focus your attention on the space inside
your head.
After this, perceive the music with your heart. The result of this will probably be strong positive feelings, especially if
you have chosen suitable music. Immerse yourself in these sensations and enjoy
them.
Finally, extend the sensation and the listening of the music, as well as all
the positive feelings that you associate with your heart, to your whole body. After a minute or two has passed, let the concentration of your attention weaken, simply remain in a relaxed state until
the music ends. When the music fades, get up slowly.
The sequence of body parts given above, through which you
can listen to music, is not the only useful one, so feel free to try various sequences of your own
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