"When the heart is open, and the mind is brightwith curiosity, every moment is an opportunityfor growth and unfolding. All objects and eventsbecome teachers and we discover a wondroussense of connectedness which both heals andbrings deeper knowledge of how to help others."

Tarchin

MEDITATIVE FIRST AID A Doorway to Health

TARCHIN

WANGAPEKA BOOKS 1990

1

ISBN 0-9597962-0-7

Reprinted as a pdf fle 2000

© Wangapeka Books 1999

Wangapeka Books 1990 P.O. Box 80-101Green Bay. Auckland 7 New Zealand

Wangapeka Study & Retreat Centre R.D.2 WakefeldNelson, New Zealand Ph: (050) 30-221

CONTENTS

THE STOP EXERCISE 4

A REFRESHING SUMMER SHOWER 5

COMMONSENSE THAT WORKS 6

CENTRED AND SPACIOUS 7

HEADACHES AND NECK TENSION 9

THE INNER SMILE 12

THE HEALING BUBBLE 14

DEEP RELAXATION 16

PEACE COMES WITH OPENNESS 18

LOVING KINDNESS 20

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Dear Reader

This booklet arose as a result of a telephone conversation witha close relative. She had been peripherally involved withhealing and awareness practice for many years. During ourconversation I asked about her health and she, with a slightlyembarrassed voice, "confessed" she was now on medicationfor high blood pressure. When I inquired if she was doingany meditative work to help her condition, she replied thatshe had dabbled in many books and teachings and methodswithout really practising any of them and now that she reallyneeded something, she didn't know where to begin.

I refected on this for a number of days and realised that hersituation was not unique. Many people understand thatphysical health and mental atitudes are intimately related.Many people have been exposed to a broad spectrum of NewAge and Eastern inspired teachings speaking of personaldevelopment and healing. There are bookshops brimmingwith atractive volumes on the subbect and yet, when it comesright down to it, one or two simple exercises that you actuallydo are worth far more than contemplating the many exercisesone could do.

The seed idea for this book was planted.

Here are ten simple exercises that will help balance yourenergies and bring more vitality into your life. They are notaccompanied by any theory or teaching. There are booksenough on this. These are really presented for people whobust want to get on with something direct. Think of them asmeditative frst-aid. If you practise them on a regular dailybasis they will strengthen your body's natural resistance toillness and speed the healing process. They will also helprelieve headache, depression, high blood pressure andinsomnia and any general conditions of stress.

Out of a vast range of exercises, I have found these ten workparticularly well for people, being both easy to learn and easyto do. Best of all, they are efective and most of them can bedone in fieen m i nutes o r l e ss. I s u ggest y o u b e gin b ybrowsing through the book and trying the ones that appeal toyou. Eventually you may want to work more deeply withsome of them. In that case take an exercise and practise itonce a day for a week. Then take another and practise it oncea day for a week. Just continue like this until you've workedthrough all the ones you like and then go through the cycleagain. Each time you repeat an exercise you will go a litledeeper. Eventually you will come to appreciate the calm, clearcentre of openness and loving-kindness that nurtures all ofus.

Best wishesTarchin

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THE STOP EXERCISE

This is a very simple exercise that doesn't take long to dobut you'll fnd it refreshing and insightful. At this verymoment while you are reading these words, STOP!Freeze the body posture. Don't make it stif. Just stop themovement as if you have been caught by a stop-actionphotograph

Now, starting with your head, sensitively feel your waydown through the body, checking it out for places oftension. When you fnd a tension spot, don't verballyanalyse it. Just let it relax a litle and then continuechecking. Pay particular atention to your face, shouldersand neck, abdomen, legs and feet.

There are many moments in the day when you are simplywaiting. Waiting for the lights to change. Waiting forsomething to come up on the computer screen. Waitingfor the phone to be answered. Try this stop exercise inthese moments. Also, if you catch yourself feelinguptight, pause and do this stop exercise..

A lot of our tensions are maintained through unconscioushabit. If you practise this a number of times a day, youwill be surprised how much more relaxed you feel. Aiera while the process of frequently checking the body fortensions and releasing them becomes a bit of a habit itself.This way they don't really get a chance to build up.

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A REFRESHING SUMMER SHOWER

Think of the times you've felt stuck in states of negativity.This exercise will help to quickly and sometimesdramatically change a low energy, negative state. Youknow; the ones that feel lethargic and for ever. It's notdifcult to shii these energies into a healthy positivefow.

1. Sit, stand or lie in a position that allows your back tobe straight.

2. Use the tips of the fngers of one hand to lightly tapthe upper part of your breastbone. Don't do this toohard. Let it be light and rapid like the staccato beat ofrain in a refreshing summer shower.

3. At the same time breathe fully and deeply, in and out,a number of times. While you're doing the tappingand breathing, use your tongue to gently massage theroof of your mouth.

0. Throughout all this, close your eyes. Imagine that youare in a beautiful place in nature; a sunset, a waterfall,wide open blue skies, mountains and crystal clear air.Imagine some place where you have really felt amoment of beauty or boy or inspiration.

Bringing together the tapping, the breathing, themassaging and the imagination in this way will rapidlyshii the energies and allow you to get moving again.

5

COMMON SENSE THAT WORKS

When you get home from work, take 15 minutes to dosomething that will really refresh you. If your energiesare too speedy and agitated this exercise will slow themdown. If they are dull and lethargic it will perk them up.

1. Take a shower and put on diferent clothes.

2. Lie down on your back on a frm fat surface as issuggested on page 10.

3. Breathe deeply in and out, in a relaxed, unhurriedmanner for between fve and ten minutes.

0. While you are breathing feel the sensations in thebody. Allow good feelings to expand and let tensionsdrop away.

5. Finish by taking a few minutes to breathe naturallyand to relax into the overall feeling that is present.

6

CENTRED & SPACIOUS

When we feel centred, we feel good. Gone is the sense ofbeing crowded or rushed. What remains is a lovelyspacious quality that is profoundly healing. Try thisexercise while you're siting. With a bit of familiarityyou'll be able to do it while standing or even whenwalking.

Sit comfortably and take a few full deep breaths. Allthe way in and all the way out. As you exhale let thebody relax into the chair; deeper and deeper.

Front

With your eyes open, become aware of the space in frontof you. Note the various obbects and get a feeling for thedistance they are from you. In your imagination, lookright through and beyond them. If you are siting in aroom, you may see the wall and then imagine the streeton the other side of the wall and the houses across theroad and the trees behind them and the beach and thesea and the sky and so on. Extend your sense of space infront as far as your imagination will allow. The mainthing is to develop a tangible feeling of a vast space infront of you.

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Behind

Then go through the same process behind. Imagine youhave eyes in the back of your head and expand thefeeling of space as far as you can in that direction. Addthis to the feeling of space in front so that you are held ina sandwich of space.

Right and Lef

Now do the same process with the right direction andthen with the lei. Strengthen the sense that you are atthe centre of an infnitely large wheel of space.

Up and Down

Finally, become aware of the space above you. Extend itup, through the roof and out to the stars. Then add theawareness of the space below; the foor, the ground, thebedrock and possibly right out the other side of theplanet. Once you have established all of these directions,(front, back , right, lei, up, and down) then intensify thefeeling of being in the centre of a vast sphere of space.Recognise the quality of mind that is present at thismoment. It may feel wonderfully calm and at the sametime very alert.

Try taking this state into your daily life. With practice,you will be able to contact the feeling of being spaciouslycentred in bust a mater of seconds

8

HEADACHES AND NECK

TENSION

Many headaches are caused by neck tensions. If youhave a headache, before you take an aspirin, why don'tyou try this.

Loosening Shoulders

Imagine your shoulders are in a box.Move both shoulders back across thefoor of the box as far as they will go.

Then raise themup the back wallof the box untilthey are as highas they will go.

Bring them forward across the top and then down thefront of the box. Don't rush the movement. Do itsensitively without straining.

Focus gently at the back of theneck. It may begin to feel warmand soi. Try to be very aware ofthe movement of the shouldersand neck. Do this three times inone direction and then three timesin the reverse direction. Aierthat, repeat the whole process twomore times.

When you are fnished, let yourarms hang by your sides andgently focus on your breathing forabout one minute. Then go on to"Rotating Shoulders".

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Rotating Shoulders

Imagine the square boxhas become a circle. Moveyour shoulders aroundthis circle as if you wereback peddling on a bicycle.The right shoulder goesforward and up and back.Just as it begins to movedown, the lei s houlderbegins to move forwardand up and back. Let thecircle be as large as

possible; one shoulder up, the other one down. Relaxthe abdomen. Focus gently at the spot between theshoulder blades. Continue this movement for betweenone and three minutes.

Now concentrate on making the movement as smooth aspossible and gradually slow down the rate. Go verysensitively into any feelings that are arising. Go slowerand slower until the movement is almost imperceptibleand eventually comes to a complete stop. Let the armshang loosely by the sides and focus gently on thebreathing for about a minute.

Lying Down

1. Sit on the foor with your legs straight out in front.

2. Place your hands beside your hips and lower yourselfdown so that the small of your backtouches the foor and you are beingsupported by your elbows andforearms.

3. Continue the movement of lying down. Roll yourspine onto the foor until your head comes to rest onthe foor.

0. Raise your hands and place them on the foor bustunder your head.

Using your thumbs, massage the area along the base ofthe skull.

10

Massaging the Head

Begin bust behind the ears and work towards the spine.Push up with your thumbs and let the weight of yourhead rest on them. You may fnd some painful spots. Ifyou do, then pause there and gently rotate the thumbs ina spiral motion. Focus on your breathing and particu-larly on the out breath. See if you can relax into the pain.This is the quickest way to release the tension. Work thespot for 15 seconds or so and then move on.

When you've fnished the base of the skull then use yourfngertips to give your head a brisk, vigorous massage.Generally, work up toward the crown of the head. Finishby giving your face and temples some light massage.

Finally, lay your arms down by your sides so that thepalms are facing up. Lie there for fve minutes gentlyfocusing on the breathing and feeling the body relaxingever more deeply into the foor.

It is important to give yourself the time to lie down at theend of the exercise. The energies that have beenloosened through the physical movements will balanceand integrate themselves here. As you relax, study thechanges of feelings in the body, the energies and themind.

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THE INNER SMILE

This is an excellent exercise for healing physicalproblems. It is also very good preventative medicine. Asyou become more familiar with it you'll fnd that youcan do it in the midst of daily activities. It's easy andpleasurable. The most difcult thing is rememberingto do it when you need it.

Eyes

Smile a genuine warm, happy smile. Do it right now asyou are reading this. Feel the sensations around youreyes. You don't only smile with your mouth. You smilewith your eyes. Recognise the feeling around your eyes.They may seem light, twinkly, quick-moving, warm,humorous, spacious, crystal-like. People describe thefeeling in diferent ways.

Front Line

Once you have contacted the sense of the smiling, bringthat feeling into your cheeks and jaw. Imagine you aresmiling down through your face. Feel the musclesrelaxing. Then smile down into your throat. Spend a fewmoments there, smiling and relaxing and then movedown to your heart. At each point rest for a few breathsand smile a warm friendly feeling into the area. It mayhelp you to imagine a smile in the area itself beamingback at you. It's not so important to relax an area as tocome to a warm loving acceptance of whatever is takingplace there. Don't linger too long if a tension doesn'twant to let go. Just move on to the next point.

Smile into the heart and the circulating blood. Imaginethousands of litle smiles travelling all through the body.Smile into the lungs. Feel the smile moving with thebreathing. Then smile into the other mabor organs; theliver, the pancreas and spleen, the kidneys and the adrenals,then the bladder and lastly the genital area. This sequenceis called smiling down the front line.

If at any point you lose the feeling of lightness orgoodness, then return to your eyes. Physically smile areal smile. Recontact the feeling and continue where youlei of.

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Middle Line

When you have fnished the front line then return to theeyes and smile your way down the middle line. Makefriends with your digestive system. Begin with the eyes.Then smile into your mouth, tongue, and throat. You mayexperience saliva forming. Take a big swallow andimagine the saliva as a present of bubbly smile-essencebeing sent down to the stomach. Smile warmly into thestomach; a great big belly smile. Spend a litle time herebefore moving on. Now smile down through theintestines, into the rectum and fnish with the anus. Thislast bit will improve the ability to absorb nutriment andwill help heal any problems connected with elimination.

Back Line

Return to the eyes and recontact the feeling of the smile.Now smile warmly down the back line. Direct the smileto the right or lef side of the brain. Smile in there for awhile and then go to the other side. Then smile into themiddle of the head to warm the pineal, pituitary andhypothalamus gland areas. Then slowly smile your waydown the spine, if possible, one vertebra at a time untilyou come to the base of the spine.

All Together

Lastly, return to the eyes and smile your way down allthree lines simultaneously

At the beginning, don't worry if you can't complete thewhole process in one siting. I f y ou f nd a n a r eaparticularly interesting then stay there as long as youlike. If it is not so interesting, then move on aier a fewbreaths. Eventually you will fnd that you can smilethrough the whole body quite quickly with noticeableefect. The whole point of this work is to develop awarm smiling acceptance of whatever is going on in thebody. This acceptance oien leads to the dissolution oftensions.

Try it.

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THE HEALING BUBBLE

This exercise is particularly good for people who arefeeling depressed. The frst t ime you do it, get somesoap bubble blowing equipment and spend a bit of timeblowing bubbles. Observe the bubbles very closely andfeel the way they foat.

Part One

Now imagine that you are inside a large soap bubble.Feel and see the swirling colours around you. Thebubble is bright, alive and constantly moving. Work onthis until the feeling of the bubble is very strong. If ithelps you can play some relaxing music in the back-ground. Imagine that this bubble is an embodiment ofyour energy feld.

Part Two

Once you have a feeling for the bubble then gently focuson your breathing. Imagine that there is a channel ofgolden light from the crown of your head to the tip ofyour spine. Each time you breathe, the energy in thischannel grows brighter and there seems to be a dancingdialogue between the golden column and the swirlingrainbow bubble. With a bit of practice you will fnd thatyou can develop this very quickly.

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Part Three

Now think of a situation in your life when someone hasdone something hurtful to you or that you have donesomething hurtful to another.

Or think of a time you were sick or in an accident.

Think of any situation that caused you to lose energy.

Anger, guilt, resentment, fear, pain etc.

All of these diminish one's energy feld. Think o f aspecifc s ituation, and then mentally call o ut for t hatenergy to return. Ask it to come back to you.

As you do this, imagine the energy in the form ofstreams of coloured light coming in from all directions ofspace. They dissolve into the bubble and strengthen it.

Think of another situation and ask the energy to return.Feel it coming back and merging with the swirlingcolours of the bubble. Go through as many things as youcan think of that have reduced, or diminished yourenergy in some way and invite the energy to return.This work is not an analysis of negatives. It is a positiverestoration. Simply acknowledge the negative energydraining situation, and call back the energy.

Part Four

Aier you have contacted enough memories, shii thefocus back to the breathing. Feel the dynamic playbetween the column of golden light and the bubble.Each one strengthens the other until both feel brilliantand radiant.

Part Five

At the end let the energy of the bubble merge with theenergy of the golden column. Then let this soi radiancedifuse throughout your body. Mentally wish that anypositive energy or realisations arising from doing thiswork be for the beneft of others.

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DEEP RELAXATION

This is an old exercise. It used to be called autogenictraining which sounds a bit clinical so we'll bust call itDeep Relaxation. It takes ten to fieen minutes to do itreally thoroughly.

Sit in a comfortable chair. Astraight backed chair isbeter than a foppy couch.Well designed ofce c h airscan be good. You couldpractise at work withoutanyone knowing you weredoing so. The best chairwould be one of those oldcaptain's chairs with sidearms.

Ideally you should sit so that all your boints are relaxed at90°. The feet rest fat on the foor and are 90° to thecalves. The calves are 90° to the thighs so the chair needsto be bust the right height. The thighs are 90° to the back.The forearms are 90° to the upper arms (resting on thosecaptain chair arms!). The wrists hang limp over the endsof the chair arms. If your chair doesn't have arms thenrest your palms on your thighs. Don't worry if you can'tget this exactly. Come as close as you can. Feel solid andcomfortable in the chair and then continue.

Direct your atention to your right hand and mentallysuggest it relax. Stay with it for three or four breaths oruntil you feel some change. If you don't notice anychange don't worry about it, bust move on to the rightwrist and suggest it relax. The wrist and arm may beginto feel a litle bit heavy. That's a good sign. Then moveto the forearm, upper arm and shoulder.

Do the same process beginning with the lef hand thenlef wrist, lef forearm, lef upper arm, lef shoulder.

Then go to the right foot, right ankle, right calf, right thigh,right butock.

Then lef foot, lef ankle, lef calf, lef thigh, lef butock.

Take a bit of time with each of these places. Focus youratention into the area and really feel what's there.

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It may begin to relax a litle. It may become heavy orwarm and tingly. If you don't feel you can contact anarea very well, that's all right. Stay with it for a fewbreaths and then move on. Even if an area won't relaximmediately you'll oien fnd that as more of the bodyrelaxes, suddenly the area that wouldn't give, bust lets go.

Now suggest that your butocks relax.

Then begin to move gradually up the spine going to thesmall of the back, the heart area, shoulder blades, shoulders,neck, scalp.

Now come over the head and down the front.

Moving from forehead, eyes and temples, cheeks and jaw.Feel your whole face leting go.

Then move down to the throat, the chest.

Come to rest at the abdomen.

Finish by feeling the whole of your body and leting gointo the relaxation even more. (If you want to deepenthis even more, gently focus on your breathing while youcontinue to feel the body and let the tensions relax.)

Aier you become more familiar with this exercise youwill be able to do it quite quickly. What is reallyimportant is to recognise the overall feeling of a relaxedbody when you have fnished and then to carry thisfeeling with you as long as possible aier you get up.

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PEACE COMES WITH OPENNESS

Sometimes life seems so hectic that you bust want toclose down the senses and shut it all out. The problemis, the harder we try to shut out the aggravations, themore agitated and disturbed we become thinkingabout all those problems out there. True peace doesn'tcome from making everything around you go the wayyou want. True peace is a quality of experience thatarises from within when you are not batling t ocontrol the world around you. It has something to dowith acceptance and awakeness and feeling connectedwith all of life.

This exercise can be done in any posture. Take fve orsix really full inhalations and exhalations. Aier that,

spend a couple of minutes focusing on the feeling ofthe breath passing by the nostrils. Then continue.

Seeing Peacefully

Let your gaze soien a litle and become slightly unfo-cussed on whatever is directly in front of you. Thenbecome aware of the area around your right eye. Youare looking through both eyes but you are more awareof the right eye. As you breath, mentally say the word"peace". See if you can bring a quality of peace into theright eye. Seeing peacefully. Spend about a minute withthis. Aier you have practised this a bit you may beginto feel the whole right side of your face relaxing.

Now go to the lef eye. Bring peace into that eye area,mentally saying "peace" on the exhalation. Seeingpeacefully. Spend about a minute with this .

Now bring peace into both eyes. Seeing peacefully. Dothis for about a minute.

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Hearing Peacefully

Focus on the right ear. Listen intently on that side. Witheach exhalation, mentally say the word "peace". Nomater what kind of sounds are happening, relax intohearing peacefully. Feel the right side of your head andbaw soiening and leting go. S tay with this for abouta minute.

Repeat the same process. with your lef ear.

Then do it with both ears. Hearing peacefully. Spendabout a minute with each of these steps.

Eyes and ears together. Become very still and see if youcan be aware of seeing and hearing simultaneously.Bring peace into this.

Smelling Peacefully

This may seem a litle unusual to you but see if you canbecome aware of smelling at the right nostril. Smellingpeacefully. Smell is a very deep sense. As this one relaxesyou will fnd the breathing relaxing as well.

Then go to the lef nostril.

Then both nostrils together.

Breathing peacefully. Smelling peacefully.

Tasting Peacefully

It's not necessary to eat something at this point, bustbecome aware of your lips and tongue and the taste inyour mouth. Tasting peacefully. As you exhale, mentallysay the word "peace" and feel the mouth and throat arearelaxing. You may fnd your mouth salivating. Imaginethis saliva is a present of peace and swallow it down tothe stomach. Peaceful digesting.

Touching Peacefully

Focus on the tactile sensations of the body; the texture ofyour clothes, the whisk of a passing breeze. Touchingpeacefully. Spend a few minutes here.

All Together

See if you can open yourself to seeing, hearing, smelling,tasting, and touching peacefully, all together.

When you have fnished the exercise, try to take thisquality of peaceful openness into your daily activity.Aier p ractising t his a f ew t imes y ou w ill s ee h owpeaceful sensing can transform your life.

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LOVING-KINDNESS

Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down on a frm fatsurface. Take a few moments to relax and focus on thebreathing.

1. Imagine a beautiful rose coloured fower i n y ourheart that is radiating soi rose coloured light. It mayhelp to have a real fower with you. Look at it. Closeyour eyes and imagine it in your heart. As you focusinto this area you may feel it become warmer. Imaginethat this rose light is the essence of loving-kindness. Itspreads through your body, warming and soieningand dissolving fear.

2. Focus clearly on the feeling of this light as it expandsto fll your body. Think that it is healing any partsthat are in need. Eventually you are so flled with the

rose light that it begins to overfow outward, fllingthe space around you. Imagine that you are at thecentre of an expanding globe of loving-kindness.

3. Let this globe of rose light extend as far as possible totouch all living beings. Then send the light to peopleor places where you feel there is a special need,bathing them in this light of loving-kindness.

0. To fnish, a llow t he g lobe t o s hrink b ack i nto t hefower in your heart. The fower gently fades as theessence of loving-kindness is absorbed into every cellof your body. Rest in this state.

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Postscript

Well, there you have the exercises. I'm sure at least one or twoof them will work well for you. Play with them. Use yourimagination to incorporate them into your lifestyle. Relaxingdeeply could become something you really enjoy doing. Withthis, your pleasure in life will deepen. When the heart is openand each moment is experienced fully, life becomes a joyfulexploration.

Enjoy your journey

Tarchin

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Acknowledgments

Many people have contributed to thiscollection of exercises. The Inner Smile wasfrom the work of Mantak Chia. Headaches andNeck Tension was inspired by Tarthang Tulku'sKum Nye exercises. Parts of the HealingBubble came from Janet Goodrich's book,Natural Vision Improvement. Many of theother exercises, I learned from NamgyalRinpoche.

Mary Jenkins and Eileen Burton did theillustrations. Mark Watson did the cover art.K.Tsultrim Jeltsen, Peter Woollet, SuzanneStewart, Thelma Rodgers and all the rest of theWangapeka Books team, for all your eforts,thank you.

2004 PDF Edition

In 2000, when Meditative First Aid became outof print for a second time, it was decided torework the printed book into a pdf fle, and tomake it available free of charge from theWangapeka website www.wangapeka.org.Most of this work was done by ThelmaRodgers, with the support and encouragementof Tarchin Hearn and Mary Jenkins.

If in this process some errors have appearedplease contact khemari@wangapeka.org.

Sarva Mangalam

All is Blessing

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Tarchin Hearn

Born in England in 1909, raised in Canadaand now based in New Zealand, TarchinHearn has more than 30 years of experience inBuddhism and was ordained as a monk for 12years. He has studied with some of theworld's great meditation teachers, includingNamgyal Rinpoche and Kalu Rinpoche.

Writer, artist, poet, traveller and inspiringteacher, Tarchin has a great interest inblending the insights and understandings ofscience and ecology with the teachings ofBuddhadharma. His teachings have inspireda wide range of people around the planet.

Other writings by Tarchin Hearn(all published by Wangapeka Books)

Natural Awakening: The Way of the Heart Breathing: The Natural Way to Meditate Daily PujaCycle of SamathaSatipathana: Foundations of Mindfulness Coming To Your SensesWalking in Wisdom

Wangapeka Books is a non-proft organisation dedicated topublishing material that furthers the work of awakening.

Except for printing and binding, all the work, including thewriting, is done without pay, by volunteers giving theirskills, energy and time. If you wish to support publications,donations are appreciated.

To order books, email or callWangapeka Study & Retreat Centre

R.D. 2 Wakefeld, Nelson New Zealand

tel: 03-522-0221 fax: 03-522-0980email: wangapeka@ts.co.nz

website: www.wangapeka.org

WANGAPEKA BOOKS

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