LESSON 2
The Silva Centering Exercise
During this lesson, you’ll learn to enter the Alpha Level of mind with Silva’s world-famous 25-minute guided meditation audio which is designed to help reduce stress, enhance creativity and amplify intuition.
The Guided Meditation Technique
A guided meditation technique to help you achieve deep levels of relaxation.
In our last lesson, sent to you yesterday, we took a look at some truly fascinating stories about the power of the human mind.
Today, it’s time for you to take the first steps toward discovering and using your mind in more remarkable ways.
The technique we will teach you in this lesson is called the Silva Centering Exercise.
The Centering Exercise
It took Jose Silva 22 years of research and $500,000 in 1960’s monetary value ($2 million in today’s value) to develop his famous mind conditioning systems. It all begins with the Silva Centering Exercise. This exercise will guide you to your center brain frequency, the alpha level—the level for deep relaxation.
While at your center you will experience the many beneficial effects of deep meditation.
In this Lesson, You will download and listen to the Audio.
By centering yourself you will be able to…
- reduce stress
- positively influence your health
- mentally program yourself to change your attitudes
- kick bad habits
- practice creative imagery for goal setting
- enhance creativity and intuition
You can experience this powerful relaxation technique right this instant through your computer.
Laura with Silva students in Costa Rica
Let’s Get Started
To prepare, first read the introduction (Part 1), then the instructions and audio (Part 2). Total reading time is 7 minutes.
Then sit in a relaxed position and play the audio on your computer. The exercise will take 25 minutes.
Part 1: Understanding Meditation
Meditation is fast gaining recognition worldwide. In America, 10 million people now claim to meditate daily and this number is rapidly growing.
Why? Because it works and more and more doctors are recommending it.The following news headlines taken from 2003 help explain the sudden interest in meditation.
From the Washington Times – Aug 14, 2003
A new study shows [that] people who underwent meditation training produced more antibodies to a flu vaccine than people who did not meditate. Those who took part in the meditation study also showed signs of increased activity in areas of the brain related to positive emotion, as compared to people who did not meditate.
CBS News – Aug 27, 2003
People who meditate these days come from all walks of life and aren’t necessarily weird New Agers or pretentious actors. Students, lawyers, West Point cadets, athletes, prisoners, and government officials all meditate. It’s supposed to help depression, control pain, increase longevity, slow down cancers, invigorate the immune system, and significantly reduce blood pressure. Time magazine recently reported that “meditation can sometimes be used to replace Viagra.”
Time Magazine – Aug 4, 2003
Not only do studies show that meditation is boosting their immune system, but brain scans suggest that it may be rewiring their brains to reduce stress. It’s recommended by more and more physicians as a way to prevent, slow or at least control the pain of chronic diseases like heart conditions, AIDS, cancer and infertility.
As you read, meditation provides many benefits even when done by a beginner.
The Two Types of Meditation: Passive and Active
When we meditate several important things happen physically and mentally. First, we are “focusing internally” and letting go of the outside world (similar to going to sleep, but without losing consciousness).
This allows our brains to shift into more stable, stronger brain frequencies (called alpha and theta by scientists) normally reached during sleep.
When we can reduce our brain frequencies to these levels while staying awake we are able to bring the unconscious mind to the conscious level.
Passive Meditation
All meditation systems, such as Yoga, Zen, Transcendental Meditation ™, Silva Life System and others have similar benefits.
By “passively” letting go and going within, we “deactivate” our survival mechanisms and allow our body’s natural health and rejuvenation abilities to be activated.
Each method has its own way of reaching the inner state of mind, and each has its own goals.
Silva International is an A+ accredited business by Better Business Bureau
Has My Vote
“Anything with the name of Jose Silva as the author has my vote before I open to page one. Read it with a pen for underlining.”
Dr. Wayne Dyer
Dr. Wayne DyerSelf-improvement guru and bestselling author of Real Magic
Helps The Entire Learning Process
“I am interested in Jose Silva’s system because I feel it helps the entire learning process. The Silva Method™ is what I want for all the people I know and with whom I work.”
Dord Fitz
Dord Fitz founder of Dord Fitz Art Center and NASA guest speaker
Changed My Life… Nothing Has Been The Same Since
“In 1972 I changed my life. I went to a class to learn The Silva Method™ and nothing has been the same since. I credit that as one of the most important things I have ever done in my life. Above all, it helped me learn how to use more of my mind for a positive, special life.”
Neal Boortz
Neal BoortzNationally Syndicated Radio Host, The Neal Boortz Show from Atlanta, Georgia
Helped Bestselling Author Richard Bach Finish His Masterpiece
“Richard Bach, Silva Mind Control graduate and author of one of the “hottest” books ever written, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, explains: “Creative visualization is really what’s behind The Silva Method™; that is, whatever you can visualize, you can actualize” That is putting it squarely on the line. It is putting teeth into the old saw, “What man can conceive, he can achieve.” If you conceive of “a good day,”… Need I finish the sentence? Everything works better when you work; but objective work, as productive as it is, is not the only work you must do. You must also do subjective work using ten cycles per second to resonate with other minds and to get everything to work still better.”
Richard Bach,
author of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” from the United States
It Brings Good Energy To Me!!!
“My experience has been wonderful. When she (Laura) guides me through and takes me so deep into relaxation I come out of it totally energized and my head is crystal clear. God, I love it. It brings good energy to me that lasts a long time. I also liked the exercise finding my life purpose. That was totally amazing for me. Thank you so much…”
Jenny Cook,
Jenny CookCalifornia, US
Active Meditation
Jose Silva’s techniques allow you to use the relaxed, healthy state of mind that occurs during meditation to solve your day-to-day problems.
Silva found that by “actively” utilizing brain languages (kinesthetic, visual, and auditory thought processes), we can use this higher energy state to improve memory and learning skills, change unwanted habits, enhance health, and healing.
He also developed techniques to achieve what many people call “tapping the super-conscious” to solve problems, reach goals, come up with new ideas and solutions to problems. Some students use the Silva Life System to enhance their spiritual growth.
Using such techniques within a meditative state is called “active” meditation.
Part 2: How to Practice
The Silva Centering Exercise is presented over audio. Laura Silva Quesada will guide you to a healthy, relaxed level of mind. You will also hear a gently sound in the background. The sound is a gentle beat of 10 cycles per second. This sound simulates the alpha level frequency and will help guide your brain to this correct frequency.
All you need to do is find a comfortable position, preferably sitting up, and close your eyes. When you’re ready you can start the audio. When you practice the Silva Centering Exercise, there are three things you need to do while you keep your eyes closed. The Exercise is more than just a relaxation tool—it is also a powerful way to tap into your mind to solve problems, change habits and practice creative visualization.
This is what we mean by Dynamic Meditation.
The Three Things You Must Do
First, you should practice your concentration. Concentration is a basic skill. Concentrate on what the instructor tells you to do via the audio. Second, practice your imagination. We want you to learn how to exaggerate your imagination, because you will be in a better position to control your creative visualization. At the same time, it will keep you active while going through the exercise. By being mentally active, you avoid the tendency to drift off into sleep. Third, you must practice coordinating your physiological relaxation with your mental relaxation. It is easy to go into a mental relaxation. But you must learn to let your body relax too. It takes a little longer for you to relax your body than it does for you to relax your mind.
You do not have to maintain a fixed, rigid position. If you have to adjust your body to be comfortable, do so. If you need to scratch an itch, do it. Make yourself comfortable and you will be able to relax better.
If you feel uncomfortable for any reason or want to open your eyes, then open your eyes immediately. Tell yourself—mentally or verbally—to relax, that everything is okay. Then when you are relaxed, go back to the beginning of the recording and start over.
Things to Remember
- When the instructor says to “project”—or “concentrate”—your sense of awareness on your scalp area, that’s where you start practicing concentration. Establish what your “awareness” is. Let’s pretend, for example, that it is a ray of light. Blue-white light. It is easier for us to focus a ray of light into that area than anything else.
- Next you are instructed to detect the vibrations in that area, a “feeling of warmth caused by circulation”. Naturally, it is the blood circulation we are talking about. Concentrate on trying to feel the pulsations of those vibrations in that area. You may not feel them on your first try, but by the second or third effort, you will.
- Then you are instructed to “release and completely relax all tensions and ligament pressures from this part of your body”. Don’t just recite it, concentrate on it, and exaggerate your imagination. How would you imagine your scalp being fully relaxed? Think. Concentrate. Maybe you would feel better imagining your scalp as if there is a warm, wet cloth draped over it. Use your imagination.
- The instructor will also say positive affirmations such as, “Every day in every way I am getting better and better.“ Another affirmation you will hear is, “I am now learning to attune my intelligence by developing my sensing faculties, and to project them to different locations.” This is an affirmation we use in our seminars to train people to develop ESP – Effective Sensory Projection.
- At a certain point, the instructor will say “When you next hear my voice one hour of time will have passed at this level of mind”. The instructor will then go silent for 30 seconds before you hear his voice again. This is a mental suggestion to make you feel as relaxed as if you just had an hour of rest. One hour of time does not really pass – only 30 seconds will pass. But your subconscious mind will take this suggestion as being true and so you will feel the effects of having just had one hour of time pass at the alpha level of mind. You’ll feel more relaxed and calm.
When you combine your physiological relaxation with your mental relaxation you will be much more relaxed at the end of that exercise. The more you practice, the easier it will be to relax completely. Please remember, the secret to success is discipline. Practice makes perfect. This is no different from training your physical body and getting into shape. If you exercise your body only once per month you get very different results than if you exercise daily. The same principle applies when you train and exercise your mind. The more you go into alpha, learn to visualize, relax, and tune into your intuition, the healthier and better your life becomes. Note: You may want to listen to the exercise first so there will be no surprises.
Some Applications
With practice you will also be better able to tap into your intuitive feelings or hunches.
It just takes practice, and the knowledge that it is possible and that you can do it. In Silva Life System Seminars the majority of participants are able to tap effectively into their intuition by day two of the seminar and perform health case readings on people unknown to them.
It is important that you continue to practice the Silva Centering Exercise regularly. We encourage graduates of the Silva Life System to practice it once a week for three months after they graduate. Many of us continue to practice it at least once a week even after that.
Once you have learned to relax in a sitting position, if you want to find a more comfortable position—to stretch out in a nice reclining chair for instance—then do so. First learn to enter deep, healthy levels of mind with conscious awareness—without going to sleep. After you’ve learned this, then you can enter deep levels even when lying down comfortably, and you can still remain awake for as long as you desire.
Now, let’s take a quick stretch break and then enjoy the Silva Centering exercise.
