SNOWMAN-EXERCISE

The 3 CIRCELS, called “SNOWMAN”, are a symbol of man and his training path to self-knowledge and development of consciousness.

The term “SNOWMAN” originated in the classroom at the Waldorf School where Selma Aldinger taught the SNOWMAN for ten years in the upper grades. When she drew her experience in the Japanese Zen monastery, which led her to her teaching of the 3 CIRCLES, on the blackboard as a representation of three circles standing on top of each other, the students shouted: “A snowman”. Here, the lower, empty or white, 1st CIRCLE represents the primordial ground (represented in the lower abdomen). The middle, 2nd CIRCLE with brown filling represents the feelings (represented in the heart and upper belly space) and the upper, 3rd CIRCLE with brown filling represents the thoughts (represented in the head space).

The brown filling of the thought and the feeling CIRCEL symbolizes thereby the sensual, personal space and the white, 1st CIRCLE the supersensual, transpersonal, formless and infinite space. The brown filling of the two upper (1st, 2nd) CIRLES is a symbol for the possible identification with the (stressful) present, the past and/or the future. The white or the emptiness of the lower, 1st CIRCLE symbolises the free present.

The SNOWMAN-EXERCISE is a part of the SNOWMAN training path. It is a breathing meditation with roots in Zen Buddhism and Christian mysticism, developed by Zen and contemplation teacher Selma Aldinger in the course of her thirty-year Zen and contemplation practice path to learn mindful self-awareness and attain expanded consciousness.

The SNOWMAN means to penetrate to the center of one’s being. The exercise provides a way to perceive thoughts and feelings, not to identify with them, but to become an observer of them and to let go of the negative through breathing. This creates new spaces for our feeling and thinking. Our feeling and thinking space expands, we experience a new dimension of consciousness space within us.

Through conscious breathing in connection with the different spaces of the body, we can free ourselves from negative, burdening thoughts and feelings, supply ourselves with new, fresh energy and consciously perceive the present in all its fullness.

The SCHNEEMANN EXERCISE leads to accepting thoughts and feelings, transforming them and thereby becoming free of them in order to gain access to the primordial ground (1st CIRCLE).

With the consistent daily performance of the exercise, it becomes a part of everyday life. A habit develops that enriches our lives as an everyday ritual. The exercise helps to consciously deal with personal life processes and to accept them and thereby become free.

Carrying out the exercise

The SNOWMAN-EXERCISE can be done standing, sitting or lying down. It is ideal to face the sun.

Before starting the exercise, it is important to realise which negative and stressful thoughts and/or feelings are present and which should be released with the help of the exercise.

- Is there a stressful thought?
- Where is there an obstacle or blockage that is weighing me down and preventing me from feeling free?
- What specific situation do I want to work on?
- Is there a stressful feeling?
- Which feeling do I want to address? For example, anger, rage, worry, fear, sadness, rejection.

The SCHNEEMANN EXERCISE is also carried out when no stressful thoughts and/or feelings can be recognised or are present. It makes it possible to fill the space created by the exercise with new, fresh energy and strength and to repeatedly re-establish access to the primordial ground (1st CIRCLE).

The EXERCISE is made up of two parts, exercise part I (head, 3rd CIRCLE) and exercise part II (heart, 2nd CIRCLE).

Exercise part I: Head space – upper circle, 3rd CIRCLE:

Open the legs about hip-width, let the arms hang loosely. With conscious and deep inhalation stretch the arms up over the sides above the head. The body should form the shape of an X, i.e. the legs are open hip-width and the arms are stretched slightly outward over the head. This movement should be dynamic and powerful. Establish “grounding” with the basic position in the X.

The SNOWMAN-EXERCISE teaches the correct way to stand, i.e. to align the body with the earth. It should form a solid foundation. Oxygen intake and the quality of our breathing are important here.

Breathe in and out a few times to root yourself to the earth and open upwards.

When the sun is shining, bring the hands together so that the fingers of the right and left hands touch and form a circle around the sun.

The circle of light is a symbol for the lower, 1st CIRCLE in the SNOWMAN. The circle with the sun reflects the 1st CIRCLE within us. It makes us realise that this circle of light is also within us.

By slightly squinting the eyes, different beam directions emerge from the sun ball. By opening the thumbs, the lower sun ray is directed towards our body.

This establishes a conscious connection with the sun’s energy directed at our body. With its radiant power, the sunbeam helps us to let everything unnecessary and stressful flow through us and drain it into the primordial ground (1st CIRCLE).

Breathe calmly until the connection to this energy is established and perceived.

Then breathe in slowly and deeply, stretching your arms towards the ray of sunshine. We shape the ray with our arms. Breathe calmly.

With the next deep inhalation, move your arms towards your head with your hands open and place your hands flat on your head.

In doing so, I consciously draw the energy of the sun into my head space. The air current with fresh oxygen flows into my head in my imagination, as if I am picking up fresh energy in my brain. I want to feel deeply into this space.

Hold your breath.

In order to be able to hold the breath, it is necessary to focus attention on this process so that the involuntary breathing reflex is suppressed or controlled. This focussing creates a space in which consciousness expands. With regular practice of the SCHNEEMANN EXERCISE, this space expands more and more.

Now follows the exhalation. During the exhalation, the hands are formed into a slider with the palms facing down and the thumbs spread apart. The thumbs rest against the sides of the temples, the fingertips lie on top of each other and the index fingers rest against the forehead.

The slider now moves from the head via the heart region to the lower abdomen (primal ground) and pushes the stressful energy down with it.

This creates a space that is free of all stressful thoughts.

Once the slider has reached the navel, it stops and the hands each form an index finger. These are now used to exert light pressure on the navel.

This makes me aware of the ego centre. The navel is the gateway to the 1st CIRLE.

Now use the index fingers, which serve as direction and command, to push or send out the stressful streams of thought and the used energy downwards via the legs standing in the X.

In my imagination, the primordial ground is a body that is a part of the body. In my imagination, the primordial ground is an infinitely large, free and untouchable space in which all the air flow in all directions completely dissolves.

At the end, the hands make a shaking out movement to release the energy.

Exercise part II: Heart space – middle, 2nd CIRCLE:

Now we turn our attention to the heart space.

With the next deep inhalation, open the arms in a semicircular motion at chest level and expand the chest wide.

Breathe in and out a few times to re-establish “grounding”, i.e. to root yourself in the earth.

Exhale.

Then inhale slowly and deeply and move both arms with open hands towards the heart. Place the hands flat on the chest area, where we imagine the seat of our feelings.

While doing, I consciously draw the energy of the sun into my heart space. The air current with fresh oxygen flows into my heart in my imagination, as if I were picking up fresh energy. I want to feel deeply into this space.

Hold your breath.

Now the exhalation takes place. During the exhalation, the hands are formed into a slider with the palms facing down and the thumbs spread apart.

The slider is applied under the armpits by pressing on the pain point under the armpits with the thumbs.

The slider moves from the heart region to the lower abdomen (primal ground) and pushes the stressful energy down with it.

This creates a space that is free of all stressful feelings.

Once the pusher has reached the navel, it stops and the hands each form an index finger. These are now used to exert light pressure on the navel.

This makes me aware of the ego centre. The navel is the gateway to the 1st CIRCLE.

Now use the index fingers, which serve as direction and command, to push or send out the stressful feelings and the used energy downwards via the legs standing in the X.

At the end, the hands make a shaking out movement to release the energy.

The SNOWMAN-EXERCISE is a cleansing and at the same time energizing, i.e. energy absorbing exercise. Fresh energy is absorbed into the mind and heart space, spent energy is released downward. After several breathing processes, my head and heart feel cleansed and liberated. In my imagination, the stressful thoughts and feelings, everything that is unhealthy, blocked and disease-causing has now dissolved in the primordial ground and fresh, new energy is available. In our imagination, healing energy flows through our body.

Urheberrecht: Selma Aldinger