Start from the circumference

Osho: "Total relaxation is the ultimate. That's the moment when one becomes a buddha. That is the moment of realization, enlightenment, christ-consciousness.

You cannot be totally relaxed right now. At the innermost core a tension will persist.

But start relaxing. Start from the circumference - that's where we are, and we can start only from where we are. Relax the circumference of your being - relax your body. (...)

You will have to relax from the circumference. The first step in relaxing is the body. Remember as many times as possible to look into the body, whether you are carrying some tension in the body somewhere - in the neck, in the head, in the legs. Relax it consciously. Just go to that part of the body, and persuade that part. Say to it lovingly “Relax”.

And you will be surprised that if you just approach any part of your body lovingly, it listens, it follows you - it is your body. With closed eyes, go inside the body from the toe to the head searching for any place where there is a tension.

And then talk to that part as you talk to a friend; let there be a dialogue between you and your body. Tell it to relax, and tell it, "There is nothing to fear. Don't be afraid. I am here to take care - you can relax". Slowly, slowly you will learn the knack of it. Then the body becomes relaxed.

Then take another step, a little deeper; tell the mind to relax. And if the body listens, mind also listens, but you cannot start with the mind - you have to start from the beginning. You cannot start from the middle. Many people start with the mind and they fail; they fail because they start from a wrong place. Everything should be done in the right order.

If you become capable of relaxing the body voluntarily, then you will be able to help your mind relax voluntarily. Mind is a more complex phenomenon.

Osho, The Dhammapada: The way of the Buddha, Vol 1, #8