The six basic exercises by Rudolf Steiner

Tom van Gelder March 2011

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Introduction Rudolf Steiner has given six simple exercises to develop and purify thinking, feeling and willing. They are called basic exercises or additional exercises ((German !e"en#"ungen$ "ecause you can do them in addition to meditation. %ven if you do not want to meditate, these exercises are good to do. &ou get to know yourself "etter and life "ecomes more interesting. Thinking, feeling and willing are parts of the soul. 'y practising them ( first separately (thinking, feeling, willing$ and then in com"inations ( you develop your soul. There are several reasons to do these exercises

)n meditation thinking, feeling and willing "ecome detached from each other and can go their own way. )n ordinary life, too, one may o"serve disconnection "etween thinking, feeling and willing. &ou feel something and you think something that has no connection with that feeling. %.g. you may feel pity, "ut you think *that*s not my pro"lem*. +r you do something, which you did not think a"out and with which you are not satisfied. %.g. you watch television and see someone eating peanuts, you go to the kitchen and take some and eat them, and then you think *why am ) eating peanuts, did ) want to do that,*. -ith these exercises you will strengthen integration of the three. Sometimes you may find that thinking, feeling and willing happen automatically and that some thoughts, feelings and actions are not so pretty. 'y doing the "asic exercises, you can purify them.

The six exercises 1. /ontrol of thought aims to gain control over what you think. .. /ontrol of will aims to gain control over your actions. 0. %1uanimity ( the exercise of feeling ( aims to "e aware of your feelings, to weaken strong feelings and strengthen weak ones and to "alance them. 2. 3ositivity aims to see the positive in addition to the "ad and the ugly. )n this exercise thinking and feeling are com"ined. 4. +pen(mindedness aims to "e always open to new experiences. )n this exercise feeling and willing are com"ined. 5. )nner harmony the sixth, in which the previous exercises need to "e practised in order to create harmony "etween thinking, feeling and willing. The goals of the exercises

To "e more aware of how you think, feel and act. To gain more control over thoughts, feelings and actions. To think, feel and act more clearly. To make a harmonious whole of thinking, feeling and willing.

&ou can practice alone or in a group. The latter ena"les you to exchange experiences, to stimulate each other and to maintain the exercises for a longer period. They may seem easy to do, "ut are not so easy to maintain for four weeks. )t may seem that everyday life asks so much of you that there is no time to do the exercises. )t may "e helpful to write down your experiences every day what exercise you have done and how it went. 6lthough Steiner made several statements a"out the duration of the exercises, it is generally recommended that all exercises are done consecutively and in the mentioned order for four weeks. 6fter 0

having practised for four weeks, the ac1uired skills form a ha"it that will "e included in your vital or etheric "ody. -hen you start an exercise, the first week you are enthusiastic "ecause of the novelty of the exercise. So first you are pulled forward "y the exercise. Somewhere in the first or second week the novelty has gone and you have to do the exercise "y yourself ( you have to generate enthusiasm inside yourself. )t "ecomes more difficult to do the exercise, you need to invest more, which also makes the effect of the exercise stronger. )t may "e 1uite effective if you do each exercise one week and then take the next one ( so you do exercises for a week alternately. 7ow you do the exercises is ultimately up to you, your possi"ilities and your interest. Take them seriously, "ut not too seriously8 they should not "e a duty. 7umour gets you further9 Literature :am, ;. van, 1<<<. 7et =esvoudige pad. >ri? Geestesleven, @eist (:utch$. Steiner, Rudolf, 1<1A. 6n outline to esoteric science. Steiner "ooks. Blens"urger 7efte 2C, 1<<2. D"ungen =ur Sel"ster=iehung (German$.

Control of thought Use an ordinary object (a pencil, clothe spin, clip, book, etc.) and think about it for fi e !inutes e ery day. &ou take an o"?ect in front of you or in your mind and the first time you descri"e it to yourself aloud. &ou can also imagine yourself descri"ing it to a "lind person. Ese all your senses and make as many o"servations as you can in five minutes. Repeat this the next day, you will pro"a"ly notice new details. 6fter a while you can ask 1uestions a"out the o"?ect F-hat can ) do with it,F, F-hat is it made of,F, F-hy this shape,F, F-hat other shapes could it have,F, F-here was it made,F, F7ow did ) get it,F,F 7ow are the raw materials mined,F, etc. &ou will "e a"le to answer some of these 1uestions. )f not, you can search for an answer in an encyclopaedia or on the internet. &our should "e a"le to determine whether your thoughts are correct, otherwise your thoughts will wander. which is not the intention. &ou can repeat what you did the day "efore and "uild on your previous thoughts. 6fter some time you will have covered all possi"le 1uestions, then do it one or two more times until you can really find no more issues to think a"out. Then follow the same procedure with another o"?ect. -hen doing this exercise you may notice that your thinking gets clearer and sharper, and that your perception, concentration and o"?ectivity increase. 6lso, your interest grows. The difficulty of the exercise is that your mind wanders. The challenge is to "e a"le to think a"out the o"?ect for five minutes, "ut you will find that your mind wanders to something else very easily, that your thoughts are associative and work automatically. %.g. you think of a pencil and suddenly you see in your mind your grandma with a pencil in her hand, grandma has a "udgerigar and suddenly you are thinking a"out the whistling of this "ird. )nterrupt such thoughts you wanted to think a"out the pencil. 6nother difficulty may "e that you do not have the answers to the 1uestions. 7owever, 4

nowadays it is easy to find them on the internet. The exercise is called control of the mind. The example ?ust given shows that often there is no control over our thinking. -e are thought, our thinking is associative and automatic. -e "elieve that we think, "ut our thinking is often not focused. Gake sure that you do the exercise every day. &ou can choose a fixed time. /hoose a time when you are awake and clear(headed, so not after dinner, "ut for example "efore or after "reakfast or at H o*clock at night. &ou can also do it while waiting for the train, in a spare moment. :oing the exercise with two or three o"?ects should "e sufficient.

Control of "ill # acting on your o"n initiati e $o a si!ple act "ithout purpose at a fixed ti!e each day. &ou decide to do a simple act daily at a fixed time during an period of four weeks. This act does not have a direct meaning and is only useful as an exercise. The act could "e anything, e.g. pulling your left earlo"e, taking out your handkerchief and putting it "ack into your pocket again, untying and tying your shoelaces, rolling "ack one sleeve of your sweater, or deflating and re(inflating the tire of your "ike. The variations are endless, "ut make sure that you have the necessary attri"ute with you when you need it. &ou can do the exercise at the same fixed time every day, or ( and this is more difficult ( you can decide on a time each day in the morning. The difficulty of this exercise is not to think of a senseless act, "ut to do it every day at the time set "y yourself. +ften you think of doing the exercise an hour "efore the set time, again fifteen minutes "efore the set time, five minutes...., and then the phone rings or someone says something to you and the next time you think a"out the exercise it is an hour later. 6nd you really wanted to do the exercise9 Still, you were preoccupied with what others wanted from you or you were distracted "y some thought that came along. )f you are late for the exercise, it is still good to do it. The meaning of the fixed time is that you must keep your aim and at the same time restrain yourself until the time has come. &our awareness of what you really want will grow "y this. The exercise is called acting on your own initiative. The goal is to take the initiative in your actions, to "etter direct your will and to your stand fastness. C

Gany, if not most actions in a day are done "ecause they have to "e done or they are done for other people. There are not many acts that we really do for ourselves. The exercise is a commitment to yourself to do something. Such a commitment is harder to keep than a commitment to someone else. Some tips to make this exercise a success

)t helps to choose a time that is easy. )f you wake up every day at seven you can do it shortly thereafter. )f you eat every day at six, at ten to six. +ften you will see that when you are in a different rhythm, the exercise is more difficult to do. &ou will succeed during the week, for instance, "ut not so easily in the weekends. +n those days you will have to make more of an effort. )magine a picture in the morning of performing the act at the place and in the circumstances where you expect to "e at the fixed time. Then you have a picture of an accomplished exercise. )f you hold on to that image, it is more likely that your exercise will succeed. )f you do the exercise lightly, using your sense of humour, it is easier to maintain and it will make you even happier when the exercise succeeds. )f it is very difficult to do the exercise, then put a note on the wall to remind you.

%&uani!ity # the exercise of feeling 'bser e your feelings, restrain strong responses and strengthen feeble ones. This exercise is not done with an o"?ect or at a fixed time, "ut throughout the day. -hen something happens to you, look at your feelings, either at that moment or later. )f you start with this exercise, at first you might not experience many different feelings, "ut in the course of four weeks there appear to "e more and more, "oth positive and negative, with fierce and fee"le reactions. )t may help to make a list or a map of your feelings and their intensity at the end of the day. Beelings are like the weather. They are ?ust there. -e experience them, "ut unlike the weather we can ad?ust our reaction "y our thoughts. 6n example ) say something to someone. 7e leaves the room and the door closes with a "ang. ) get scared and feel fear. )s this "anging of the door a response to what ) said, :id ) hurt him, 'ut is this thought ?ustified, 3erhaps the door was shut "y a gust of wind. -hen the person comes "ack and smiles or says something like the door fell out of my hand, then ) am reassured and understand that my response was not correct and slowly ) will "e a"le to change my attitude to the slamming of a door. 6 next time ) will "e less scary and perhaps ) am more neutral to such an event. 6nother example when ) am pushed in my "ack while walking in the street, ) feel anger, annoyance or fear. -hen ) see that ) was pushed "y a "lind person, ) understand that he could not help it. 3erhaps that thought leads to a modified feeling a"out the event. 6nd ) can take it a step further "y cultivating the thought F+thers may "e "lind to how they affect others. )t is their ignorance or failure to see, that leads others to act towards me in ways that may evoke my anger.F Then, gradually, this thought permeates us and our feelings <

and reactions "ecome modified. Gay"e they are not as intense, or they don*t last so long anymore. &ou cannot take a particular moment, "ut you need to restrain your strong responses at the moment that you experience them, and likewise cherish the su"tle ones. -hen you look "ack at the end of the day, you will find that sometimes you could do that, and that you missed an opportunity at other times. The next day you go on with that awareness. )t*s not always easy to name feelings. There are feelings that are close to each other and yet different, such as happy and cheerful, anxious and afraid, angry and upset. !egative feelings are often easier to tackle than positive ones. &ou need to distinguish feelings from 1uasi(feelings, which usually start with F) feelF, e.g. taken, used, loved, attacked. Real feelings usually start with F) amF, e.g. angry, happy, sad, surprised. )t can help to make a list of feelings. This list is from the /entre for !onviolent /ommunication. (oals To "ecome aware of the feelings you have and their intensity. So, you have to o"serve your feelings. Gake an inventory of them and their intensity once or several times a day or at the end of the day. &ou use your feeling as an instrument of perception, "ecause it tells you a"out your relationship with your surroundings and yourself. &ou will notice that there are feelings that you often have. &ou will also notice that some feelings are intense and that there are feelings that are less developed, hard to perceive and rarely or not expressed. To "e aware how your thoughts influence your feelings. The closer you can stick to your o"servations, the less your feelings will overwhelm you. To create harmony and "alance in your feelings. /ontrol and weaken violent reactions and strengthen su"tle and weak 1A

emotions, so that an e1uili"rium arises. The aim is not to deny feelings, the aim is to diminish the violent reaction, so that other more su"tle emotions can "e felt. )t is then that you take charge of your feelings and not vice versa. &ou should not suppress the anger, "ut the involuntary cursing. )t is not the possi"le harm you fight, "ut the fruitless irrational fear. )esults F&ou are not your feelings, you have them.F &ou "ecome more receptive to feelings and can experience them more evenly. 'alance and e1uanimity arise. 6wareness arises a"out your feelings. &ou are a"le to identify your feelings, they "elong to you, are part of you. 'y o"serving them, you create a certain distance to your feelings. They can no longer sweep you away. &ou control yourself and your feelings "etter. &ou are a"le to keep your composure.

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*ositi ity # obser ing the positi e +l"ays try to see the positi e aspects of so!ething negati e. )n many situations you encounter, you see the negative and ugly aspects 1uite clearly. )n this exercise the aim is that you always see something positive, too, without denying the negative. -hen something is negative, you can emphasi=e the positive within or "esides that. There is always something "eautiful or good that lies concealed in everything. The exercise should not lead to an uncritical attitude and a vague Feverything is good and "eautifulF or to denying the negative. The exercise is "uilt on the previous exercises8 it is a new step "ecause of the com"ination of thinking and feeling. To see the positive or good in the negative, you have to overcome your reactions, opinions and pre?udices. The circumstances "ecome more interesting. Iuestions like F-hat does this tell me,F, F-hat can ) learn from this,F, F-hy is it that ) did not hear,F, may help in this exercise. 6 good opportunity to practice this are reviews, evaluations, etc. you always mention one more positive point then negative ones. 6nd if you critici=e, then only as a starting point for improvement. There are t"o aspects to this exercise,

Strengthening the perception. &ou must not let the negative or the ugly distract you from looking for the positive. &ou strengthen your interest "y searching for that. 'ecoming independent of your feelings "y looking for the positive. &ou have to restrain your negative feelings, otherwise they keep you away from further o"servation.

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:uring and after this exercise you still see the negative, "ut you try to find something positive in it. Sometimes this only succeeds when you look "ack, which may "e days or even years later. 6s you o"serve more and see the situation from different angles, you will restrain your opinion at first and you "ecome more open and will o"serve more comprehensively. Therefore the exercise leads to greater tolerance. Eltimately, there is almost nothing that does not have something positive in it. $ifficulties

&ou are so overtaken "y the negative or the negative is so overwhelming that you do not get around to the positive. &ou may "e una"le to withhold your criticism, "ecause your ?udgements grew over the years and you accept them as esta"lished facts. &ou tend to forget to look for the positive at the moment itself. )n that case look "ack at a later moment.

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'pen#!indedness # be open to ne" experiences +l"ays keep open the possibility to experience so!ething ne" and keep in !ind that ne" experiences can counter old ones. Bor the umpteenth time you stroll through the woods, for the umpteenth time you ride your "ike to school or work. %verything is already known. Suddenly, you notice that the light falls through the leaves or the high grass of a meadow in a special way or that the colours are different and of a special intensity. &ou suddenly smell an unknown fragrance. Te fact that you notice this makes you happy and relaxed and that happiness and relaxation are reflected in your "ody you smile, there is a sense of freedom in your head, you "reathe more freely, you walk or cycle more upright. &ou wonder what*s so special and you realise that first you were less o"servant, that you were inside yourself. &ou notice your previous seclusion. There is wonder and ama=ement at what you perceived, you have opened your soul to the world outside you. &ou have "een open( minded, "ut that needed a special o"servation. The aim of this exercise is that you stimulate open(mindedness. The more knowledge and skills you have, the harder it is to "e un"iased, the less you are open to new impressions. &ou have already made many ?udgements and many patterns have formed in your thinking and your actions. )mprisonment of your mind may "e the result, i.e. something or someone is simply this or that and you think it will remain so forever. &ou*re not alert to changes. 7a"it determines your reaction in certain situations and to certain people. To practice open(mindedness, you must open your senses and hold your ?udgements "ack. &ou want to see the world with different eyes and "ecome full of expectation a"out everything around you. &ou try to listen to new experiences. &ou discover things that you did not notice "efore. &our attention is greater and the result is that the world is expressed in your inner self. &ou must not deny your already 12

ac1uired knowledge, on the contrary, you should "uild on it, and enrich it. 7elpful when practising, is an attitude of in1uiring interest and curiosity. The result is growing ama=ement and wonder there are always new o"servations. 6long with these, new 1uestions arise. This exercise is a com"ination of thinking and willing. The component of thinking consists of a great openness to new o"servations, keeping your ?udgements "ack, letting events speak for themselves. The component of willing is that you engage everything with confidence, assume that you can change every day and that there is always something new to "e discovered.

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Inner har!ony # creating balance *ractice the fi e pre ious exercises, separately and in arious co!binations as needed, so that har!ony bet"een thinking, feeling and "illing arises. The previous exercises were aimed at the separate development of soul 1ualities control of thought and willing, e1uanimity with respect to feelings of love and sorrow, positivity in assessing the world and open(mindedness towards life. This exercise is designed to ensure harmony "etween these 1ualities. Some have a strong tendency to think, others have developed their feelings "etter, again others live strongly in action. Through practising the five exercises together and according to need, harmony will "e created "etween the three faculties of the soul. &ou can practice com"inations of exercises for a while, "ut you can also choose a specific exercise that you need in a certain phase in your life. 3erhaps it gets too much after a while. Then it may help to think that someone who practices, learns and grows, and someone who does*nt does not. The exercises get easier "ecause you have practised them separately at first8 you can do them to some extent. &ou have already gathered experience, ac1uired skills and "uilt forces that will make it easier to continue. &ou*ve already "ecome more attentive to your soul, you improved on your weaknesses and limitations and you already react more "alanced than "efore. 'y going through this exercise you will improve this further. 6fter you*ve done all the exercises once, you can stop for a while and then start again or ?ust do the exercises that did not go well. )n this way the "asic exercises can "e a help to develop yourself continually.

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