The above exercises were given to teach you the art of controlling involuntary muscular movement, thus bringing your body under the control of the voluntary functions. The following exercises are designed to enable you to bring you voluntary muscular movements under the direct control of the Will, in other words, to train the mental faculties producing voluntary muscular movement.

1. Sit in front of a table, placing your hands upon the table, the fists clinched and lying with the backs of the hands on the table, the thumb being doubled over the fingers. Fix your gaze upon the fist for a while, and then slowly extend. Then reverse the process, closing first the little finger and continuing the closing until the fist is again in its original position, with the thumb closed over the fingers. Repeat with the left hand. Continue this exercise five times at a sitting, and then increase it to ten times.

   This exercise will make you "tired," but you must persevere as it is of importance to you in the directions of training your attention by directing it to trivial and monotonous exercises; in addition, it will give you direct control over all of your muscular movements. You soon will feel the benefit accruing from these simple and apparently unimportant exercises. Do not fail to keep the attention closely upon the closing and unclosing of the fingers. That is the main point, if you neglect it; you lose the entire benefit of the exercise.

2. This exercise is nothing more or less than the old trick, often observed among our country cousins, known as "twirling the thumbs." Place the fingers of one hand, leaving the thumbs free. Then slowly twirl the thumbs one over the other, with a circular motion. Be sure to keep the attention firmly fixed upon the ends of the thumbs.
3. Place the right hand on the knee, the fingers and thumb closed, with the exception of the first finger, which must be pointed out in front of you. Then move the finger slowly from side to side, keeping the attention firmly fixed upon the end of the finger.