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The Toltec art of recapitulation is an ancient technique used by the Toltecs for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years, according to modern Toltec authors such as Carlos Castaneda, Victor Sanchez, don Miguel Ruiz, and others.

The purpose of recapitulation is to take back your personal power that was lost during unpleasant or traumatic events in your life. This strengthens your energy body and clarifies and releases old events that have caused you emotional pain.

Here are the basic steps:

I. The Inventory

Start a notebook dedicated to listing all of the current beliefs that you hold about your life and your relationships with others. This notebook is called the Inventory. While this is the traditional first step, you can begin recapitulating your daily life right away, using the Sweeping Breath technique given below. But, it is very important to work on your past issues as well, in order to reclaim the bulk of your lost personal power.)

You will want to have a journal that is dedicated only to this work. You might want to begin by dividing the notebook into sections for "Lovers", "Family Members", "Friends & Acquaintances", "Personal Beliefs", etc. Other sections may come to you as you do the work.

Many Toltec teachers recommend beginning with your lovers, since that tends to be where we lose the most energy. Start by listing all of the lovers who pop into your mind, with a brief note about your feelings and beliefs about each one, along with memories of that person that cause you grief, shame, anger or other unpleasant emotions. These so-called "negative" emotions indicate that you lost power during one or more interactions with the person.

When your list of lovers is complete, you will want to move on to the next list, perhaps for Family & Friends, etc. It is not necessary to do one list at a time, but it does make this process easier for some people.

II. The Sweeping Breath
1. Find a private space where you can work without interruption. Make sure that you won't be disturbed by family members, ringing phones, or other distractions.
2. Remove your shoes. This is important so that the energetic connection between your body and the Earth will be stronger.
3. Sit in a comfortable upright position, either in a straight-backed chair or, if you have more flexibility, using the Lotus position on the floor. If your body is flexible enough, you might want to try the traditional "Toltec Dreamer" position, where you sit on the floor and hug your knees to your chest, allowing your head to rest on your knees.
4. Choose one incident from your Inventory to work on. In your mind, bring back that incident to memory with as much detail as possible. See the decorations in the room or the scenery outdoors, hear any sounds, smell any smells - allow all of your senses to participate, until it feels like you are back in that incident.
5. Allow any emotions to arise naturally, without restraint or judgment. As much as possible, become the detached Witness, observing the emotions and events without letting them overwhelm you.
6. When you feel fully present in this event, begin pulling your power back by using the Sweeping Breath:

- Feel, and if possible see, the energy strands or "fibers" that connect your solar plexus to the memory.

- Turn your head to the right, keeping your mind fully focused on the memory.

- Turning your head slowly from right to left, inhale deeply through your nostrils. This breath is pulling back your energy that was lost during the incident. At the same time, feel your energy fibers pulling your personal power back into your solar plexus.

- Next, turn your head slowly from left to right, blowing out through your mouth any energy that isn't yours (i.e. emotions or words from other people, anything that isn't your personal power).

- Continue doing the sweeping breath until the memory feels "neutral", i.e. no more emotion of any kind.

- At this point, you will want to sever your connection with that memory. Without breathing, turn your head quickly from right to left and back again. This acts as a "scissors" to cut the energetic cords that attach you to the memory.

- At the same time, feel the cut energy fibers from your solar plexus being completely pulled back into your body. The other cut end, attached to the memory, withers and is grounded into the Earth.

7. Wearing a sash or belt during recapitulation. The belt stores your returning personal power, much like the belts used in martial arts. This belt becomes a power object that you can use when doing shamanic work or other healing work.

A good practice is recapitulating everyday annoyances at the end of the day, before you sleep. This allows you to take back any power lost in daily events, and frees you from connections with interpersonal drama.