Do you know how to relax? What is true relaxation anyway? If you want greater happiness, contentment, peace of mind, less stress and more success in life then practising relaxation every day will help you toward all of these goals.
The deliberate and regular practise of a few simple relaxation techniques enables us to exercise a greater control over our ‘autonomic’ nervous system and, consequently, the parasympathetic nervous system which governs our fight or flight response. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to manage our emotional reactions in a whole host of situations that we presently find stressful or hard to deal with and react the way we want? This a primary benefit of relaxation. The secondary benefits of practising relaxation are often increasing peace of mind and greater calmness and confidence throughout all aspects of our lives.
“The soul that moves in the world of the senses and yet keeps the senses in harmony…finds rest in quietness” – The Bhagavad Gita.
Our state of mind can be directly controlled our internal attitudes and choices rather than being at the whim of external unpredictable conditions and circumstances! Relaxation is the foundation for this control and learning it is one of the key skills we need to master in order to bring about greater degree of personal success.
Often we don’t realise just how stressed out we are with tension building in different parts of the body. For some that could be in the shoulders, others the stomach, the neck and so on. Before you know it you have an ulcer, a bad back, a stiff neck or a host of other niggling ailments. Relaxation is an incredibly effective tool for allowing us to spot this tension before it accumulates and therefore neutralise some of the harmful effects on our bodies.
One of the simplest ways to begin to practice deliberate ‘relaxation’ is the following muscle tensing/contraction technique which involves:
- Slowing your breathing
- Starting with the lower body – the feet and begin to contract your muscle groups
- Maintaining your breathing evenly and calmly
Initially, you should be lying down as this way the body is supported evenly but eventually you will be able to practise this technique wherever you are.
Beginning with the toes and feet and working your way up the main muscles groups and limbs of the body start to contract the muscles holding the contraction for 3-5 seconds. Then let go of the contraction and the muscles will relax naturally.
As you become more familiar with the exercise and the sensations in your body you can alter the amount of pressure you use i.e. how hard you contract the muscle but don’t strain too much in the beginning.
You will want to pay attention to how your body feels as you go through the routine. Becoming body conscious will in the future help us recognise when we are feeling stress and in what area of our bodies.
Go through all the parts of your body, squeeze and hold then release:
- Feet and legs: One at a time, lift each foot off the floor by about an inch and tense.
- Buttocks: Squeeze your buttocks together as you raise your hips slightly off the floor.
- Chest: Lift the chest of the floor as you tense the muscles keeping the head and hips on the floor.
- Shoulders: Raise them up against your neck tightly and release.
- Head: Roll you head gently from side to side.
- Face: Squeeze all the muscles in your face, really scrunch it up and then open your face up wide.
- Hands and arms: As with the feet lift each hand from the floor, make a fist and squeeze then release.
After a round of this routine your body should feel a great deal looser than when you started. You can do as many rounds as you wish. Decide before hand how long you practice; ten to twenty minutes is a good amount of time. Allow at least five minutes after the contractions to use a little auto-suggestion such as:
- I am relaxing more and more
- I am relaxing more and more every day
- My body feels better and better
- It is easy for me to relax
- I am getting better and better
These help to prepare the mind for further sessions making it easier and easier every time. Alternatively use whatever affirmation you are currently working with.
Relaxation when practised regularly can be very effective at countering the stress in our lives, reducing anxiety and helping us focus on our goals. If you haven’t yet, try it for a few day and see!