August 01, 2009
Relaxation Tips Newsletter
Hello,
I'm Candi, with Inner Health Studio. Welcome to Edition 10 of Inner Health Studio Relaxation Tips.
Many people find relaxation difficult, but it is possible to achieve easy relaxation more quickly than you might think. In this issue, my focus is on how to make relaxation easier - whether you are a beginner or you are experienced with relaxation techniques.
In This Issue....
Inner Health Studio Updates and News
New Relaxation Scripts
Tip of the Month: Easy Relaxation
Inner Health Studio Updates and News
Visit the member forums to discuss stress management, relaxation, anxiety, and more. You are invited to make requests for upcoming podcasts, relaxation scripts, and newsletters - post your suggestions in the requests forum or feel free to contact me via email or the Inner Health Studio website.
New Relaxation Scripts:
Counting Meditation
http://www.innerhealthstudio.com/counting-meditation.html
This counting meditation script will guide you to relax with meditation, using counting. Counting will allow you to focus your mind, which will lead to deep relaxation.
Summer Clouds Relaxation
http://www.innerhealthstudio.com/clouds.html
This summer clouds relaxation script will guide you to imagine gazing at the clouds on a warm summer day. A guided imagery / visualization relaxation script.
Tip of the month: Easy Relaxation
I have spoken with many people who tell me that relaxation techniques are not effective. Desperate to find a way to reduce tension and feel more calm, they consider re-visiting the concept of relaxation, to give it one more try. If you find that relaxation is not as easy as you would like, here are some ways to make it easier to relax.
Tips for easy relaxation:
- Start with short sessions. Sometimes a lengthy session can be frustrating. Shorter sessions are easier to fit into your schedule, allow for brief periods of concentration instead of long, intense sessions, and can help you rapidly see success.
- Focus on key areas of tension first. We all have areas where tension tends to build. For many people, it is the neck and shoulders. Notice your early warning signs of stress, and concentrate on relaxing the areas in your body where you tend to feel tension first. Stretching can be a quick way to relax the muscles.
- Breathe slowly and fully empty your lungs with each breath. Hyperventilation is one of the most common symptoms of stress. Sometimes when people try to use deep breathing, they end up taking in great breaths of air quickly, and become lightheaded. When breathing deeply, remember to keep your breaths slow, and exhale completely. Counting is a good way to maintain an even rhythm of breathing (breathe in... 2... 3... 4... hold... 2.... 3.... exhale... 2... 3... 4... 5.... repeat).
- Continue slow, even breathing for a few minutes until you begin to calm down. Taking a few deep breaths will usually start the process of relaxation, but if you experience a panic attack or are very anxious, it may be necessary to breathe calmly for a bit more time before you start to feel the panic ease. Keep breathing calmly, knowing that the panic will eventually go away. The first time you do this it will probably seem difficult, but the next time you use relaxation, it will seem easier.
- Practice. The relaxation response is a natural response that the body can do, all on its own, without any effort on your part. Relaxing on cue, however, is a skill that takes some practice to master. What you are learning is not how to relax - your body already knows how to do this - but how to deliberately cause your body to bring about the relaxation response. Since this is a skill, you will become better at it with practice. The first few times you relax, it may not feel like anything is happening - but you are experiencing all the benefits of the relaxation response, even if you do not feel any different at the time. It is important to keep practicing relaxation techniques to learn them and feel relaxed. I suggest trying a technique on 3 - 5 separate occasions before evaluating its effectiveness.
- Try a variety of techniques. You will probably find most relaxation techniques to be of some benefit, but some will be more effective than others. This is a matter of personal preference. Experiment with guided and unguided relaxation, with and without music, and different techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, passive progressive relaxation, visualization, autogenics, sensory relaxation, creative relaxation, meditation, exercise, etc.
- Relax daily. Relaxation will start to feel more natural and automatic if you are accustomed to relaxing frequently, even if only for a few minutes each day. Relaxation does not need to be time consuming to be effective. Check out these quick relaxation scripts and downloads for examples of how to relax quickly.