Spiritual and Alternative Healing

Posted By lailah on January 5, 2009

Welcome back!

Adding relaxation techniques as a part of a regular schedule is a must! You’ll function more efficiently, you’ll be happier, and overall more ready to take on whatever comes your way.

Health Benefits of Relaxation Techniques:

• More energy.
• Lowered blood pressure.
• Reduction of stress related illnesses.
• Slower breathing.
• Better concentration.
• Better able to tackle life!

Let’s start some relaxation techniques!

Try Yoga. Buy a yoga DVD, try out a local studio, or take classes in your gym. Simple stretching is just as beneficial. Start slow so you don’t injure yourself. Stretching loosens up muscles, helps prevent injury, and improves circulation.

Check out this yoga training course you can do online. Become an expert yogi!

Meditation is a wonderful tool for relaxation. With a full-time job or a busy schedule, taking a vacation isn’t always possible. Although through journey meditation, which is a combination of visualization and meditation, you can go on a relaxing vacation anywhere you’d like!

• Sit or lie in a comfortable and quiet place and take a few deep breaths.
• Release the tension from your feet. Feel them drop and become heavy.
• Bring your attention to your calves and thighs. Feel them become heavier and relaxed.
• Feel your abdomen and back release tension. Allow your stomach to rise and fall comfortably with each breath.
• Drop your shoulders and release the tension from your neck.
• Soften your eyelids and breathe.
• Visualize yourself in a place that makes you feel relaxed. Some people prefer sitting under the warm sun at the beach while others prefer sitting under a shady tree in the mountains. When you feel your mind start to wander, bring yourself back to your relaxing destination.
• Meditate here for 10-15 minutes. If you’re at the beach, hear the crash of the waves and feel the sand beneath your body.
• If you’re visualizing yourself in the mountains, hear the rustling of the trees and the chirping of the birds.

Dedicate time for you. Make it a priority to schedule yourself at least 15 minutes out of your day to relax. Go for a walk, sit outside, read a book or take a bath. Relaxing is as necessary for your wellbeing as eating a healthy meal.

Prioritize your tasks. Pressuring yourself to complete a long list of demands within an impossible deadline is adding stress into your life that you don’t need. Don’t do it. Instead ease the pressure off yourself and prioritize. If possible, delegate tasks.

Just breathe. No matter where you are and what you’re doing, take a few breaths. Breathe from the stomach not the chest. You should see the stomach rise and fall and your shoulders should be dropped and relaxed. Inhale and exhale through the nose, pausing after each in and out breath. Breathing this way increases oxygen to every cell of the body and calms the mind.

Categories: Spiritual Wellness
Tags: how to relax, journey meditation, meditation, relaxation techniques, relaxing