Relaxation and Meditation Exercises
After a hectic stressful day of attending meetings, meeting deadlines, and commuting, to name a few, you always look forward to going home and relaxing. There are many different ways to relax, and one very effective method is meditation.
How to meditate
Meditation is not as hard as you think. It involves focusing your thoughts on a certain relaxing thing over a sustained time. This way your mind is able to rest and your stressful thoughts are diverted elsewhere. Your body recuperates and relaxes through meditation, and toxin build ups are cleared.
You will notice that while meditating the following effects occur:
- your breathing slows down,
- your blood pressure drops,
- muscles relax,
- anxiety and irritability are reduced,
- stressful thoughts and lactic acid are eliminated,
- increased clarity of thinking and awareness
- reduced stress and headaches.
Once these occur you are able to concentrate and fully focus. Focusing on just a single thing is the true essence of meditation. Unlike hypnosis, this is an active process as all your mental faculties should concentrate on the meditation’s subject.
Meditation is usually done for approximately 30 minutes, so make sure that you are in a comfortable position when you begin. You can lie on your bed, sit on your favourite couch, or choose any position that you’re really comfortable with. You can focus on different things when you’re meditating, such as your breathing, an object, a sound, or even imagery. Whichever you choose, it is very important to remain focused. If you experience any distractions and external thoughts try to remove them and return to what you are focusing on. This is natural when you are a beginner to meditation; you will always find your thoughts wandering, but as you continue practicing meditation, you will soon improve.
Relaxation Exercises
You can try the following relaxation exercises and incorporate them in to your meditation so that you achieve total relaxation.
1. Tense Relax
Start by clenching your fists, and then pull your forearms firmly against your upper arms. Keep your muscles tensed and at the same time tense your leg muscles. Your jaw must also be clenched and your eyes closed tightly. While keeping everything tensed, inhale deeply and hold for about 5 seconds. Then let go of everything at once. Feel the sensations while the tension is being released.
2. Heaviness/ Warmth
This is done by feeling your legs and feet getting heavier and warmer by the second. Imagine that it’s like wearing lead boots. Then try to imagine that your central body portion is also getting warm, warmer and relaxed. Tell yourself that you’re forehead is getting cooler and relaxed. Breathe easy and regularly. Just feel all the heaviness and warmth spread over your entire body.
3. Ideal Relaxation
Close your eyes and try to create an ideal relaxation spot inside your mind. Choose any place, whether it’s imagined or real, and furnish the place according to your own preference and style. Wear comfortable clothes and imagine that you’re going to that place. Feel mellow and at ease in your imagined and ideal relaxation place. Enjoy that special moment for about a minute.
These are just three simple relaxation and meditation exercises that you can do when you are feeling stressed and tense.