Mindfulness & Deep Breathing Meditations
Mindfulness things you aware of your presence stated need. But if your life, you spend anticipating that is, of a wallet on stressful situations in your back. You cannot relax your mind if you are worrying about things outside of your control, such as your past and future.
When you want to relax your mind, breathe deeply and fully, with your eyes closed. Do not "think" about anything. Just focus on your breathing; deep, full breaths. You are recognizing nothing more than your present state of being. There are wonderfully piece of mindfulness meditation MP3s, CDs and downloads for purchase online proven to help you reach this fall, relaxed state.
But read is a big part of what holds. You can also use controlled breathing to de-stress, improve your circulatory system, and mental health. Reaching that elusive state owns a piece is possible with Sama Vritti, also known as equal breathing.
Inhale deeply, using a count of 4. Take a full 4 count to breathe in through your nose, then breathe out for that same 4 count, again through your nose. Use this anytime and anyplace, and this technique is especially successful right before bed and had problems falling asleep.
Get also benefit from abdominal breathing. With one hand on your stomach and the other projects. Breathe in deeply through your nose, stretching your lungs. Aim for 6 to 8 deep breaths per minute, 10 minutes each day, and see how clear and stress-free your mind becomes.
Visualization
Your life is simply the most complete and limitless computer that has ever been created. The old saying that "you can do anything once you set your mind to it" is the truth. Using visualization for stress relief works because your subconscious accepts upon whatever you tell it to be true. Therefore, some psychotics and schizophrenic individuals believe that some unbelievable reality is fact.
They tell their brain it is so, and that becomes accepted as their reality. You can use this programmable aspect of your wonderful brain to your advantage. There are 2 ways you can choose to do this. 1) You can practice visualization for relaxation yourself, or 2) experience guided visualization.
For a dose of mental health and brain relaxation, place yourself in a comfortable environment. You may choose to lie down or sit in a comfortable chair, and in either case keep your spine straight and do not cross your legs. Take deep, slow breaths and fill your environment with soft music you like.
Music should be instrumental only. When you feel yourself calming, visualize a peaceful natural setting. You may want to try repeating positive affirmations of control, peacefulness and success. You can take these simple steps yourself whenever you have a few free minutes in your day.
To take the next step, purchase a guided visualization CD or download an MP3 file. There are excellent resources available online, which deliver a calming, guiding voice and specific music proven to successfully walk you through the process of visualization for a stress-free mental state of being.
Progressive Body Scan
At first, during the term "progressive body scan" probably has you conjuring up images of CAT scans, MRIs and x-rays machines. Do not worry; you will not have to schedule an expensive trip to your physician to perform this relaxing the body scan. You are going to use the power of your mind to "scan" your body, beginning with your head and slowly stripping stress from every body part as you move down to your feet.
This is much more successful in a quiet, calm, dimly lit setting. Lie on your back, arms at your side in the legs straight in front of you. Close your eyes and breathe simple, calm breaths. Understand that with each breath you are becoming more relaxed and peaceful.
Mentally scan and de-stress your body, beginning at your head and working down. Imagine this mental scan automatically and fully pushing stress and anxiety from your body. Once you get to your feet, begin again at your head, once again working down.
There are multiple relaxation body scan techniques. To help with the process, you may want to imagine a physical life, color or peaceful "beam" moving down your body as it effortlessly strips stress away. The process works differently for everyone, so spend 5 to 10 minutes each day developing a progressive relaxation body scanning technique that works for you.
(Type "Progressive Body Scan for Relaxation" into your favorite search engine for body scanning relaxation tips and techniques.)
The Relaxation Response
The Relaxation Response is the title of a book written in 1975. In it Doctor Herbert Benson reveals a technique that allows you to use stress and anxiety as triggers that promote mental health. That is right, you can use stress to make yourself feel better and think more clearly.
Doctor Benson is the founder of the Mind and Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA. The graduate of Harvard Medical School and author of 12 books has sold more than 5 million copies, focusing on using the power of the mind to deliver predictable and guaranteed results.
The Relaxation Response is a meditation technique that uses your mind to create a response in your body. Your metabolism slows, as does the beating of your heart and your rate of breathing, and your mental activity slows down to a stress-free level by using this technique. Here is what you do.
Set aside 10 to 20 minutes a day for 2 to 4 weeks. You will use this time to program your mind to respond in a healthy manner to stress and anxiety. Sit comfortably in a quiet environment and close your eyes. Beginning at your feet and moving up your body, feel your muscles relaxing. Breathing through your nose, become very aware of every breath you take. When you breathe out, say the word "one".
You can alternately speak some other calming word like "peace" or "rest". Breathe naturally like this for 10 to 20 minutes. Do not set an alarm clock, as the loud noise may disturb whatever relaxation you have created. It is acceptable for you to open your eyes every few minutes to check the time and your progress.
When you are done, remain seated quietly for a few minutes. Slowly open your eyes. Rise from your seat after a few minutes, and don't worry about whether you created a sense of peace. With practice, over time, this simple technique can automatically deliver the stress-free, anxiety-proof mental state you are looking for.
Then, whenever you see stress taking over, you immediately counter with this peaceful, proven mental health booster. The Relaxation Response book is available as a digital download and paperback on Amazon and elsewhere online.
(Just be sure not to attempt within 2 hours of eating, as your digestive process can interfere with your success.)
Stay tuned for ways to relax your body and if you are feeling overwhelmed and would like to better be able to relax your mind, I invite you to schedule a free mindfulness discovery call here https://www.mindfulshift.net/discovery-session.
