Relaxation Techniques

Here are some relaxation tips that I find extremely useful in the steps to better self-awareness.

The following are from http://www.umm.edu/sleep/relax_tech.htm

Progressive Relaxation

This technique is often most useful when you tape the instructions beforehand. You can tape these instructions, reading them slowly and leaving a short pause after each one.

* Lie on your back, close your eyes.

* Feel your feet. Sense their weight. Consciously relax them and sink into the bed. Start with your toes and progress to your ankles.

* Feel your knees. Sense their weight. Consciously relax them and feel them sink into the bed.

* Feel you upper legs and thighs. Feel their weight. Consciously relax them and feel them sink into the bed.

* Feel your abdomen and chest. Sense your breathing. Consciously will them to relax. Deepen your breathing slightly and feel your abdomen and chest sink into the bed.

* Feel your buttocks. Sense their weight. Consciously relax them and feel them sink into the bed.

* Feel your hands. Sense their weight. Consciously relax them and feel them sink into the bed.

* Feel your upper arms. Sense their weight. Consciously relax them and feel them sink into the bed.

* Feel your shoulders. Sense their weight. Consciously relax them and feel them sink into the bed.

* Feel your neck. Sense its weight. Consciously relax it and feel it sink into the bed.

* Feel your head and skull. Sense its weight. Consciously relax it and feel it sink into the bed.

* Feel your mouth and jaw. Consciously relax them. Pay particular attention to your jaw muscles and unclench them if you need to. Feel your mouth and jaw relax and sink into the bed.

* Feel your eyes. Sense if there is tension in your eyes. Sense if you are forcibly closing your eyelids. Consciously relax your eyelids and feel the tension slide off the eyes.

* Feel your face and cheeks. Consciously relax them and feel the tension slide off into the bed.

* Mentally scan your body. If you find any place that is still tense, then consciously relax that place and let it sink into the bed.

Toe Tensing

This one may seem like a bit of a contradiction to the previous one, but by alternately tensing and relaxing your toes, you actually draw tension from the rest of the body. Try it!

1. Lie on your back, close your eyes.
2. Sense your toes.
3. Now pull all 10 toes back toward your face. Count to 10 slowly.
4. Now relax your toes.
5. Count to 10 slowly.
6. Now repeat the above cycle 10 times.

Deep Breathing

By concentrating on our breathing, deep breathing allows the rest of our body to relax itself. Deep breathing is a great way to relax the body and get everything into synchrony. Relaxation breathing is an important part of yoga and martial arts for this reason.

1. Lie on your back.

2. Slowly relax your body. You can use the progressive relaxation technique we described above.

3. Begin to inhale slowly through your nose if possible. Fill the lower part of your chest first, then the middle and top part of your chest and lungs. Be sure to do this slowly, over 8?10 seconds.

4. Hold your breath for a second or two.

5. Then quietly and easily relax and let the air out.

6. Wait a few seconds and repeat this cycle.

7. If you find yourself getting dizzy, then you are overdoing it. Slow down.

8. You can also imagine yourself in a peaceful situation such as on a warm, gentle ocean. Imagine that you rise on the gentle swells of the water as you inhale and sink down into the waves as you exhale.

9. You can continue this breathing technique for as long as you like until you fall asleep.

Guided Imagery

In this technique, the goal is to visualize yourself in a peaceful setting.

1. Lie on your back with your eyes closed.

2. Imagine yourself in a favorite, peaceful place. The place may be on a sunny beach with the ocean breezes caressing you, swinging in a hammock in the mountains or in your own backyard. Any place that you find peaceful and relaxing is OK.

3. Imagine you are there. See and feel your surroundings, hear the peaceful sounds, smell the flowers or the barbecue, fell the warmth of the sun and any other sensations that you find. Relax and enjoy it.

4. You can return to this place any night you need to. As you use this place more and more you will find it easier to fall asleep as this imagery becomes a sleep conditioner.

5. Some patients find it useful to visualize something boring. This may be a particularly boring teacher or lecturer, co-worker or friend.

Quiet Ears

1. Lie on your back with your eyes closed.
2. Place your hands behind your head. Make sure they are relaxed.
3. Place your thumbs in your ears so that you close the ear canal.
4. You will hear a high-pitched rushing sound. This is normal.
5. Listen to this sound for 10?15 minutes.
6. Then put your arms at your sides, actively relax them and go to sleep.


This next set puts a slight variation to the ones above that might prove more effective for other people.

The following are from http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/peerh/stress/relax.html


Quick Relaxation

* Loosen your clothing and get comfortable.

* Tighten the muscles in your toes. Hold for a count of 10. Relax and enjoy the sensation of release from tension.

* Flex the muscles in your feet. Hold for a count of 10. Relax.

* Move slowly up through your body- legs, abdomen, back, neck, face- contracting and relaxing muscles as you go.

* Breathe deeply and slowly.


Long-Term Relaxation

* Get in a comfortable position. Minimally tighten your right fist so that you feel only the smallest amount of tension. Hold it at this level. Be sure you continue to breathe... Now let go and relax... Observe the difference in feelings between the right and left arm and fist.

* Now minimally tighten your left fist. Hold at this level so that you just feel the tightening... Let go and relax. Let the relaxation spread through the arms and the rest of the body.

* Now tighten ever so slightly the following parts of your body.

(Each time tighten only to the point at which you can observe tension, where you can observe tension, where you become conscious of or can "feel" the tension. Hold the tensions at that level, and be sure you tighten only the intended muscle while the rest of the body stays quiet and relaxed. Be sure you continue to breathe. Each time you let go, let those parts relax further and further.) Tighten ever so slightly your scalp... let go and relax... Let the face become smooth and soft... Let the eyes sink into their sockets... Now slightly tighten the throat and neck. Hold it... Let go and relax.

* While continuing to breathe, minimally tighten the triceps. Be sure the neck eyes and tongue are relaxed... Let go.

* Raise your shoulders to your ears minimally. Be sure the neck stays loose. Observe how the shoulders feel different from the rest of the body... Let go and relax. Feel the relaxation sinking through the body... Minimally tighten the stomach. Keep breathing... Let go and relax. Minimally tighten the buttocks... Let go and relax. Minimally tighten the feet, calves, and thighs... Let go and relax. Let yourself reach an even deeper level of relaxation, a calmness and serenity.

* Now minimally tense every muscle in your body so that you just feel the minimum tension... jaws... eyes... shoulders... arms... chest... back... legs... stomach... Be sure you keep breathing. Feel the minimum tension in every part... Let your whole body relax. Feel a wave of calmness as you stop tensing.

* Now, with your eyes closed, take a deep breath and hold it. Note all the minimum tensions... Exhale and feel the relaxation and calmness developing... Note the feeling of heaviness.