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Relaxation Meditation

Stress is a part of daily life; On the plus side, it spurs us on when it comes to creativity, learning and even survival. Sometimes however stress becomes too much to handle rather than a survival mechanism and begins to interrupt the healthy equilibrium of our nervous system. Fortunately, there are relaxation meditations which can help restore balance by triggering the relaxation response and calming the body down from its heightened state of awareness.

Relaxation meditation can mean physically relaxing, with the resulting psychological and emotional benefits. More importantly though it is a mentally active physiological process that leaves the body relaxed, and the mind calm and focused.

Some of the Benefits of Relaxation Meditation on the Mind and Body are:

  • - Decreased stress
  • - Lowered blood pressure and cholesterol
  • - Reduced headache
  • - Increased energy, breathing, and posture
  • - Increased fertility and libido
  • - Increased creativity
  • - Improved memory and perception

Start by looking for the Relaxation Meditation that resonates most with you personally as well as your current stress level and lifestyle. When all these factors line up it elicits the body’s optimal relaxation response. For example:

  •  - If  stress tends to make you angry, then meditating by deep breathing or guided imagery may be best.
  •  - If you are more likely to become withdrawn or depressed by stress, then something that energizes your nervous system, such as rhythmic exercise, may be best.
  •  - Or, if you tend to freeze up externally while speeding up internally, mindfulness walking or power yoga may be most beneficial.

Articles About Using Meditation For Relaxation:

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Breathing Meditation 1

Let’s start at the beginning … breathing.
Part 1 of 3, the theory:

Breathing is something we do all day every day. Why not use it to bring you calmness, lift you up AND re-energize your body in general?

The benefits of deep breathing are many:

Calms the nerves. When we are anxious we are more likely to breath shallowly, depriving ourselves our of the oxygen that helps our brains work most effectively. I know I can think much more clearly when I am not holding my breath 😉 Problem solving and staying calm in stressful situations are easier when your brain is able to work at peak efficiency.

Increased oxygen in the system also helps the body to work better, giving yourself a bit more stamina during heavy work, and helping your body to repair itself.

In parts 2 & 3 I will outline a couple of different breathing techniques you can use as a starting point. Eventually I will have mp3s you will be able to download so you can follow along with someone else until you are comfortable on your own.

The really cool thing is that you can use your deep breathing practice to imagine pain and anxiety melting from your body. I find it is fantastic for helping me to release muscle tension.

Most people breath shallowly. To see how deeply you breath, rest your hand on your belly and breath normally, does your breathing make your hand move? … No?  OK, in part 2 let’s change that and get you started on your first breathing meditation.

To your health,
Connie