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Relaxation Technique
One of the easy ways to relax is
to sit comfortably with feet touching the floor. The
following exercise will help to "get loose" the
different parts of the body. Close your eyes, start
with left leg. Tighten the calf muscles, hold it for
about ten seconds and let it go. Feel the
relaxation. Tighten the thigh and buttock muscles
as tight as you can and hold for about ten seconds
and relax. Feel the relaxation. Repeat the same
exercise for the right leg. Do the exercise for both
legs twice. Then focus on the stomach and tighten
the muscles, and relax. Then tighten the muscles on
the back, and relax. Then the neck. So far the hands
are resting on your thigh. Lift the left hand up,
clench the fist, feel the stress and let the hand
down. Do the same with the right hand.. Tighten the
muscles on the arms and shoulders. Hunch the
shoulders up and hold, and then relax. Tighten the
jaw and facial muscles the best you can and let them
relax. Without moving the body, bend your head to
the right as far as you can, and let go. Then to the
left. Repeat. Now focus on your eyes. Without moving
the head practice the 'eye roll' exercise. Roll your
eye ball to the right as far as it can go, bring
them to the center, and roll to the left, and to the
center. Do it for a couple of times.
Now you are ready to relax the
whole body. Clench the feet and fists and pull the
shoulders up. Tighten the muscles of the whole
body, hold as much as you can, and relax. Feel the
tension leaving your body. From the head to the feet
you feel relaxed. Say to yourself 'I am relaxed.'
This way you can progressively relax the muscles of
the whole body. Now you are ready for breathing
exercise.
The breathing exercise consists
of three parts: breathing in, holding the breath and
breathing out. Inhale-hold-exhale. Inhale slowly
filling the chest to the full from the diaphragm to
the collar, and feel the breath as you inhale. Hold
it for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through
the nose or through your slightly opened lips. When
you exhale feel that the tension in the body is
flowing out. Repeat this breathing exercise a few
times till you feel fully relaxed. Let the breathing
be slow and relaxed.
Adding meditation, visualization
and positive affirmation would help to clean and
calm the mind and bring healing to the whole person.
Meditation
Close your eyes and experience the relaxation of the
whole body. Feel your relaxed breathing. Feel your
breath as you inhale and exhale and continue
focusing on breathing. You feel the chest expanding
and contracting, the diaphragm pushing down and
pushing up. If your mind wanders, imagine yourself
that you are comfortably sitting in a garden
enjoying the gentle breeze and pleasant aroma.
Adding a meditative word would do the job. For many
people this is where their faith comes in. I am very
comfortable to use the word 'peace' in my
meditation. I have my own reason for that:
If I want only one thing to
experience in my life, it has to be 'peace.' Peace
is given as a gift, when we prepare ourselves to
receive it. It is not the kind of peace we
experience when everything around us goes well as
we have planned. This is worldly peace. This peace
goes away, when situation gets rough. The real
'peace' is that a person can experience when things
go well as well as when things go wrong. This is the
peace that Jesus offers "Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not
be afraid" (Jn 14:27). "Not to
be afraid" is real relaxed stage. The priestly
blessing is also a blessing for peace. "The Lord
bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine
upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his
face toward you and give you peace"
(Num 6:24). Dying in peace is also a gift, we
need to receive it by preparing ourselves. "Mark the
perfect and behold the upright, for the end of that
man is peace" (Ps. 37:37 -KJV).
We need physical, emotional and spiritual
preparation in order to receive this 'peace.' The
mind needs to be steady and focused. "You will keep
in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast"
(Isa 26:3).
I have given my reason for
choosing the word 'peace..' But you choose a word or
phrase or a sound that you feel comfortable with.
When you inhale, say the word and inhale. When you
exhale, say 'relax' and let go all the tension which
disturbs peace. Continue this meditation till you
feel relaxed and peaceful.
Imagery
Imagery is a part of our lives
all the time at both the conscious and the
unconscious levels. If a person has an imagery as
being sick, the person always think that he or she
is sick. That imagery has to be replaced by an
imagery of a healthy body. It is found effective if
the person affirms what the person has imaged is
already in place. For example, a person who is
depressed has the feelings of powerlessness,
hopelessness, self depreciation and guilt.
Depression is known as "anger turned inward" as the
depressed person attacks himself or herself. The
depressed person has to embrace the imagery of
strength and self-appreciation, and see himself or
herself as a person of inner strength.
The following imagery is helpful:
See yourself as two parts, one part is confident and
upbeat, the other part is sad and sits, head lowered
and hopeless. Listen to the "sad" part about the
mistakes and failures of your life. Put your arm
around the sad you, and say to yourself that you
made the best choices along the way in the midst of
existing circumstances. Anyone other than you could
do the same thing. Say to yourself, "Now I know more
than I knew then, and therefore I have changed my
thinking and my actions. I learn from every
circumstance, and I embrace a new way. I am always
good and I don't need to put myself down. I am able
to make new choices in the light of information
available for my own well being.". Feel that the
sadness that made your head lowered, leaving the
"sad" you, and the embracing "the confident and
upbeat" you. There is no more room for blame or
self-depreciation.
An imagery can be created and
visualized for all kinds of problems that you face,
and you can experience the healing that comes along.
The imagery can be sound, taste, smell or a
combination of all of them.
Positive
Affirmation
Negative beliefs bring fear,
doubt and anxiety. Fear triggers muscle tension and
shallow breathing. Words, thoughts and images have
the power to alter negatively or positively the
emotional and physical health. Positive affirmations
in good faith have also the power to replace the
negative thoughts that have invaded the mind over
the years. Here also faith can play a big role. You
have a choice of choosing faith affirmation or
affirmations that do not reflect faith.
Examples of faith affirmations:
God's healing touch is here, my pain goes away
The Lord is my provider, I do not panic.
I am a forgiven person and I am happy
I am a child of God and I am worthy.
Examples of common affirmations:
I have complete confidence in my ability to heal
I am lovable and honorable.
I deserve respect, health and a good job
I feel energetic and enthusiastic
You can create as many affirmation
as you need to achieve the goal of healing.
Here is a quote from As A Man
Thinketh by James Allen.
"The universe does not favor the greedy, the
dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface
it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the
honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great
Teachers of the ages have declared this in varying
forms, and to prove and know it a man has but to
persist in making himself more and more virtuous by
lifting up his thoughts."
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