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RELAXING THE BODYRelaxing the body is not only important when preparing for meditation but is also a useful technique in itself. Relaxing the body has the twofold effect of calming your mind and soothing your emotional state as well. This is because the mind, body, emotions and sensations are constantly interacting with each other. We do not aim to escape our bodies when we meditate. Our body is our home station, our focal point of reference as we tune into other mental worlds via our imagination. Here is a two step method for relaxing the body. You can practise this exercise either when sitting in a comfortable chair or lying down on your back. 1. Awareness and Acceptance Before relaxing your body, notice and accept what it feels like in the moment. Notice which parts of your body feel tense and which parts feel relaxed. Identify the parts of your body that feel stiff or achy and the parts that feel loose and flexible.
2. Tense and Release Starting with your feet, tense each part of your body for five seconds and then release it for five seconds allowing it to become loose, floppy or heavy. Focus on tensing and then relaxing each part of the body in this order: Feet (point your toes and then release them) Calves Knees Thighs Pelvis Chest Fingers (Clench your fists and then uncurl your fingers) Arms (Flex arms and then stretch them out) Shoulders and Neck (Hunch your shoulders and then drop them) To end, tense the muscles in your face and frown for five seconds. Then take a deep breath and smile.
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Read about how stress affects health and daily stress relief techniques to maintain physical and psychological health.
Click here to read about Relaxing the Mind before meditating.
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