Life can be stressful. Minimising your stress and building your stress resilience can increase your effectiveness. Relaxation is a useful additional tool to help you do so.
However, it is not suitable for all, (it can result in a fall in blood pressure so if you have health concerns related to that or anything else, please check with your doctor first).
Also, remember that relaxation is meant to be a positive experience. It is not hypnosis and you are in control throughout.
If unpleasant or unwanted thoughts come into your mind and you are unable to focus and let them go, open your eyes to bring yourself back to being fully awake. You can begin again then or later.
The recordings explain and will remind you of, the process but it is optional to use them once you know what you are doing.
Acknowledgement
I thank Susanne Rix for sharing the techniques and allowing me to re-record her relaxations, as well as both Frank Dingwall and Adam Pain for recording them for you to download.
Lower lung breathing
Duration: 6 minutes, 60 seconds after practice
Lower lung breathing is a quick relaxation technique. Once you’ve got the hang of it, this technique takes just 60 seconds and can be used several times a day, whenever you need to increase calm and focus and clarify your thinking.
Deep relaxation technique
Duration: 20 minutes
The aim of this longer relaxation, about 20 minutes, is to achieve mental and physical relaxation – without falling asleep – that will leave you feeling energetic and alert, yet calm and clear-headed. The more often you practise relaxatio...
