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Deep Breathing Relaxation |
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Relaxation, stimulated by the Relaxation Response, is integral to good health. While relaxed, the body repairs its tissues, refills cellular energy and nutrient stores, and prepares the tissues for the next ‘stress’ period.
Deep belly breathing stimulates the Relaxation Response. Deep breathing supplies an excess of O2 to the blood, which then ‘fills up’ and ‘tops off’ the energy and O2 supplies in all the tissues. With all the tissues ‘filled up’ with O2, each cell ‘tops off’ its aerobic cellular respiration mechanisms and is at its most ‘ready to go’ state with excess energy. Then, O2 is stored for the next time it is needed. The body ‘senses’ that it has a ‘luxury’ supply of energy and ‘relaxes’.
Conscious, voluntary relaxation of the muscles can also stimulate the Relaxation Response. Conscious relaxation of the muscles stimulates the adjacent organs to ‘relax’ and initiate repair and storage of the maximal supplies of energy and nutrients.
Do the following exercises for 10 minutes each day for one week. Your goal is to learn to ‘relax’, to learn what the relaxed state ‘feels like’. Read through the instructions a couple times, practice each a couple times, then do all the exercises in the order presented. Many people find that lying on their back on the floor is most conducive to ‘relaxing’, while others prefer to sit either cross-legged on the floor or in a straight backed chair. But remember – you want to relax, NOT go to sleep. It is useful to do these exercises each day at the same time, in the same location. Pick a quiet location. Immediately after arriving home from work, or before bedtime are often good times. A quiet bedroom is often a good location. After you learn the techniques, you will find that you can ‘relax’ while sitting up (back straight, shoulders back, feet flat on the floor), in a noisy room. The key is learning to focus on ‘relaxing’. You will learn the techniques within a week, but actually becoming proficient at voluntarily relaxing can take 1 to 3 months of practice in your ‘quiet place’.
In general, you will deep belly breath, then you will focus on relaxing your entire body, then you will deep belly breath one more time. This will take about 10 minutes.
While you are focusing on relaxing your body, you will often find that your mind will wander and start to think about other things, and/or outside noises or lights will divert your thoughts. When this occurs, acknowledge that you are thinking about something else, accept it, and then gently remind yourself that your goal is to relax your body and return to concentrating on relaxing your body. Let all the stress go.
Deep Belly Breathing:
Place one hand on your belly. You are going to breath in and ‘fill your belly up, first’. Then you are going to exhale, somewhat forcefully, as if blowing out a candle. As you inhale, imagine that you are breathing in a golden, yellow energy. Visualize the energy filling your chest, then spreading throughout your body – particularly to those areas that are tense or painful. As you exhale, imagine that you are expelling the tension and pain. Visualize the tension and pain leaving your body as a dark cloud of particles – forcefully expelled from your body. Tell the tension and pain to “leave, get out of my body”; say to it “I expel you from my body” as you visualize the tension and pain ejected from your body.
Now – to start:
Exhale, through your mouth, as much air as possible. Count to 4 with: 1, and 2, and 3, and 4. Breath out as if you are blowing candles out. Get all the stale air out of your lungs.
Hold for a brief second.
1. INHALE, through your nose, slowly – to a count of 4 again. Focus on pushing your hand out with your belly first. Once you have filled your belly up and your hand has moved as far as possible, raise your ribcage and fill your chest up. (Alternatively, some folks find that lying on their back, placing a book on their belly and pushing the book upward as they fill their belly is an effective learning tool.)
Hold for a brief second. Then – EXHALE through your mouth. Count to 4 while exhaling all the air possible.
2. Hold for a brief second. Then – INHALE through your nose, pushing the hand on your belly out first, then filling up your chest, last. Do it to a count of 4.
Hold for a brief second. Then – EXHALE through your mouth. Count to 4 – exhale as much air as possible.
3. Hold for a brief second. Then – INHALE through your nose, pushing the hand on your belly out first, then filling up your chest, last. Do it to a count of 4.
Hold for a brief second. Then – EXHALE through your mouth again. Count to 4 – exhale as much air as possible.
Notice that this is 3 (three) inhales and 3 exhales. Each person is different. You may find that doing it 5 times is effective for you. But, in general, 3 times is enough for most folks. More than 3 times can lead to hyperventilation –which is not desirable.
Conscious, voluntary muscle relaxation.
1. Loosen your clothing. Lie down on your back, comfortably. (Alternatively, sit in a straight back chair with your feet flat on the floor, your back straight, shoulders back; or cross-legged on the floor, back straight, shoulders back.) Place your hands on your stomach or in your lap. Some folks find that it helps to lightly press the index and middle finger to the thumb on the same hand.
2. Go limp as you can from head to toe. Wiggle your body and let your shoulders relax, and your shoulder blades go slightly flat. Shake your feet and hands. Jiggle your arms and legs. Let them relax. Tell them to relax. Roll your head back and forth. Let your neck muscles relax.
Now, focus on relaxing each body part. Basically, you are going to ‘tense’ each body part as tightly as possible, then consciously, voluntarily, tell it to ‘relax’ and ‘feel’ the ‘relaxed body’. You will do each exercise 2 times.
3. Left leg – flex the muscles of your left leg by raising it off the floor about 6 inches. Point your toes slightly upward toward your head and flex the muscles. Hold for 10 seconds – count 1, and 2, and 3, and 4, and 5, and… 9, and 10. Quit holding the tension and tell your muscles to ‘let go’. Allow your foot to sink to the floor – saying ‘relax’. Tell your leg and muscles to ‘let go the tension and RELAX’.
Repeat the exercise.
4. Right leg – use the above exercise to tense and relax the right leg.
Repeat the exercise.
5. Buttocks and thighs – tighten your buttock and thigh muscles as tightly as possible. Hold as long as possible – longer than 10 seconds if possible. Then release telling the muscles to ‘let go the tension – RELAX’.
Repeat the exercise
6. Stomach – do the above, tightening your stomach muscles as tightly as possible. Hold for a count of 10, longer than 10 seconds if possible.
Repeat the exercise.
7. Back and neck. Arch your spine, tightening from your tailbone to your neck, hold for a count of 10, and finish by telling it to “let go the tension – RELAX”.
Repeat the exercise.
8. Arms and shoulders. Grip your hands tightly. Tighten your biceps, tighten your triceps, curl your hands inward. Hold for 10 seconds – then release the muscles telling them to “let go the tension – RELAX”
Repeat the exercise.
9. Head. Clench your jaw. Scrunch your face into a grimace. Hold for 10 seconds – count to 10. 1, and 2, and 3, …9, and 10… – then release the muscles telling them to “let go the tension – RELAX”
Repeat the exercise.
10. Eyes – Focus on a point on at least 8 feet in front of your face. Now, roll your eyes to the right, back to center, then to the left. Roll them up, back to center, then down. Hold for 5 seconds – then release the muscles telling them to “let go the tension – RELAX”
Repeat the exercise.
Feel your body relaxed. Tell it to relax. Give your body a ‘once over’ – look for pockets of tension. Tell each spot of tension to ‘RELAX!’ If it resists – clench it for a count of 5 – then release the muscles telling them to “let go the tension – RELAX”.
11. Entire body. Clench your fists and feet. Clench your arms and legs. Clench your abdomen and back. Clench your shoulders. Clench your head, neck and face. Hold for 10 seconds – then release the muscles telling them to “let go the tension – RELAX”
Repeat the exercise.
Now, check your body again – tell all your parts to ‘relax’.
Tell yourself – “I am relaxed now.”
Feel the tension draining from you.
Don’t worry if there is some tension still there – just relax and allow it to drain away. Let it go.
Tell yourself:
“My legs are relaxed”
“My buttocks and thighs are relaxed”
“My stomach and back are relaxed”
“My arms, chest, and shoulders are relaxed”
“My neck, head, and face are relaxed”
Feel the ‘relaxation’.
Repeat to yourself:
“I am relaxed now”
“My legs are relaxed”
“My buttocks and thighs are relaxed”
“My stomach and back are relaxed”
“My arms, chest, and shoulders are relaxed”
“My neck, head, and face are relaxed”
Focus your relaxed feelings and prepare yourself to more easily relax next time.
Repeat to your self that you are relaxed.
Tell yourself that next time you go through these relaxation exercises, your body will relax more quickly and readily.
Tell yourself to ‘relax’. Tell yourself that when you think the word ‘Relax’, your body will relax immediately.
Now, do the Deep Belly Breathing exercise 1 more time.
These exercises are common in many forms of relaxation teachings: yoga, Tai Chi, Zen, Transcendental Meditation, self-hypnosis, meditation, massage therapy, all types of martial arts, professional athletic programs, etc.
If you Google any of these terms, you will find similar exercises.
Once you have learned how to relax, and mastered the Deep Belly Breathing, you will find that you can relax anywhere, anytime, under some fairly extreme, confusing, tense conditions. With practice, you will be able to relax within seconds.
Typically, a 10 to 15 minute relaxation at least once a day is good for your health. If you can do it 2 to 3 times per day, even better.