Relaxation:-
Relaxation is
helpful for spiritual development because it can help you to maintain a calm
and unhurried attitude that will help you live according to the spiritual values you develop through meditation.
Different relaxation
exercises have effects on different systems in the body.Relaxation exercises are provided for relaxing or calming the muscles,
respiration, the mind, and emotions. By using these relaxation exercises in
combination, all of these mind/body systems can be relaxed or calmed at the
same time. This results in faster, deeper relaxation than can be achieved by
using only one exercise by itself.
1:-Relaxing
the Muscles:-
1:-Yoga
and Stretching:-
Stretching or yoga
can be a helpful preliminary to any of the other
relaxation exercises. If there
are certain parts of your body which you find become especially tense, you may
want to pay particular attention to them when stretching. Such areas include
the back, calves, shoulders, neck and jaw.
The jaw can, for
some people be particularly difficult to relax. It can be helpful in relaxing
the jaw to repeat the sequence of 1) clenching the teeth with moderate but not
too much pressure while pulling the lips back in a grimace and scrunching up
the eyes, 2) then open the jaw as wide as possible (and optionally sticking out
the tongue), 3) and then forming the lips into an "o" as if you were
blowing out a candle. Repeating this several times will help relax the muscles
of the jaw.
2:-Progressive
Muscular Relaxation:-
Progressive muscular
relaxation can help to relax the muscles of the body. To do this,
tense and relax each part of the body, or gently move each part of the body one after
another.
3:-Self Hypnotic Induction:-
Self Hypnotic induction can also be used to relax the muscles. Focus your attention on each
part of the body in turn from the toes to the top of the head and say to
yourself that it is becoming "relaxed and heavy". For example say,
"My toes are relaxed and heavy, my feet are relaxed and heavy, my calves
are relaxed and heavy..." working your way through all the muscles of the
body. As you name each part of the body, take a moment and relax it and observe
if it really does begin to feel relaxed and heavy. Use as much detail as you
feel is appropriate. For example, you may name all the components of your foot
- toes, sole, instep, ankle, heel, Achilles' tendon - or if you prefer you can
be less detailed and just name the toes and the feet. You have to find out what
works best for you and use that.
4:-Imagine
You are Floating:-
Sitting quietly or
lying down, with your eyes closed and imagining you are floating can be a very
effective way to relax.
Calming
Respiration
1:-Rhythmic
breathing
Rhythmic breathing
can help to slow the heart rate and rate of breathing. For example: for a few
minutes, maintain a ratio 2:1:2:1 of inhalation 2 heart beats, hold 1 beat,
exhalation 2 beats, hold 1 beat. Use a ratio of 2:1 if that is most comfortable
or 4:2 or 6:3 etc. what ever is most comfortable. Other ratios/values are
recommended by different schools of thought and can work well too.
If you find your
heart rate is high, use a longer count so that you maintain a slow rate of
breathing. As the heart rate slows you may find that you need to use a lower
count to keep the breath rate from getting too slow. Also, if you are trying to
relax after some physical activity and are short of breath, you should use a
lower count. You should not strain to slow the rate of breathing when doing
this exercise.
Calming
the Mind
2:-Concentration
Meditation
Concentration
meditation will help relax the mind. See the chapter on Meditation for
more information on concentration
meditation and how to do it.
3:-Visualization
Visualization is
excellent for relaxing the mind and for going from a relaxed state to an even
deeper state of relaxation. Visualization puts the mind in a "dream
like" state.
- One way to use visualization
is to visualize a location that you would find relaxing or pleasant, a
natural scene, or your dream home, anything that would be calming.
- Another way to use
visualization is to visualize each color of the spectrum (red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, violet, and white). You can visualize either the pure
colors or an object of each color - fruits or flowers are good objects.
Notice how deeply
relaxed you get while visualizing. Notice that dreamy state that is so
different from ordinary waking consciousness. You may feel waves of relaxation
spreading through yourself as you visualize.
4:-Visualizing
a Pleasant Situation:-
Your emotional state
can be thought of as a bodily system that can be addressed directly with a
specific type of relaxation exercise. One way to do this is to imagine or
remember a pleasant situation. This differs from the visualization section
above because here you are selecting the situation for the emotional reaction
it will induce in you. Try to imagine you are in a place or situation that
fills you with good feelings. You might imagine you have something you want.
It's okay if it is something
materialistic like a lot of money. Or, it could be
relaxing in the backyard of your dream house, or having a special relationship
with someone you love. Or, it could be a memory of a time you felt good, maybe
when you were with a cherished pet, on a wonderful vacation or when you were
with someone you love. It could be anything that happened that made you feel
good. Whatever would make you feel at peace and content. When you think of a
pleasant situation, notice how good you feel. Notice how you are able to
replace whatever emotions you were feeling previously with the good feelings
that you generate with your memory or imagination.
Combining
Relaxation Exercises
Don't just do these
techniques mechanically, you must use them
consciously, and see to it that they
are working and that you are relaxing as you do them.
There are quite a
lot of things you can do when you are in a deep state of relaxation.
- A deeply relaxed state is a
great time to do self healing or healing of those not present.
- Sending healing to
"where it's needed for the highest good" is a practice that
leads to spiritual unfoldment.
- You might try using affirmations.
- You can also try asking
questions of God, your higher-self, or spirit guides when you are in a
deeply relaxed state. After you ask a question, notice the activity of
your mind and see if any relevant thoughts or symbolic images arise that
pertain to the question. Notice if the thought is the first thing that
pops into your mind, if it is a train of associations, or if it is
something that you only recognize after you notice you have been lost in
thought for a few seconds.
Relaxation exercises
do not just help you to relax at the time you do the exercises. They help you
to develop the ability to relax as a skill, as a habit, that you carry with you
throughout out the day. Then, over time, when you find yourself experiencing
tension due to stress or
strong emotional reactions, you will develop the
skills and know how to relax and let go of the tension and emotions as they
occur throughout the day.