Relaxation response.
The relaxation response is a simple practice that can help relieve stress and tension.
It was developed by Harvard Medical School cardiologist Herbert Benson and is taken from his book The Relaxation Response.
Benson advises that you don't practice this technique within two hours of a meal as this seems to interfere with the relaxation response.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seated position,
Lying down if you prefer,
And being there quietly for a moment.
If you're seated,
Roll your shoulders up and back a few times and let them settle.
And if you're lying down,
Notice any sense of holding in your shoulders and let that soften,
Allowing your shoulders to sink back towards the ground.
Let your eyes close.
However,
If that feels uncomfortable,
Let your gaze be softly fixed on a spot in front of you or on the ceiling or the sky above you.
Notice your body.
And draw your awareness to your feet.
Stretch the soles of your feet.
And then point your toes to stretch the tops of your feet.
And then let your feet relax.
Bring some stretch into your legs for a moment.
Stretching your calf muscles as you push your heels away from you and feeling stretch in your thighs.
And then let your legs relax.
Draw your attention to your hands and your arms.
Stretching the palms of your hands by making space between your fingers as you draw them away from each other.
Bring stretch into your arms,
Reaching your arms and hands out.
And then let your hands and arms relax.
Open your mouth wide,
Stretching your upper and lower jaws.
And then let your mouth close and allow the muscles in your face to be soft.
If your upper and lower teeth are pressed against each other,
Make some space between them.
And bring the tongue away from the roof of your mouth.
Notice a sense of relaxation in your muscles.
Allow them to be deeply relaxed.
Sense any looseness and openness and try to maintain this.
Let your muscles remain relaxed.
And now become aware of your breathing as you breathe in and out through your nose.
And take a moment to consider and choose a word that means something to you.
It could be a person's name,
An object,
An idea.
Something that gives you a sense of relief when it comes to mind.
For example,
The word sunshine.
It's a personal choice,
So whatever word works for you.
Take a breath in and as you breathe out,
Say your word silently to yourself.
Continuing in this way,
Reciting your word in your own mind each time you exhale.
Breathe easily and naturally.
Silently reciting your word each time you exhale.
Allow yourself to become infused with your word.
Your self and your word becoming one.
Breathing out and silently saying your word.
When thoughts or distractions occur,
Notice them.
Try not to dwell on them,
But return to repeating your word each time you breathe out.
Try not to worry about whether you're achieving a deep level of relaxation.
Just let your attitude be passive,
Allowing relaxation to occur at its own pace.
With practice,
The relaxation response should come with little effort.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Silently repeating your word.
Saying your word in your own mind.
Letting yourself and your word become one.
Allowing your mind to come back to your breath and your word if you notice it becoming distracted.
Breathing out your word.
Allowing your body to relax.
Allowing the relaxation response to unfold.
We've been practicing now for about 10 minutes.
Feel free to continue on your own.
When you finish,
Sit quietly for a few moments with your eyes closed or softly focused on your spot.
Coming up when you're ready.
