Relaxation Exercises

Finding the right relaxation technique

How you react to stress may influence the relaxation technique that works best for you:
 If you tend to become angry, agitated, or keyed up under stress, you will respond best to stress
relief activities that quiet you down, such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, deep
breathing, or guided imagery.
 If you tend to become depressed, withdrawn, or spaced out under stress, you will respond best
to stress relief activities that are stimulating and energize your nervous system, such as rhythmic
exercise, massage, mindfulness, or power yoga.
 If you’ve experienced some type of trauma and tend to “freeze” or become “stuck” under stress,
your challenge is to first rouse your nervous system to a fight or flight response so you can employ
the applicable stress relief techniques. To do this, choose a physical activity that engages both your
arms and legs, such as running, dancing, or tai chi, and perform it mindfully, focusing on the
sensations in your limbs as you move.

Deep Breathing Exercise

1. Sit comfortably in a chair.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Inhale slowly through your nostrils, taking in a very deep diaphragmatic breath, filling your lungs
and filling your stomach. Pretend you are sucking in through a straw and filling your stomach with air
like a balloon.
4. Hold that breath for about FOUR SECONDS.
5. Exhale slowly through your slightly parted lips, releasing ALL the air in your lungs. As you breathe
out imagine you are blowing all your stresses out the window.
6. Pause at the end of this exhalation. Now take a few “normal” breaths.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6, two or three times and then return to what you were doing.

This form of deep breathing should put you in a more relaxed state.

Centering Exercise I
The exercise is ideal before facing a situation requiring you to be at your best.
1. Stand and spread out so you can swing your arms all around without touching. Feet are about
shoulder-width apart, arms hang freely. Hands should be unclenched and relaxed.
2. Close your eyes. Think about your body. Are there parts of your body which you are more aware of
than others? Do you feel tension anywhere? What parts seem stiff and unused?
3. With your right index finger, touch the middle of your belly about an inch or two below your navel.
This is your center--where your physical center of gravity is located.
4. Now press your finger firmly into your center, until the pressure is almost painful. Drop your hand
and see if you can continue to sense that point.

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Relaxation Exercises
5. Now let this single point of awareness expand through your whole belly. Let your belly expand with
each incoming breath. Engage in deep abdominal breathing as in the deep breathing exercise
above.
6. Continue to focus on your breathing with a slow, total inhale and a slow, total exhale.

Centering Exercise II
Before you go to sleep is another opportune time for you to develop your centering skills, and that takes
practice.
1. With your eyes closed, focus your attention on your head and neck. As you exhale, give permission
to your head and neck to relax--to be totally relaxed.
2. Do the same to your shoulders, arms, and hands.
3. Now, give your chest, back, and stomach permission to relax.
4. Now, your thighs, calves, and feet need to relax.
5. Now, exhale and give permission to your whole body to relax.

The Morning Laugh

Laughter has been called the best medicine, and a morning laugh when you get up in the morning can help
release all tension before the day even begins.
1. Assume a standing position with your hands on the back part of your hips, palms faced upward.
2. Now, begin to laugh.
3. Keep laughing, letting your laughter feed off itself and propel itself through your body and out.
4. Laugh fully and completely for at least one full minute.
5. When it feels comfortable, stop laughing. Go about your normal morning routine.

Self-Massage
A combination of strokes works well to relieve muscle tension. Try gentle chops with the edge of your hands
or tapping with fingers or cupped palms. Put fingertip pressure on muscle knots. Knead across muscles, and
try long, light, gliding strokes. You can apply these strokes to any part of the body that falls easily within your
reach. For a short session like this, try focusing on your neck and head:
 Start by kneading the muscles at the back of your neck and shoulders. Make a loose fist and drum
swiftly up and down the sides and back of your neck. Next, use your thumbs to work tiny circles
around the base of your skull. Slowly massage the rest of your scalp with your fingertips. Then tap
your fingers against your scalp, moving from the front to the back and then over the sides.
 Now massage your face. Make a series of tiny circles with your thumbs or fingertips. Pay particular
attention to your temples, forehead, and jaw muscles. Use your middle fingers to massage the
bridge of your nose and work outward over your eyebrows to your temples.
 Finally, close your eyes. Cup your hands loosely over your face and inhale and exhale easily for a
short while.

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