Daily Fitness Tip: de-stressing

Taken from googleimages

Probably one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to set some time aside to relax. Relaxing can mean any number of things. The importance is to do it and to stick with it. You don't have to schedule it in. You just have to take a moment when you feel like you need to. Your body, your skin, your heart, your blood pressure, your hair, will thank you for it!

Currently I have only used relaxation techniques, outside of my yoga class setting, once. But I'm trying to do better. So make sure to check me on that! Here's a quick run-down of what to do.

PREPARATION

• Go somewhere where there isn't a lot of noise (or use ear plugs) or a lot of light
• Lay  down on a mat (corspe pose)
• Get comfortable
• Avoid any and all interrumptions. Do this only when you won't be disturbed. Like when the kids go to bed if you're a parent, when you're alone in the house...be creative.
• Close your eyes and start to calm yourself

CONSCIOUS RELAXATION IN ZONES

• You begin by consciously thinking of different parts of the body and attempting to stay focused and to not move
• Don't rush this
• Begin with the feet and the legs and start to relax them more and more and more...
• Move onto the stomach and the chest and relax them more and more...
• Relax the back, the arms and the shoulders, then the neck
• Relax the different parts of the face, the lips, the cheeks, the eyelashes, between the eyes
• Each time you exhale you should feel the parts of your body relaxing even more

 

To come out of it slowly. Breathe in and out a few times and start by slowly moving your feet, then your hands, and then the rest of your body.  

For me, the hardest part is not getting distracted. I find that my mind wants to wander. I think about the day, my obligations, what I'm going to eat...When this happens I reconcentrate my attention on relaxing. It has to be a concious thing.

By myself I've tried In-depth Relaxation. 

It sounds intense but all it envolves is relaxing one part of the body at a time.

• In the first session I would just concentrate on relaxing my feet. 
• The following session I would concentrate on the feet and legs 
• Then the bladder and stomach in the next and so on. 

This is useful for people who have a hard time relaxing (like me) and need to go step by step. At first it seemed an impossible feat to relax my entire body. But working with one part at a time is good practice.

I've also tried Relaxation Through Tensing and Releasing. 

Great for very tense people (like myself). It's not recommended for people who practice the asanas. But I tried it because I find it easier to relax a part of the body that is already consciously tense. If that makes sense. 

• Simply tense a part of the body for five seconds and then release. 
• Each session only lasts about 10 minutes. 
• The first session you start by tensing the right leg, release, and then relax for 1-2 minutes. 
• Tense the same leg again then release, then tense and release for the entire 10 minutes. 
• The next session you repeat the same. 
• Not until the third session do you move onto the left leg. It goes on like this until you hit each part of the body for a total of 20 sessions.

 

The good thing about these techniques is that you can do them by yourself. In my opinion, it's best to learn it from a professional at first. However, once you know how to do it, all you need is practice.

Yoga has been proven over and over again to aid in mental health and subsequently physical health. Try to find a yoga class near you, buy a yoga book to read more about it, then try it!

If this helped you leave a comment and let me know how it goes!

I hope you enjoyed your Daily Fitness Tip and will add it to your Recipe for Health