Take a Moment- to Relax

12/24/2009

Your health and body's natural healing abilities will be enhanced if

you 'pencil in' a little relaxation time into your hectic life schedule. The accompanying article, Healing Power of Relaxation, shows us how daily stress affects our body's physiology and even neurological function and how important a little reflection and time to ourselves is to our health and healing.

Relaxation techniques help us tune into our body’s physiologic reactions and increase the activity of our parasympathetic nervous system - a process called the relaxation response. There are many ways that you can do this and each of us must find a technique that they feel comfortable with, is easy to do, or accessible.

The best thing to do is to simply make a commitment to yourself and 'do something'. Find a few minutes everyday that you can set aside for yourself. Make this part of your routine. You may want to simply start with some 'me' time and relax with a soothing cup of tea, sit with your favorite pet, listen to music, read a poetic passage or reflect on the beauty of your garden and nature.

You can also explore the many techniques that are designed to help you tap into the relaxation response by clicking on the links below. This list is not complete and we will be adding and updating this list overtime. What they have in common is the practice of focusing on body functions or activities that our controlled by both our sympathetic (fight or flight or stress response) and parasympathetic (relaxation response). By learning to voluntarily control these functions, we are able to influence and control our nervous system activity. This is a process many refer to as biofeedback. Think about the activities below and how they change when you are stressed or relaxed. Try this exercise to illustrate how your body and actions can affect how you feel.

Exercise

Perform each of the activities below mimicking how your body responds in both the relaxed state and stressed state. Notice how you feel when you do this? Does one feel better than the other? Which activity is easier for you to control? Which activity or body function do you feel you can work with in your daily practice to help you relax?

Activity	Sympathetic Control	Parasympathetic control
Breathing	Take rapid, short, and irregular breaths. Breath shallow breaths taking air into your throat but not deep into the lungs	Slow, big, deep and regular breaths. Bring each breath deep into your lungs. Breath in and exhale slowly.
Muscle tension	Tighten and clench your neck, shoulders and fists.	Settle into your chair, relax your neck and shoulders. Rest your hands on your lap and close your eyes.
Thoughts	Take a moment and think about all of the things you need to do today.	Close your eyes and think of a favorite place or time such as the beach or vacation, or the joy and smile of a child.

Examples of methods or therapies that work on our thoughts, body and breathing include:

Breath work
Biofeedback
Meditation
Yoga
Tai chi and Chi qong
Guided imagery
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Massage therapy
Prayer
Mindfulness Practice

These techniques seem simple and indeed they are but they are powerful if practiced daily. Practicing these techniques elevates your mood, improves physical symptoms and reduces the impact of chronic stress.

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