Relaxation Techniques

Proper relaxation means giving rest to both body and mind. It’s the loosening of bodily and mental tension and closing down the 5 senses for a while. This can only be achieved when you sleep or reach a state in between awake and asleep. Relaxation techniques are a great way to help with stress management. It’s a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body, helping you cope with everyday stress and with stress related to various health problems, such as heart Issuesand pain.

Relaxation help to bring the mind to the body and the breath, and the breath is used to release any tension detected in the body. One of the main benefits of regular relaxation during a practice is that the formation of lactic acid in the body is prevented. Lactic acid can be compared to sweat which is formed on the muscles when you do physical exercise. The purpose of relaxation is to cool down the body before the lactic acid is produced and thus to prevent sore muscles.

Practicing relaxation techniques can have many benefits, including:

• Slowing heart and breathing rate
• Lowering blood pressure and fatigue
• Improving digestion and maintaining normal blood sugar levels
• Reducing activity of stress hormones as well as reducing anger and frustration
• Increasing blood flow to major muscles and reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
• Improving concentration, mood and sleep quality, and many more

Types of Relaxation Techniques

1. Instant Relaxation Technique (IRT) – 1 min

• Keep the face relaxed with a smile all through the practice
• Start tightening from the toes
• Tighten the ankle joints and calf muscles
• Pull up the kneecaps
• Tighten the thigh muscles
• Compress and squeeze the buttocks
• Exhale and suck the abdomen in
• Make fists and tighten the arms
• Inhale and expand the chest
• Tighten the shoulders, neck muscles and compress the face
• Tighten the whole body from toes to the head
• Tighten; tighten; tighten
• Release and let go the whole body instantaneously
• Legs and arms go apart with the open palms facing the roof
• Collapse the whole body and enjoy the instant relaxation

2. Quick Relaxation Technique (QRT) – 5 mins

Phase I

• Feel the abdominal movements. Observe the movements of abdominal muscles going up and down as you breathe in and out normally. Observe 5 cycles.

Phase II

• Synchronize the abdominal movements with deep breathing. Feel the abdomen bulging up as you inhale and sinking down as you exhale. Observe 5 cycles.

Phase III

• As you inhale deeply and slowly, energize the body and feel the lightness. As you exhale completely collapse all the muscles, release the tension and enjoy the relaxation. Observe 5 cycles.
• Chant ‘AAA’ in a low pitch while exhaling. Feel the vibrations in the lower part of the body
• Slowly come up from either the right or the left side of the body

3. Deep Relaxation Technique (DRT) – 15 to 20 mins

(DRT. can be practiced in Savasana, Makarasana and on the back with legs folded at the knees and supported by the wall)

• Gently move your whole body, make yourself comfortable and relax completely.

Phase I

• Bring your awareness to the tip of the toes, gently move your toes and relax. Sensitize the soles of your feet, loosen the ankle joints; relax the calf muscles; gently pull up your knee caps, release and relax; relax your thigh muscles, buttock muscles, loosen your hip joints, relax your pelvic region and your waist region. And relax the lower part of your body completely. Now create the vibrations of ‘AAA’ and feel the soothing vibrations in your lower part of the body.

Phase II

• Gently bring your awareness to your abdominal region and observe the movement of your abdomen for a while; your abdominal muscles and chest muscles are relaxed. Shift your awareness to your lower back; relax your lower back; loosen your vertebral joints one by one. Relax your middle back, shoulder blades and upper back muscles. Now, shift your awareness to the tip of your fingers, move your fingers one by one. Your fingers are relaxed. Relax your palms, loosen your wrist joints, relax your forearms, loosen your elbow joints, relax triceps and biceps, and relax your shoulders. Shift your awareness to your neck, slowly turn your head to the right and left, again bring back to the center. The muscles and nerves of your neck are relaxed. Now create the vibrations of ‘UUU’. Feel the soothing and massaging effect in the middle part of your body.

Phase III

• Gently bring your awareness to your head region. Relax your chin, lower and upper jaw; lower and upper gums, lower and upper teeth and relax your tongue. Relax your palates hard and soft, relax your throat and your vocal chord. Gently shift your awareness to your lips, relax your lower and upper lips. Shift your awareness to your nose and observe your nostrils. Feel the cool air touching the walls of the nostrils as you inhale, and feel the warm air touching the walls of the nostrils as you enhale. Observe for a few seconds and relax your nostrils. Relax your cheek muscles, feel the heaviness of the cheeks and have a beautiful smile on your cheeks. Relax your eye lids, eye brows and in between the eye brows. Relax your forehead, temple muscles, ears, the sides of the head, back of the head and crown of the head. Relax your head region, totally relax. Now create the vibrations of ‘MMM’ and feel the vibrations in your head region.

Phase IV

• Observe your whole body from toes and all the way up to the top of your head. Your whole body is totally relaxed. Now create all the 3 vibrations together in one single breath “A…U..M..” Feel the resonance of AUM throughout your whole body.

Phase V

• Slowly come out of the body consciousness and visualize your body lying on the ground completely collapsed.

Phase VI

• Imagine the vast beautiful blue sky. The limitless blue sky. Expand your awareness as vast as the blue sky. Merge yourself into the blue sky. You are becoming the blue sky. You are the blue sky. Enjoy the infinite bliss. E..N..J..O..Y the blissful state of silence and all pervasive awareness.

Phase VII

• Slowly come back to body consciousness. Inhale deeply. Now create all the 3 vibrations together in one single breath “A…U..M..” Feel the soothing and massaging effect from toes to head.

Phase VIII

• Gently move your whole body a little. Feel the lightness, alertness and movement of energy throughout the body. Slowly bring your legs together and the hands by the side of the body. Turn over to the left or the right side and come up to a simple cross-leg sitting position.