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How to Relax to Improve Your Life
By Christa Heibel

As a yoga teacher for nine years, I have found myself repeatedly fascinated with all the ways we choose to suffer in life. Even more alarming than self-suffering is the fact that we are also killing ourselves. Stress and tension have become a part of everyday living for most people. However, the human body is not designed to live in a high energy/anxiety/stress mode. The result is an imbalance of mind, body and spirit.

 

We can reclaim that balance – and greatly improve the quality of our lives – through relaxation, which has been found to provide the following benefits:

  • Slowing your heart rate
  • Lowering blood pressure
  • Slowing your breathing rate
  • Increasing blood flow to major muscles
  • Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
  • Improving concentration
  • Reducing anger and frustration
  • Boosting confidence to handle problems

 

Techniques for relaxation include:

  • Exercise, including yoga and Tai Chi
  • Aromatherapy
  • Massage
  • Doing an activity you enjoy, like gardening or reading
  • Talking/letting it out
  • Love, including time spent with friends and family
  • Music
  • Sleep
  • Being present
  • Hot bath with candle light
  • Laughing and smiling
  • Journaling

 

How to Breathe into Relaxation

 

  • Diaphragm Breathing – inhale diaphragm down to belly button, exhale releasing the diaphragm muscle and breath

 

  • 3- Part Breath – Inhale filling the low torso, then mid torso and then full torso on the exhale, adding length to the breath as you go
  • 2:1 Breath – create an even inhale and exhale counting silently to yourself and then add two counts to the exhale for several breaths

 

Focus the Mind
For many of us, relaxation comes only through conscious thought. Choose to focus on:

  • Breath
  • Sound/Vibration
  • Dirshti Point- Visual object/view
  • Mantra

 

Relax through Meditation
One of the best ways to find relaxation is by practicing meditation. I’m offering a new class on the technique at the Workshop, located downtown Int’l Falls. Learn more and register here.

 

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