Simple Relaxation Techniques You Can Try

Here is a simple progressive relaxation technique you can use to quickly reduce tension in the body.  You may be surprised when you discover how much tension you carry around in your body on a day-to-day basis.  Learning meditation and learning to relax the body is one of the most valuable and rewarding things you can learn.

If possible set aside some space for your practice.  A corner of a bedroom will suffice, but make sure the area is clean and comfortable and that it will help you feel relaxed.

You may position yourself however you like with just a few restrictions.  Whatever position you decide, it’s important that your back is straight and your posture full and open.  Unless you prefer to lay down, I suggest you try the following posture for this relaxation technique

Find a sturdy chair that will allow you to sit up comfortably with your back straight.  The height of the chair should be such that your knees are about level with the height of your hips.

You should sit up straight, towards the edge of the chair, making sure your lower back is pushed in so that your back is straight.  You feet should be roughly a shoulder’s width apart.  Your hands can sit palms down on your thighs.

If you feel any discomfort when using any of these relaxation techniques, you may need to adjust your position slightly, but you will find that as you become more accustomed to sitting with good posture, it will start to get more comfortable.

As you're sitting there now, just gently squeeze your hands into fists....Take a few moments to really feel that tension.

Then, after a few seconds, let go of all the tension in your hand completely.

Pause for a moment and notice the difference between the state of tension and the state of relaxation.  Feeling this difference is the basis of this progressive relaxation technique.

Now do the same with your toes and hands together.  Gently curl your toes and clench your hands into fists.  Hold on to that tension for a few seconds.  And let go, releasing that tension completely.

Repeat again, this time tensing your upper and lower legs along with your toes and hands.  Feel that tension for a moment.  And again, let go of all those muscles, letting them relax completely.

This progressive relaxation technique is very effective in helping you release stored tension in your body quickly.  In the guided meditation section of the audio CD course, I actually take you through this slowly, step-by-step, from head to toe.

Within a few minutes, all the tension in your body has gone and you're left feeling wonderful.  But just in case, this technique is not for you, there are lots of different relaxation techniques so you can experiment with different approaches.

BACK to the 4 Mindfulness Meditation Home Page where you'll find many more relaxation techniques