Techniques to help you relax

Whether you call it rest, relaxation, meditation or self-hypnosis, spending just 15 minutes once or twice a day can have profound benefits on your physical and mental wellbeing and make a positive difference to how you respond to things happening in your life.

Regular relaxation is key to overcoming stress, anxiety and depression.

Relaxation is best practiced somewhere where you can sit quietly without being disturbed, but there is nothing to stop you practicing wherever you are by simply shutting your eyes for a while. Most people find that they can relax more with their eyes shut, but it’s not essential.

Relaxation is like any other exercise. The more you practice, the better you get and the more relaxed you will become when you do it. Here are some well known ways to relax.

·         7/11 Breathing

·         A simple body scan

·         Listening to a guided meditation or hypnosis track

·         Other ways to relax

A very powerful technique for relaxing at any time is to use 7/11 breathing – breathe in whilst counting up to 7 in your head, and breathe out to a count of 11. If a count of 7 and 11 is too much use a count which is more comfortable for you, eg. 5/9 or 4/7 etc . The important thing is to make your out-breath longer than the in-breath. You can do this at work, at home, on a train or bus - anywhere and people will not know.

7/11 breathing is great for reducing anxiety and stress. Use it before, during or after stressful events and notice how much calmer you become. It is even known to be effective in reducing the sypmtoms of a panic attack panic.

The more you practice it, the more you’ll really start to notice the benefits.

The body scan is a simple, yet powerful relaxation technique. Sit comfortably with your eyes shut. Do it at a nice, slow pace, taking your time.

Make your feet comfortable, notice how that comfort feels, and pay attention to the sensations in your feet. On a long in-breath and a count of 1 bring those feelings up to your knees. Next, on another long in-breath and a count of 2, let the feelings float up to your waist; on a count of 3 pull the feeling up to your shoulders and a count of 4 up over your head. Pause for a moment to notice the pleasant sensations over the whole of your body.

Next, and on a big out-breath, and a count of 5 double the feelings down from your head to your shoulders, and on a count of 6 double them down to your waist; a count of 7 to double them down to your knees, and finally on a count of 8 double it down to your feet and imagine all the tension in your body leaving through the soles of your feet.

Like any skill the more you do it the easier and deeper it gets and the more benefits you will begin to notice.

Another effective way to learn to relax is to listen to guided meditation or hypnosis tracks. Make sure you choose ones of reputable quality because there are a lot of people selling these products online, and some of them are really dubious. Always ensure that you follow the instructions provided with the track, and never listen to them while driving, operating heavy machinery or in situations where you need to concentrate.  I can recommend some of the following tracks from hypnosisdownloads.com.

·          Hypnotic Relaxation

·          Relax with the 7-11 breathing technique

·          A Healthy Rest

·          The Four Seasons

·          A Warm Place

·          The Island

·          Fall Asleep Fast

·          Meditate with Hypnosis

·          Relax and Sleep

·          Self Hypnosis Fast!

There are many other ways to relax and most towns these days have people teaching one or more of the following. I have provided links to people I can recommend, from my own experience, in Peterborough and the surrounding areas.

·         Yoga

·         Reiki

·         Meditation

·         Tai chi

·         Aromatherapy

·         Reflexology

·         Massage

Find one that suits you, give it a go, and notice the benefits.

A good hypnotherapist or coach using techniques like hypnotherapy or NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) canm also help you to lean skills to relax, including teaching you self hypnosis. To find out how I can help you to relax, please contact me for a FREE, no obligation initial call or to book a full confidential session. 

I am accessible from Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire and places like Peterborough, Cambridge, Oundle, Stamford, Rutland, Wisbech, Oakham, Market Deeping, Huntingdon, March, Bourne, Corby, Whittlesey, Ramsey, Spalding

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