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Learn The Relaxation Response
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- Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes.
- Deeply relax all muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face. Keep all muscles relaxed.
- Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word, "one" silently to yourself. For example, breathe in...out, "one," in...out, "one," etc. Breathe easily and naturally. You might also say the words "calm" or "let go" as you exhale.
- Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. As you feel yourself relax, you could try to visualize your favorite place -- a beach, lake, mountain stream, etc. Try to picture it in detail and recall feelings of peace and contentment while being there. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes open. Do not stand up for a few minutes.
- Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation. Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace. When distracting thoughts occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to repeating "one." With practice, the response should come with little effort. Practice the technique once or twice daily, but not within two hours of any meal, since the digestive process seems to interfere with the elicitation of the relaxation response.
* Benson Herbert with Klipper, Mirian F., The Relaxation Response, New York: Avon Books, 1995.
Links to other UCC stress management resources:
Podcasts- free, downloadable for deep breathing, mindfulness meditation and progressive muscle relaxation
Handout on stress management tips- click here
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more information about these and other services,
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