Nov 15
1
Simplicity in Relaxation
Find out what a difference it can make.
“If only it were that simple” …well, it actually is that simple. The kind of stress that ultimately breaks down the body and is the open door for almost all the ills known to those who treat both physical and mental challenges is relatively easily overcome automatically and naturally; in other words without the use of chemicals …prescribed or otherwise.
The primary side effect not often mentioned in all those long disclaimers, designed by the lawyers of pharmaceutical manufacturers on TV, is dependence. That is, taking anything that tends to make us dependent upon the chemicals and those who prescribe them! In fact, the ads reinforce the root of the dependency problem, “Ask your doctor.”
Meditation brings “self discipline”.
The antidote is relaxation …as your body relaxes; you automatically decrease production of the stress hormone, cortisol, and increase production of DHEA, which regulates your body’s ability to heal and repair itself!
Of course, any method of effective relaxation takes something that creates even more stress in some personalities …the term SELF-DISCIPLINE. What if there is a simple way to get into a state of relaxation that makes you feel exceptionally good and you can get into the habit with just a little practice? There is such a way and it is FUN. I have so much fun doing it that it often causes euphoria!
Here are the four simple steps I use:
- I Close my eyes and take several slow deep breaths …four seconds to inhale – hesitate, five seconds to exhale – hesitate. I do this until I can simply “let myself go limp” after each exhale …with my eyelids still closed I turn my eyes upward and imagine (“pretend” is a better word for how I had to start practicing this) that I can see a bright point of light in the distance …and I can capture it and bring it down to surround me.
- Now, surrounded by this light, I begin imagining that I’m breathing in and out through my heart so that I’m focusing on the central part of my chest area and imagining that my heart is surrounded by this bright light.
- After a few breaths with that focus I smile into my heart with acceptance, appreciation, gratitude, and love – that’s when I am almost overcome by laughing because it seems like such a ridiculous exercise – yet it feels so good that I cannot deny the benefits – go figure, eh?
- Now I imagine and feel the light and my smile expanding from my heart to infuse every cell in my body from head to toe and out to the tips of my fingers with the smile and the bright light.
The final ingredient, gratitude.
After several minutes this brings about a sense of almost overwhelming gratitude that, at first, I didn’t understand …then I was shown by our SPIRIT-PARENT that I was engaging in enlightenment …for me it has been a phenomenal way to start the day and to take breaks from stressful activity and worry and to get the conscious part of my mind to get out of the way so that the other-than-conscious parts of the mind can do their work, naturally and automatically.
Note: check out the scientific viewpoint here: Click to read about the Harvard MRI study.