Relax Into Health

[Guest guest]

You have permission to publish this article electronically

or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are

included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be

appreciated - send to info@....

Title: Relax Into Health

Word Count: 882

Author: Wayne Mc

Email: info@...

Article URL:

http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=1277

The article is preformatted to 60CPL.

Relax Into Health

Copyright 2005 Wayne Mc

I’d like to share a little secret about relaxation

techniques for athletes (or health-minded people that

workout) and anyone that wants to feel more focused, calm,

healthy and peaceful.

But first, let’s define relaxation techniques, or more

specifically, meditation. To begin, it’s not necessary to

be a Zen master to learn meditation. Anyone can jump-in at

any time and start meditating. You should put any

expectations aside; do not try to force the outcome; don’t

try to over-analyze " what meditation is " ; and in general,

just turn-off the brain and be in the moment. When

meditating it is not necessary to blank out your mind or

chase thoughts away. You’ll learn that as you progress with

meditation, your mind will become quieter. Sit comfortably,

with your spine reasonably straight. You can rest against a

chair, a wall or headboard. Your hands can rest comfortably

at your side or on your lap. Your legs can also be in any

comfortable position (crossing them or any complicated

pretzel position is not necessary). Overall, allow your

body to sit comfortably so your body-mind-spirit can be

open to relax.

There are different types of meditations that you can use

in your daily practice. Here are a few:

* Mindfulness - A process focusing on physical sensations

and being present of the moment. It is being attentive to

the sensory information entering your mind through your

five senses. Beneficial to athletes, people in body pain or

someone with a health challenge, dieters and overall for

body awareness.

* Visualization - This process creates in the mind specific

places or situations, such as a green forest or the calming

waves of the ocean. This can be used for goal setting or

for quieting the mind.

* Breath mediation - A process focusing on the rhythm of

breathing.

* Walking meditation - This Zen Buddhist form of meditation

focuses on the sensation of the feet against the ground.

Some people have discovered its benefits without realizing

it was meditative. Pacing back and forth can be very

calming on the mind.

This next meditation I strongly recommend learning first.

In fact, I do a " sandwich " - I start with grounding then

one of the meditations listed above and end my meditation

practice with grounding.

Grounding - This process is being fully present mentally

and emotionally and will help you feel more centered and

focused. Practicing grounding will put you in control of

your environment and focus your energies in your daily

routine. Anyone learning meditation for the first time will

gain great benefits by practicing grounding on a daily

basis.

The Tree Meditation is the simplest exercise to feel more

relaxed and energized. Yes, you can actually experience

both of these at the same time! Familiarize yourself with

this meditation by reading it two or three times and then

begin. If you want, you can set a timer for ten minutes.

* Close your eyes and breathe in calmly. Each breath,

imagine sipping air with a straw.

* Breathe in --- slow --- and relaxed.

* Imagine a beautiful, majestic tree. As you think of this

tree, breathing in more relaxed, imagine YOU are the tree.

With each calming breath your spine lengthens. See your

body as the trunk of the tree; and as you continue

breathing down from your head to your spine, down to your

hips ---continue breathing down, feeling more relaxed and

calm; down your legs --- your feet ---supporting you like

the trunk of the tree.

* As you continue breathing, imagine healthy strong roots

extending from the bottom of your feet. Your roots extend

deep into Mother Earth, anchoring your body. You’re

healthy-whole-and complete; fully supported as you breathe

deep into the earth. You are a beautiful tree; you feel

strong, solid and fully grounded where you are.

* Continue relaxing and breathing. When you are ready, come

back to the present --- alert, confident and fully

energized.

The last type of meditation is Transcendental. This is a

specific type of meditation that must be learned from a

certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program.

Introduced in the late 1950s, this meditation focuses on a

mantra (a sound, word or phrase that is repeated over and

over, either aloud, as a chant or silently).

Studies of relaxation techniques have shown overall

improvements of the body-mind connection for athletes and

many health benefits for individuals. Taking the time to

meditate and quiet our mind gives us the time to pause in

our daily lives. It is the greatest power we hold, to be in

the moment, alive and aware of our surroundings and our

body. Relaxation gives us time to better organize our day,

focus our energy and work more efficiently.

Start your meditation practice in the morning for ten to

fifteen minutes. Many of the types of meditations -

Grounding, Mindfulness, Visualization, Breath, Walking or

Transcendental - can be done at home, work or

out-and-about. There are hundreds of meditations to match

the needs of the individual or to meet a specific purpose.

You can find meditations online, in books, on CD and by

taking a class. Over time you will have increased

self-esteem and self-confidence; greater creativity; a

greater ability to problem solve; and a more calming effect

on your surroundings and the people you interact with.

About the Author:

Wayne Mc is the author of " Relax Into Health " - a

comprehensive guide to completely relax your body in five

minutes. He is the founder of

http://www.HolisticWebDirectory.com - an on-line health

directory of complementary health care professionals. For

more health articles, signup for the monthly Health

Newsletter. Send an email to submit-ezine@...