Archive for the ‘Meditation’ Category
Top Tips for Relaxing During Pregnancy
marneta Viegas asked:
Breathing
Developing your breath awareness will benefit you and the baby during pregnancy and help you during the birth. Practice breathing deeply and rhythmically. This can ease muscle tension, lower your heart rate, and help you fall asleep faster. Take in a deep breath and breathe out as slow as you can. Repeat this exercise a few times.
Massage
Massage is a wonderful way to relieve stress and muscle tiredness during pregnancy. Gentle massage techniques can reduce the pain and increase your mobility. Ask your partner or a friend to give you a foot, hand or neck massage before bed. Or treat yourself to a professional massage, making sure the masseuse is a pregnancy specialist.
Yoga and stretching
Yoga & stretching are great ways to give the body a relaxing treat, whilst keeping you toned and flexible. Many gyms and health clubs offer yoga and stretch classes and some are designed specifically for pregnant women. You may like to create your own stretching routine with simple moves for your neck and shoulders, back, waist, and legs. Do what feels good, as any simple stretch will bring relaxation to the muscles.
15 minutes deep relaxation a day
Give yourself 15 minutes everyday, where you turn off the TV and telephone and rest completely. This is a great way to re-charge and bring rest, yet energy to the whole body. Lie down on the floor or bed and allow yourself to relax. Starting with your feet, tense and relax your toes tightly and then relax them. Squeeze your legs tightly and then let them go completely. Tense your arms against your body and then allow them to relax completely. Squeeze your shoulders up to your ears and relax them deeply. Tense the muscles in your face and then relax. Stay there still and allow your whole body to relax deeply.
Classical Music
Relaxing to classical music such as Mozart is the perfect way to help you and your baby relax. Classical music can activate the alpha brainwaves, which help get you into a state of deep inner calm and contentment. Sit or lie down and as you listen to the music, feel as if your whole body is relaxing and sinking into the bed or chair.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a wonderful way to help lift your mood during pregnancy. Not all essential oils are safe during pregnancy. Rose oil is a great relaxant, whilst lavender, neroli and nutmeg are deeply calming. Geranium is great to boost your circulation. Use a few drops in almond oil. Oils may be used in the bath, shower, a diffuser or with a massage. Sprinkling a couple of drops of lavender on your pillow may help you get to sleep.
Visualisation
Visualisation is a great way to help you relax. When you have a few moments spare, picture yourself in a quiet, relaxing scene. This might be lying on a warm sandy beach or walking through a rain forest or sitting under a shady tree or by a quiet river bed. Allow your imagination to go into the detail of the scene and include the sounds, smells, tastes, and textures around you. This may take some practice, but keep trying. Once you master this technique you can use your imagination to calm your anxious or restless mind. You might like to try listening to Relax Kids Nature CD and imagine you are in beautiful nature settings. It is great for adults as well as children and a great way to start your baby relaxing.
No Nonsense Muscle Building
Breathing
Developing your breath awareness will benefit you and the baby during pregnancy and help you during the birth. Practice breathing deeply and rhythmically. This can ease muscle tension, lower your heart rate, and help you fall asleep faster. Take in a deep breath and breathe out as slow as you can. Repeat this exercise a few times.
Massage
Massage is a wonderful way to relieve stress and muscle tiredness during pregnancy. Gentle massage techniques can reduce the pain and increase your mobility. Ask your partner or a friend to give you a foot, hand or neck massage before bed. Or treat yourself to a professional massage, making sure the masseuse is a pregnancy specialist.
Yoga and stretching
Yoga & stretching are great ways to give the body a relaxing treat, whilst keeping you toned and flexible. Many gyms and health clubs offer yoga and stretch classes and some are designed specifically for pregnant women. You may like to create your own stretching routine with simple moves for your neck and shoulders, back, waist, and legs. Do what feels good, as any simple stretch will bring relaxation to the muscles.
15 minutes deep relaxation a day
Give yourself 15 minutes everyday, where you turn off the TV and telephone and rest completely. This is a great way to re-charge and bring rest, yet energy to the whole body. Lie down on the floor or bed and allow yourself to relax. Starting with your feet, tense and relax your toes tightly and then relax them. Squeeze your legs tightly and then let them go completely. Tense your arms against your body and then allow them to relax completely. Squeeze your shoulders up to your ears and relax them deeply. Tense the muscles in your face and then relax. Stay there still and allow your whole body to relax deeply.
Classical Music
Relaxing to classical music such as Mozart is the perfect way to help you and your baby relax. Classical music can activate the alpha brainwaves, which help get you into a state of deep inner calm and contentment. Sit or lie down and as you listen to the music, feel as if your whole body is relaxing and sinking into the bed or chair.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a wonderful way to help lift your mood during pregnancy. Not all essential oils are safe during pregnancy. Rose oil is a great relaxant, whilst lavender, neroli and nutmeg are deeply calming. Geranium is great to boost your circulation. Use a few drops in almond oil. Oils may be used in the bath, shower, a diffuser or with a massage. Sprinkling a couple of drops of lavender on your pillow may help you get to sleep.
Visualisation
Visualisation is a great way to help you relax. When you have a few moments spare, picture yourself in a quiet, relaxing scene. This might be lying on a warm sandy beach or walking through a rain forest or sitting under a shady tree or by a quiet river bed. Allow your imagination to go into the detail of the scene and include the sounds, smells, tastes, and textures around you. This may take some practice, but keep trying. Once you master this technique you can use your imagination to calm your anxious or restless mind. You might like to try listening to Relax Kids Nature CD and imagine you are in beautiful nature settings. It is great for adults as well as children and a great way to start your baby relaxing.
No Nonsense Muscle Building
Relaxation Examples
marneta Viegas asked:
1 Sleepy Starfish
Lie down on your back with your legs and arms apart. Stay very still and imagine you are a sleepy starfish resting at the bottom of the ocean. Breathe in and as you breathe out, relax you arms. Breathe in and as you breathe out, relax your legs, breathe in and as you breathe out, relax your head. See how still you can be at the bottom of the ocean, resting like a sleepy starfish. Repeat to yourself ‘I am silent, I am silent’.
2 Squeeze and Relax
Take in a deep breath and as you breathe in, squeeze all the muscles in you body. Now, breathe out and relax all the muscles in your body. Repeat this exercise 2 – 3 times.
3 Bubble Breaths
Imagine you are blowing bubbles of peace or happiness or love into the room. Take in a breath and imagine you have a pot of bubble liquid. Slowly and gently blow bubbles into the room. As you blow out the bubbles, imagine they are filled with peace and the whole room is filling up with peace. Do you feel peaceful?
4 Elastic Band
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine your body is a piece of elastic. Just relax to start with and enjoy being a floppy piece of elastic. Allow your legs to be floppy and relaxed, let your arms be floppy and relaxed, let your stomach be floppy and relaxed and finally, let your neck and head be floppy and relaxed. Now very slowly imagine someone is very gently tugging your head and someone else is pulling your feet at the same time. And the elastic is becoming tighter. Your muscles are becoming more taut. Your whole body is getting longer and longer. Enjoy this wonderful stretching feeling as you are growing longer. Then … ping….let all the muscles in your body relax as the elastic band is released. Relax back to being a floppy bendy piece of elastic again. Enjoy this wonderful feeling of being totally relaxed and floppy.
Extract from Shining Stars CD
5 Big Balloon
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine that you are holding a big balloon. It is very light. It feels very smooth. The balloon is in your favourite colour. Now hold the bottom of your balloon, and feel the balloon gently rising into the sky. Each time you breathe in and out, you gently glide further and further into the warm summer sky. The deeper your breath is, the further you can travel. Enjoy this feeling of weightlessness. Enjoy the feeling of being completely free. Your body feels weightless and free and your mind feels totally free.
Extract from Nature CD and Relax and Dream DvD
The Truth About Abs
1 Sleepy Starfish
Lie down on your back with your legs and arms apart. Stay very still and imagine you are a sleepy starfish resting at the bottom of the ocean. Breathe in and as you breathe out, relax you arms. Breathe in and as you breathe out, relax your legs, breathe in and as you breathe out, relax your head. See how still you can be at the bottom of the ocean, resting like a sleepy starfish. Repeat to yourself ‘I am silent, I am silent’.
2 Squeeze and Relax
Take in a deep breath and as you breathe in, squeeze all the muscles in you body. Now, breathe out and relax all the muscles in your body. Repeat this exercise 2 – 3 times.
3 Bubble Breaths
Imagine you are blowing bubbles of peace or happiness or love into the room. Take in a breath and imagine you have a pot of bubble liquid. Slowly and gently blow bubbles into the room. As you blow out the bubbles, imagine they are filled with peace and the whole room is filling up with peace. Do you feel peaceful?
4 Elastic Band
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine your body is a piece of elastic. Just relax to start with and enjoy being a floppy piece of elastic. Allow your legs to be floppy and relaxed, let your arms be floppy and relaxed, let your stomach be floppy and relaxed and finally, let your neck and head be floppy and relaxed. Now very slowly imagine someone is very gently tugging your head and someone else is pulling your feet at the same time. And the elastic is becoming tighter. Your muscles are becoming more taut. Your whole body is getting longer and longer. Enjoy this wonderful stretching feeling as you are growing longer. Then … ping….let all the muscles in your body relax as the elastic band is released. Relax back to being a floppy bendy piece of elastic again. Enjoy this wonderful feeling of being totally relaxed and floppy.
Extract from Shining Stars CD
5 Big Balloon
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine that you are holding a big balloon. It is very light. It feels very smooth. The balloon is in your favourite colour. Now hold the bottom of your balloon, and feel the balloon gently rising into the sky. Each time you breathe in and out, you gently glide further and further into the warm summer sky. The deeper your breath is, the further you can travel. Enjoy this feeling of weightlessness. Enjoy the feeling of being completely free. Your body feels weightless and free and your mind feels totally free.
Extract from Nature CD and Relax and Dream DvD
The Truth About Abs
How to Practice Relaxation Meditation
Justin Stewart asked:
The basis of almost every form of meditation throughout the world is relaxation. But the practice of relaxation meditation is far more complex than an individual deciding that they will seek to relax and thus meditate. Relaxation meditation takes careful understanding of what relaxation truly means, and then careful practice to truly attain the benefits that are available.
What does it mean to relax? Some people understand relaxation to simply mean the absence of any type of hard or taxing activities that would otherwise provide physical or mental strain on one’s body. Unfortunately, this understanding of the term relaxation is far too simple in nature. True relaxation is achieved when one is fully able to remove their minds from the toils of every day living. True relaxation is gained when every day worries can be left behind without any lasting stain. True relaxation occurs when individuals are no longer bothered by the trivial pains of their physical existence and are instead able to cast their conscious minds to a higher plane in order to gain a greater understanding of the world around them.
So in order to participate in relaxation meditation, one cannot simply sit down and stare into space and expect enlightenment to occur. Instead, techniques must be employed to fully exhaust one’s mental and physical state to a point of relaxation that allows full contemplation without interruption from the physical world. Relaxation meditation can be achieved through a variety of practices.
Some practitioners find it helpful to focus on a particular type of music when they are seeking the benefits of relaxation meditation. Not all forms of music would be helpful in this pursuit, however. Music that is chosen should be complimentary to a state of relaxation instead of distracting. Music without words should be used to attain relaxation meditation, as words will simply give the practitioner a new focus instead of allowing their conscious minds to attain focus independently. In addition, the music used for relaxation meditation should be soft and soothing, not loud and disruptive. The music should allow the mind to float to a higher level instead of being so all-consuming that the bonds of physical life are restraining.
Practitioners of relaxation meditation may also find it very helpful to use lighting as a way to attain total relaxation and thus enlightenment. Instead of harsh and bright light that create an uncomfortable atmosphere, soft and dim settings should be used to foster a sense of peace. One’s vision is often important when practicing relaxation meditation. When lights are adjusted to optimum levels, they can then focus their inner minds visually on a particularly desirable image or scene that will help them to further leave behind physical strains so that their minds can attain mental enlightenment.
The Fat Burning Furnace
The basis of almost every form of meditation throughout the world is relaxation. But the practice of relaxation meditation is far more complex than an individual deciding that they will seek to relax and thus meditate. Relaxation meditation takes careful understanding of what relaxation truly means, and then careful practice to truly attain the benefits that are available.
What does it mean to relax? Some people understand relaxation to simply mean the absence of any type of hard or taxing activities that would otherwise provide physical or mental strain on one’s body. Unfortunately, this understanding of the term relaxation is far too simple in nature. True relaxation is achieved when one is fully able to remove their minds from the toils of every day living. True relaxation is gained when every day worries can be left behind without any lasting stain. True relaxation occurs when individuals are no longer bothered by the trivial pains of their physical existence and are instead able to cast their conscious minds to a higher plane in order to gain a greater understanding of the world around them.
So in order to participate in relaxation meditation, one cannot simply sit down and stare into space and expect enlightenment to occur. Instead, techniques must be employed to fully exhaust one’s mental and physical state to a point of relaxation that allows full contemplation without interruption from the physical world. Relaxation meditation can be achieved through a variety of practices.
Some practitioners find it helpful to focus on a particular type of music when they are seeking the benefits of relaxation meditation. Not all forms of music would be helpful in this pursuit, however. Music that is chosen should be complimentary to a state of relaxation instead of distracting. Music without words should be used to attain relaxation meditation, as words will simply give the practitioner a new focus instead of allowing their conscious minds to attain focus independently. In addition, the music used for relaxation meditation should be soft and soothing, not loud and disruptive. The music should allow the mind to float to a higher level instead of being so all-consuming that the bonds of physical life are restraining.
Practitioners of relaxation meditation may also find it very helpful to use lighting as a way to attain total relaxation and thus enlightenment. Instead of harsh and bright light that create an uncomfortable atmosphere, soft and dim settings should be used to foster a sense of peace. One’s vision is often important when practicing relaxation meditation. When lights are adjusted to optimum levels, they can then focus their inner minds visually on a particularly desirable image or scene that will help them to further leave behind physical strains so that their minds can attain mental enlightenment.
The Fat Burning Furnace
