MEDITATION/RELAXATION EXERCISES
Dr. PARMJIT SINGH

RELAXATION EXERCISES

Self-Body Scan

This is powerful method to neutralize constant stress we experience. By engaging in the following exercise either at work or at home can definitely reduce the stress.

• Sit comfortably on a chair or lie down. Loosen up your shoes.
  
• Let your body be comfortable with your hands lying in your lap (if sitting) or beside your body, if lying down.
  
• Gently close your eyes and try to breathe in and out through the nose.*
  
• Breathe into the lowest part of stomach. Establish a comfortable breathing cycle. Try to make your breathing as deep as possible without straining your lungs.
  
• Once you feel relaxed, scan your body using your mind’s eye starting from the scalp down to the toes and look for any specific stress spots where tension is accumulated. Pay attention to your face, neck and shoulder muscles. These are the areas where the likelihood of stress accumulation is higher.
  
• Once you have located the stress spots, focus your breath on it. Each time you breathe out, imagine you are throwing the accumulated tension from that spot. You can visualize a dark cloud flowing out of your nose when you breathe out. Do this five times or more until you feel completely relaxed at that spot. Then move over to the next sore spot.
  
• By using this method, cleanse your whole body from excessive stress. Once you have accomplished this, quickly scan your body once again from head to toes and release any remaining tension. Do it for 10-15 minutes.
  
• At this stage, your body should feel relaxed and mind should be refreshed.

Benefits: Reduction of stress, tension, blood pressure, fatigue, headache, body pains, and nervousness. Enhancement of joy, happiness, concentration, immune function and a sense of well-being.

*Breathing correctly is the hallmark of yogic and meditation practices. Different parts of nervous system are activated when we breathe through nose or mouth. Breathing through nose stimulates parasympathetic nervous system thereby inducing a sense of relaxation while mouth-breathing activates sympathetic nervous system responsible for activating stress response. Prolonged out-breath also reduces activity in amygdale of our brain.

Full Yogic Breath

Full Yogic breath is a very powerful tool for inducing deep relaxation and initiating internal healing process and the most important prerequisite for the regulation of breathing is to control its rhythm. Count your pulse beats to understand your personal rhythm and then use these pulse-counts to follow the prescribed breathing patterns. The complete Yogi breathing consists of three individual parts: abdominal, middle , and upper breathing. When these three elements are fused together in a single breath, they constitute a Complete or Yogic breath. Follow the instructions to practice these important exercises:

• Abdominal breathing: While standing, sitting or lying down, direct your consciousness at the naval. With exhalation, we draw in the abdominal wall and then start breathing in slowly through the nose while relaxing the diaphragm. The abdominal wall arches out and the lower part of the lungs is filled with air. To exhale properly, draw in the abdominal wall tightly thereby forcing the air out. In this manner, only the lower lobes of the lungs are filled with fresh air while the chest remains motionless giving rise to a wave-like motion of inhalation and exhalation.
  
  Benefits: Induces profound relaxation for the heart, reduces high blood pressure, stimulates digestive process, and regulates intestinal activity.
  
  
• Middle (chest) Breathing: While standing, sitting or lying down, direct your consciousness at your ribs. After exhaling, inhale deeply through nose expanding the ribs at both sides. To exhale, contract your ribs and force the air out of your lungs. In this type of breathing, only the middle or the chest part of the lungs is filled with air and the abdomen and shoulders remain uninvolved.
  
  Benefits: Takes pressure off the heart and provides fresh supply of blood to liver, gall bladder, stomach, spleen and kidneys.

• Upper Breathing: In this exercise, we bring our attention to the upper part of lungs. After exhaling, we inhale deeply through nose while lifting our collar bones and shoulders up and letting air flow into the upper part of lungs. To exhale, we slowly lower down the shoulders and collar bone and gently force the air out from lungs. Inhale and exhale only through nose unless there are problems in breathing. The abdomen and the middle part of chest remains motionless or uninvolved in the whole process of the inhalation and exhalation.
  
  Benefits: This breathing pattern strengthens the hilar nymph nodes in the lungs and thoroughly nourishes the tips the lungs.

© ZEN OF LIVING

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