The Journey On Relaxation exercise for Unit 2 started with a soothing, calm melody narrated by a very soft spoken gentleman. Immediately I felt at ease with the music as he suggested to get comfortable with laying down and adjusting tight clothing or taking off a watch and belt. When the man's voice continued to advice me on what to do I could feel myself concentrating on my breathing. I really liked the educational portion of the relaxation technique. I did not know that 80% of our blood was located in our GI tract or that muscle tension is the number one indicator of stress. I found it amazing how I could feel the redistribution of blood to my arms and legs just by the power of thought and suggestion. The warmth that flowed within my body and the heaviness I felt almost made me so relaxed I could have fallen asleep.
I recommend relaxation techniques like this to everyone. I utilize various soft rhythms from an app on my phone every night as I lay in bed to rest. Society has a way of allowing us to get wrapped up in our busy lives without us recognizing it and causes us to feel as though there is not enough time in the day. The fast pace of one's day can be slowed down by simply listening to the Journey On Relaxation link I provided below. The sense of calmness and the release of stress or tension that is seldom felt is just a click away.
http://www.kushs.net/kaplan/HW420/JourneyOn.mp3
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI to was amazed to learn that 80% of our blood is located in our GI tract. I really enjoyed this exercise and felt that I could have fallen asleep while listening. However, after it was over I was completely energized. Unfortunately I listened to the audio at 11:00 at night and was not ready for bed for a quite a while.:0) I was wondering what apps you use for the soft rhythms and relaxation. It sounds like something I could use.
I have a droid smart phone and I am using an app called Relax and Sleep. It has over 30 different types of sounds to fall asleep to or utilize while relaxing. I prefer to use them when I am laying in bed because I like to feel calm and at ease when I am about to fall asleep. It helps to settle my thoughts and anything that might be on my mind. I am sure there are thousands of various apps anyone can download on their phone. This one was free and I thought it was cute how the symbol for the app is a sheep. Kind of like counting sheep to fall asleep.
DeleteI definitely was shocked at the ability to move my blood to wherever I wanted during the relaxation exercise! It was my first time ever trying something like that, and I really liked it. I do yoga now and it really helps relax me and get a good workout at the same time...but this exercise was even more relaxing than that. I like your suggestion on listening to something relaxing for a little bit every day. I think that's a great idea and I think I might actually try that in the mornings to start my day off instead of at night.
ReplyDeleteStarting your day off this way sounds like a good idea. That way you are already in a relaxed, calm mindset and you can potentially handle stress more appropriately throughout the day. Let us know how it works for you.
DeleteHeather, Wow there really is an app for everything. I am going to check and see if my i-phone has an app also. What an easy way to get into the relaxation mode.
ReplyDelete;0) Rachel
I hope you find one you like :)
DeleteHi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI also did not know that most of your blood is in the abdominal area. However I did know that muscle tension was the first sign of stress. I have this all the time I will feel my muscles tense up long before I realize that I am stressed. Many times when I feel my muscles tense I will stop and think about what I could be stressed about. This exercise was very useful in terms of being able to truly relax and focus on me.
Hi Heather
ReplyDeleteI agree I had no idea how relaxing listen to this would be. When I listened to the recording for the first time I was wondering what the heck I was listening to.. The chime sound touched a place in my soul that made it so easy to relax. Relaxing everyday like this would cause me to become a lot less stressed out.