Learning the Joy of Relaxation

Learning the Joy of Relaxation
                   

That's the name of the online relaxation course I created for the education site Udemy.com.  


This is a fun way to learn to relax.   A how-to-do-it class delivered in three formats to accommodate your learning style:

(1) Download the PDF text documents.

(2) Sit back and listen to the audios.

(3) Watch the PowerPoint videos.

 

Do you find it hard to let go and just relax?  Tried mind/body techniques that took too long to get results.  And never experienced that blissful peace everyone talks about.     

Does this describes your self- talk:

·         I find it hard to relax when I take a deep breath.   What am I supposed to feel?  Maybe I’m not doing it right.

·         I try to meditate but it takes too long to learn. I get bored.  I can’t stop my mind from wandering.   So why bother?

·         Visualizing…what does that even mean?  Am I supposed to see pictures?  I don’t.

·         What is the relaxation response anyway? 

Learning how to relax should be a joy…not a chore.  I designed this course to address those worries.  This is a five-part experiential workshop revealing four techniques to experience the ultimate radiant relaxation response.

 In each Learning the Joy of Relaxation workshop you will discover:

1.      Calming Deep Breath  

·         The first thing you should do for effortless results.

2.      Mindful and Mantra Meditation Parts 1 and 2

·         What you should know to stop the mind chatter.

3.      Vivid Imagery Visualization Parts 1 and 2

·         How to do it even when you don’t see images.

4.      Deep Muscle Progressive Relaxation

·         Why it is called the anti-anxiety technique. 

5.      How to Create a Radiant Relaxation Response 

·         The secret formula.

 

When you complete Learning the Joy of Relaxation you will have experienced relaxation methods that add to your coping ability, energy and quality of life.   You will be able to release tension in minutes and create a calming inner peace.  At any time. Any place.  Every day.

Receive a discount on this new course through December 31, 2013 with coupon code: Joy to Relax. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 5 Minute Morning Meditation to Lift Your Spirits and Put a Smile on Your Face

BAM VP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012
A daily energizing routine of Breath work, Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization and Progressive Relaxation will help you meet each day more Bold, Awesome, Motivated, Vibrant and Powerful.
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A 5 Minute Morning Meditation to Lift Your Spirits and Put a Smile on Your Face

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mahatma Gandhi

Set your alarm five minutes earlier tomorrow.  When you get up, find a quiet place to sit and gaze out a window.  Look up at the sky.   Really notice the color and expanse.   Follow the shape and movement of the clouds.

Let your thoughts drift as you enjoy the morning stillness.  This is your time to focus on what is good in your life - not the worries of yesterday, today or tomorrow.

Begin your meditation by focusing on your breathing.   The rhythmic rise and fall of your breath.  Since breathing has a strong effect on emotional change, it is a natural bridge to begin to meditate.  Slow measured breathing has a calming effect.

Gently close your eyes and tune into your body.   A word will come to you that describes what you are feeling.  Calm, relaxed, peaceful, happy, confident.  That is your relaxation keyword.  Spread the word throughout your body.  From the top of your head to the tip of your toes.

Put your relaxation keyword in a phrase that inspires you to handle stress differently today.  For example, "I am calm and relaxed" when you are feeling tense and anxious.  Use this phrase whenever you need it throughout the day.

*Inhale slowly and  mentally repeat, "I live with a happy heart, a peaceful mind and a playful spirit".  Stay with it for a minute or two.  Inhale deeply and in the privacy of your own mind quietly shout, "I deserve health and happiness!"

Just before you are ready to open your eyes, begin to stimulate that positive energy that is a smile by recalling something you enjoy.  Something that makes you feel good.  Let the corners of your mouth turn up.  Smile.  Send this smiling energy into every bone and every organ and every nerve and every cell in your body.

Now take that smiling energy up into your heart.

Decide what you would like to take with you into your day.  Something of a positive, inspiring nature.  Open your eyes and start a day you look forward to!


*From Quantum Focusing - Finding the Zone by Michael Ellner and Alan Barsky.

Trouble Sleeping? The Top 5 remedies for a Good Night's Sleep

BAM VP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012

P is for progressive relaxation.  A technique of systemically tightening and relaxing each muscle group until your entire body is relaxed.  Feels like a deep muscle massage.  At the end of a long day progressive relaxation is an excellent sleep aid.
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Trouble Sleeping?  The Top 5 Remedies for a Good Night's Sleep

"Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day..." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It's 2 am.  Why can't I fall asleep?"  A recent study revealed that insomnia affects 6% to 10% of adults and is twice as common in women as men.  If you lie awake at night worrying about falling asleep your anxiety actually prevents you from doing so.  This internal dialogue becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

From time to time we all have bouts of insomnia.  A bad night once in a while is a normal part of life.  If your insomnia is a new situation or a chronic one, investigate the cause.  A new medication keeping you too alert to relax?  Diuretics or a more serious health problem causing frequent trips to the bathroom? Menopause with its erratic hormonal symptoms interrupting a woman's (and sometimes her husband's) sleep!   In these situations check with your doctor to determine if there is a need for treatment.

More often than not it is lifestyle, the hectic pace of too much to do and too little time to do it.  The stress of work, family and finances.  The anxiety spills into the bedroom and what should be a temporary problem falling asleep becomes a negative association with going to bed.  But with a few tweaks your bedroom can become a haven for rest and relaxation.

1. Think of your bedroom as your sanctuary.  Reframe your self-talk.  Instead of thinking, "I have to get some sleep tonight", put the emphasis on rest and relaxation.  Tell yourself, "I'm going to lie here and just relax tonight".  Give yourself permission to get a good night's rest.
2. Link bed time with your time to wind down.  Take a warm bath, sip herbal teas, read a book, spray a relaxing lavender or chamomile fragrance in your bedroom, play relaxing music.  Adjust the room temperature so it is not too hot or cold.  Block out light as much as possible and use a sleep mask to ensure total Zen. You may have to experiment to find what works best to relax you. 
3. Avoid all activities that may cause high anxiety.  Turn off the TV, nightly news.  Put away the laptop, iPad; turn off the phone and blackberry.  Avoid caffeine, alcohol consumption and aerobic exercises in the evening.
4. Stop the mind chatter and worry before you go to bed.  Set aside 15 to 20 minutes each night to write down everything that is stressing you.  Sit in a comfortable chair.  Set the timer.  When the time is up, put down the pen and put your problems away for the night.   Make a promise to yourself that the rest of the night is your time for relaxation.
5. *Progressive relaxation is one of the best techniques to channel your body's natural ability to calm down and fall asleep.  While lying in bed begin to slowly tense and relax each muscle group systematically from toe to head - or head to toe if that feels more natural.  Repeat at least once.  During the second round visualize yourself enjoying a deep massage of each muscle group.

Your bedroom is now your sanctuary.  Your bed...a place for relaxation and a good night's rest.


BAM VP - Breath, Affirmation, Meditation, Visualization, Progressive Relaxation

*Learn more relaxation techniques in my audio recording, "Just Relax Like This".