Relaxation. Exercises and methods. Physical and mental relaxation: ways to relax the body
Hello, dear friends!
It is important for every person to learn how to rest properly, so that physical fatigue can be eliminated from the body in a healthier way than through illness.
When was the last time you allowed your mind and body to reap the benefits of healthy rest? Have you ever completely disengaged from what was happening, turned off your phone, forgotten about things, immersed in the abyss of pleasant sensations?
I think not many people manage to do this systematically without self-flagellation and the belief that the body will last for decades in supersonic mode. But in the pursuit of productivity, the desire to do more, schedules, responsibilities and worries, we gradually turn into robots that, surprisingly, fail.
Relaxation methods are created specifically to allow people to switch from “outside” to inside their states.
Zones of influence
Properly selected methods relieve muscle tightness, accumulated tension and pinching. The reward for this process is the cleansing of the body from toxins, acquired toxins and excessive nervous activity.
Within a few hours after the procedure, a person will feel better than before. Headaches, a feeling of heaviness and tightness in the chest will go away. A full and healthy body will return to your life, your appetite will normalize and you will truly be able to feel like a human being, and not a cloven-hoofed animal driven into a corner.
The emotional background will also show a jump upward, thereby allowing you to more productively solve ongoing problems. You will experience difficult life situations and stress more easily, be able to control mood swings, and enjoy what is happening.
It has been scientifically proven that people who have learned to relax use and, most importantly, retain the energy they receive more productively, which is concentrated in the solar plexus. And she, in turn, helps ensure that you have enough strength not only for work, but also for other, no less interesting things.
But how to relax properly? And what relaxation methods exist that might suit you specifically? In order to find out the answer to the question, I have prepared today’s article in which you will learn about the ten most effective practices for bringing yourself “to your senses”!
1. Music and relaxation
Relaxation does not always mean the need to collapse on the sofa like a seal and “sit back.” I suggest you familiarize yourself with this method, which is perfect for both children and adults.
To do this, you need to sit in a room with dim lighting. Make sure that you are surrounded by soft pillows on all sides and cover yourself with a blanket.
Turn on pleasant, calm music that evokes a feeling of ease. Classical compositions or “indie” music are ideal for this.
After this, say out loud to your body the phrase: “I am relaxed” and feel your body in comfort and warmth. Individuals who have not practiced such an approach before may note that relaxation can be completely different, and not a banal rookery on the sofa.
This is an important and necessary procedure in everyone’s life, but it is worth noting that the method is not designed for a person experiencing stress “here and now.”
2. Nice pictures
Visualization is considered an excellent assistant for eliminating feelings of anxiety and increasing panic. It is used both in difficult life situations and in everyday life.
Take a comfortable seat, being in a comfortable position. It is best to avoid bright light and running around the apartment. Light it with sandalwood or tea tree and begin to imagine in your subconscious pictures that are most pleasant to you.
It could be a lake, a house in the village, sunrise or sunset, and sometimes even kittens! If you are doing the exercise with your spouse or partner, ask him or her to describe the scene in a calm and relaxed voice, imagining yourself in it. Then repeat the exercise in reverse.
3. Fingers
You can combine massage with the previous tips! Try to touch lightly, stroking your partner's back, shoulders, arms, fingers and toes. Sometimes just 30 minutes is enough and the individual will already feel like he has been reborn!
I advise you not to forget about facial and neck massage. The forehead occupies a special place, therefore, self-massage of this area will relieve you of such unpleasant sensations as insomnia, nervousness and fatigue. A head-to-toe massage with a thorough foot massage is also great.
4. Mother Nature
Walking in nature has a super-powerful, positive effect on a person. Fresh air, complete with body movement, tones its systems, feeding it with oxygen.
It is for this reason that when arriving home from an outing, many individuals feel slightly weak and want to sleep like a baby. Make your hikes systematic, choosing a new place each time.
You can also hug a strong and healthy tree. After standing in his arms for 5 minutes, you will definitely feel a surge of new strength!
5. Water
Not many people know that water can take away not only bad dreams, but also wash away negative energy from a person. For this reason, I recommend that you join water procedures.
This could be swimming in the pool, a contrast shower, which is very useful for the nervous system and maintaining the tone of the whole body, as well as a relaxing, hot bath.
Add just a couple of drops of essential oil to it and you can feel how all the problems have left your head. Immerse yourself for at least 40 minutes, but if you have problems with the cardiovascular system, then limit yourself to 15 minutes and a temperature no higher than 40 degrees.
6. Relax through creativity
For many, a hobby means not only passion for a topic, but also a universal means of reducing anxiety. The process of creating something pacifies, replenishing your reserves of mental strength.
Do some gardening, go to the theatre, cinema or organ hall. You can also do handicrafts, play a musical instrument or crafts with your child.
Plus, I would like to mention the rosary. Going through them helps reduce tension and acquire a calm, optimistic outlook on things.
7. Breathe
When a person is in a state of systematic “overload” of the nervous system, his breathing takes on a superficial form. This can be noticed when the individual's shoulders rise when inhaling.
This symptom indicates that the individual has a tendency to breathe only from the upper chest, which leads to a lack of adequate oxygen levels to nourish the organs.
Proper air intake can not only relax you, but also save you when driving, performing, or doing important work.
Abdominal breathing occupies a special place in practice. What is its essence?
And the meaning is hidden in mastering a practice that allows you to relax the muscles that compress the diaphragm, which causes inhalations to accelerate to cosmic limits.
During the moment of relaxation, try to slow down your breathing using the influence of the ribs and diaphragm. It is especially useful to do this before bed. You need to perform at least 10 consciously slowing inhalations and exhalations, clasping your arms around your waist and monitoring the correctness of the process.
You can feel a slight pulsation coming from your body. This is absolutely normal and there is no need to worry.
8. Meditation
This is a great source of calm, which manifests itself in different forms of influence on people. Practice the asanas found in the classes. Body position sometimes plays a decisive role in the path to harmony between the soul and the body.
There are also special tactics for breathing procedures: super-slowing down or, conversely, speeding up. There is a broadcast of special sounds, syllables and, of course, prayers that are present in transcendental meditative practice.
G. Benson in his book described in detail a phenomenon called “relaxed reaction”, which I definitely advise you to read. People who have been practicing meditation for a long time have already felt its healing effect on the entire body, and especially on the spiritual beginning.
If you decide to dedicate it to your list of daily but useful habits, then the result will definitely please you!
9. Take turns!
Back in 1930 in the United States, a man named E. Jacobson developed a method called “relaxation and tension.” The essence of this practice is training the ability to induce opposite states at your own discretion.
And moreover, be able to determine the current state of affairs! But a deep dive into such a skill requires many hours of practice. Think about it, it takes from 10 to 30 hours just to teach the arm muscles to perform such a trick!
But having mastered and cultivated the “Pavlov’s dog reflex”, you can stop being afraid of suffering from an overabundance of pressure and heaviness.
10. Dark chocolate
Yes friends! Real chocolate, made from real cocoa beans, can be a complete way to relax and give you a huge rush of endorphins.
Just one teaspoon of ground cocoa beans mixed with banana fruit puree or smoothie can loosen the grip of stress, lift your mood and is rightfully considered one of the most amazing methods for quality relaxation.
If you eat chocolate in the form of bars, then prefer it black (without milk) with at least 80 percent cocoa. I used to think that I had chocolate, but it turned out that I only had milk, which contains a huge amount of dubious additives.
That's all!
Subscribe, share and add your unique ways to relieve stress in the comments to the article!
See you on the blog, bye-bye!
How to relax
How to learn to relax and what methods of relaxation exist? Jacobson relaxation + very effective technique.
How can you relax? Several ways. All of them are effective and proven by practice, you can try and choose the method that suits you physiologically or just more to your liking.
Let me note that if one method does not give you the desired result, you need to try another. We are all different, and often little things also play a significant role, everyone needs to find their own.
But there are also basic, primary methods of relaxation that are important to remember and apply periodically. I will describe some of them, such as relaxing breathing, mindfulness practice and “Jacobsonian relaxation” in the article.
So, all the relaxation methods that will be discussed: breath; active aggression- do not hold back your anger, throw out the accumulated negativity; well known method relaxation according to Jacobson deserves special attention; concentration on methodical occupation; exercise elbow swing promotes relaxation, also a good way to improve blood flow to the brain; trance- as a way to relax and mindfulness practice behind you.
So, how to learn to relax And ways to relax.
1
Breath- this is so important for us that we can write about it separately and a lot. Please note that we breathe differently in different states. 
and if one breath allows us to calm down and even (by correctly using the breathing technique) get out of a very nervous and tense state, then another breath, on the contrary, can lead from a serene state to stress.
Breathing exercise.
We switch our attention from any thoughts to our breathing. Relax your facial muscles, straighten your shoulders and take a deep breath at your normal pace. At the same time, we draw air not into the chest, but more into the stomach. Imagine that you have eaten too many apples and are bloated. Next, hold your breath for 3-5 seconds and exhale slowly.
The exhalation should be about a third of the time longer than the inhalation. We do it with short delays between each inhalation and exhalation (2-3 seconds). We repeat inhale - hold - exhale - hold, so 5-6 times. You can do this both with your nose and mouth, without straining too much. When you inhale, you mobilize your resources and fill your blood and organs with oxygen, and when you exhale, relaxation itself occurs, you breathe out tension.
Relaxing breathing should not be intermittent; during the process of inhalation and exhalation, try to keep everything flowing smoothly.
And after you have taken the first 5-6 deep breaths and exhalations, you stop interfering with this process at all, breathing now occurs on its own, you're just watching him, without trying to influence it in any way, let the body itself select the rhythm it needs.
Try to track your breathing at least occasionally throughout the day. This is important, do this exercise more often, even if you are completely calm, let correct, deep and leisurely breathing become your useful, relaxing habit.
And learn to concentrate on your breathing All your attention, then the relaxation effect will be much stronger.
One of the effective methods is active aggression.
The method is well known and has been used for a long time. In my experience, the gym is good for this, not only for men, but also for women. Also martial arts classes. But if all this doesn’t apply to you, then just find a whipping toy. By the way, you can use the “husband” (wife), the main thing is that you don’t mind and understand the jokes.
So, find something you don’t mind breaking, beating and splitting, and do it with passion, preferably shouting. Screaming is a great way to quickly throw out all the negativity and relax. This is especially important for those who do not know how (are afraid) to express their emotions and constantly suppress them and accumulate them in themselves. After all, emotional energy does not go anywhere, but accumulates inside, which makes it even heavier. I won’t persuade you, but at least occasionally find a place and time to throw out the accumulated experiences.
Screaming in general has many of its own functions, for example, by screaming you can warm yourself up, give yourself more courage and even increase adrenaline. In other cases, by shouting and swearing well, you can throw out unnecessary rage.
This method of active aggression is not suitable everywhere and not always, but to get rid of accumulated negative emotions such as , this is one of the best ways how to quickly relax and get rid of tension.
Relaxation according to Jacobson
Edmund Jacobsan's technique is based on preliminary tension of the body muscles and their subsequent relaxation. For about 10 seconds, we alternately tense the muscles of the face, neck, hands, back, abdomen, shoulders, groin and feet. Next, we relax the muscles involved and try to feel the resulting relaxation.
Recommendations. First. We strain various parts (muscles) of the face, hold the face for 8-10 seconds and relax. This relieves tension well, relaxes and improves facial expressions, and also improves blood circulation in the cells. And don't be alarmed by the idea that exercise can cause wrinkles, it doesn't. Exercise like this has a positive effect on the appearance of the skin.
Second. Take a cylindrical object so that it fits well in your palm and squeeze it forcefully for 8-10 seconds, then slowly relax your hands and try to feel this pleasant feeling of relaxation. Don’t be lazy and do this exercise at least 5 times a day for 1-2 weeks, this will greatly reduce your overall level of anxiety.
And what is important, after doing it, immediately try to feel this very pleasant relaxation for 1.5 - 2 minutes. The body subconsciously remembers this relaxed state, and then it will be easier to return to it.
I repeat, do this exercise 5 times a day for the first time, this is important to get rid of old, chronic blocks and reduce anxiety. Then it is enough to do it 2 times a day for prevention or when you feel that you need it. I don't forget and always do these exercises.
Note. Exercise is contraindicated for heart patients (if the disease is confirmed by doctors). In your case, another relaxation exercise on stretching. To do this, we lie down on the floor or bed and stretch with effort, stretching and bending our neck, arms, legs, and back as much as possible. To do it correctly, remember yourself when you woke up, yawning and stretching.
This exercise is weaker, so you need to do it 1.5 times more often than the previous one, also every day. The same 8-10 seconds are performed.
By the way, these exercises will also help well with osteochondrosis. My assistant Evgenia wrote about this in detail. If the topic is relevant to you, read.
How to relax while working or in any other place and situation? We use our hands as described above.This is a way to relieve tension without worrying about someone seeing something, and don’t forget about breathing.
Other techniques for relaxing
Concentration on a methodical lesson. I’ll just say a few words, since I already wrote about this in another article, and you can read more by going to.
The goal of this method is to smoothly (without struggle) switch from negative thoughts to something more pleasant and useful, some activity.
Two ideas or objects cannot be fully present in the head at the same time. One thing will still attract greater psychological activity. Therefore it is important to learn soft to displace what is unnecessary to us, replacing it with something useful, and make sure that this useful thing gradually captivates us (becomes interesting), and after some time you may notice how the negative has lost its strength and sharpness.
A state of passive observation of everything that happens.
Entering this state of light trance (meditation) promotes mental calm and relaxation.
It is not difficult to enter this state, but it is much more difficult to remain in it. When we are tired physically or mentally, we do this ourselves when we collapse into a chair and stop thinking about anything, close our eyes and mentally fall into our sensations, involuntarily setting ourselves up for rest, but at the same time we do not fall asleep.
Or, from the outside, we simply observe for a long time at some point (object, etc.) or follow the thought process, but we don’t analyze what’s happening, but just watch everything. You can enter this state of conscious observation at will at any time.
We sit down in a chair, close our eyes, while our mental activity continues to work, thoughts flow in the direction of problems, some things to do, etc. And now we slow down and smoothly turn off all internal dialogue with ourselves and turn our attention to the sensations in the body, trying to cover the entire body from the top of the head to the feet.
The sensations can be different, unpleasant and pleasant. Now it is important to shift your attention and start observing pleasant sensations or some kind of visualizations (pleasant images). The flow of thoughts is smooth and superficial, and we only observe everything.
It may be difficult to shift your attention away from the negative, or some thoughts will not leave your head. Here it is important not to fight it in any way, not to drive them away, but simply to turn your attention back to pleasant sensations or breathing. Simply, without analyzing anything, we observe the breath and pleasant sensations in the body.
The exercise is based on observing any pleasant sensation, the heaviness of the arms and legs, the surrounding comfortable temperature, and subtle 
pulsations, twitching or any other slight sensations in any part of the body.
Feel this comfort and observe this comfort as if floating above your sensations. Thinking itself will gradually reach for something pleasant, and you just watch it.
The state of passive, naked observation is our natural, natural and most important, healing state. For maximum benefit, I recommend an excellent practice for awareness and relaxation, in which you will learn not only to observe what is pleasant, but also all your emotions, thoughts and states; this teaches awareness in life and acceptance of the present moment, acceptance of all your feelings.
Finally: how to learn to relax
Music and specials relaxation, sounds, recorded on discs, are also very effective and can serve as a relaxing element and complement some relaxation techniques.
Also to relieve fatigue and I recommend raising your tone cold and hot shower. How to do it correctly and what you need to know, read
Massage and bathing with special oils and gels are also a good way to tidy up the nervous system.
Best regards, Andrey Russkikh
Relaxing melody
Try not to think about anything, leave problems and matters for later, just listen carefully, but calmly, without tension, this will allow you to deeply relax and rest mentally.
Relaxation methods
Since ancient times, man has learned to relax in every way available to him. Today, several groups of relaxation methods can be distinguished, each of which is distinguished by a rich content of various techniques, both individual and group.
Relaxation techniques related to the body
The most common group of relaxation methods includes numerous tension-relaxation systems of various muscles of the body. This is due to the fact that human nervous tension is one of the most energy-intensive processes during the period of activity. And since in the process of evolution nervous tension was in close contact with muscle tension, one of the methods of neuropsychic relaxation is muscle relaxation, i.e. complete relaxation of the body muscles.
E. Jacobson was the first to scientifically develop the method of muscle relaxation. He suggested that there is a direct relationship between skeletal muscle tone and various forms of negative emotional arousal (fear, anger, etc.). Jacobson created a system of special exercises, progressive relaxation techniques, which is a course of systematic training for voluntary sequential relaxation of all muscles of the body. Here, the relaxation effect is not only the removal of muscle tone, but also the achievement of a relaxed neuropsychic state.
Jacobson's method is based on the fact that relaxation can best be felt immediately after tension. Therefore, all exercises consist of alternating periods of maximum tension and quickly followed by maximum relaxation of certain muscle groups. During these exercises, a person learns to distinguish and then evaluate the degree of relaxation as a difference in tension.
In addition, active muscle contraction in itself is an additional impulse to achieve a deeper degree of relaxation than with various methods of self-hypnosis. By practicing muscle relaxation, we actually achieve neuropsychic relaxation, as we relax and calm a large area of the cerebral cortex. That is why special attention in the Jacobson method is paid to exercises to relax the muscles of the face, hands and feet.
Today, the Jacobson method has become widespread in many relaxation systems, and based on it, numerous new relaxation exercises have emerged, which you can find on our website.
The second most important method of relaxation associated with the physical body, which is used by all people without exception, is sleep. Sleep is the body's natural way of neutralizing the activity and arousal that characterizes wakefulness, thereby protecting the cells of the cerebral cortex from depletion. Timely, adequate sleep could be called the best means of rest, relaxation and complete restoration of strength. By the way, exercises using the Jacobson method can be performed immediately before bed, which will ensure deeper relaxation of all body systems.
Excellent methods of relaxation related to the body also include all kinds of water procedures - swimming, sauna, and various types of massage.
Relaxation techniques related to breathing
Breathing is the most important process in the human body. Thanks to it, our blood is saturated with oxygen, then nourishing every cell. In addition, breathing is connected with the work of our nervous system, because almost always “calming down” means establishing deep, even and unhurried breathing.
In a state of stress, anxiety, fear or anger, our breathing becomes shallow and convulsive. We don’t have time to breathe properly because the whole body is blocked by negative experiences. Accordingly, the body does not receive enough oxygen, and various diseases develop, loss of strength, premature aging, etc. occur. Therefore, it is especially important for every person to master the technique of deep or full breathing, when not only the chest, but also the lower abdomen is involved in the process of inhalation and exhalation. With such full breathing, the body automatically reaches a state of relaxation, thoughts are organized, and anxiety disappears.
There is another important feature of breathing. Since ancient times, Eastern sages knew: the duration of breathing is directly related to the duration of human life. The longer the inhalations and exhalations, the longer we can live. Therefore, anyone who wants to stay healthy for many years needs to train their breathing using special techniques.
There are various breathing exercises, both those that came from eastern yogic systems and medicine, and those developed by modern specialists. Their common goal is to harmonize the breathing process, increase the access of oxygen to the cells of the body and, as a result, promote the health of the entire body.
Relaxation techniques related to mental activity
This large and popular group of relaxation techniques harnesses the power of human thought. The best known method is autogenic training or autotraining (self-hypnosis, self-hypnosis).
Auto-training is indispensable in our turbulent times and allows you to overcome nervous tension and stress, strengthen physical and psychological health. This method is especially suitable for those people who have rational thinking.
The main goal of auto-training is to reduce the emotional tension that underlies many neurotic conditions. With the help of auto-training, a state of deep relaxation (relaxation) and concentration is achieved, in which consciousness focuses on what you want to change. In a state of autogenic immersion, a person can control organs and systems that do not obey the mind in the normal state. Auto-training is carried out both individually and (more often) in groups of up to 10-12 people. The main technical technique of auto-training is the mental repetition of six verbal formulas that describe the state of relaxation. The first formula is related to heaviness (“my arms and legs are very heavy”). The second is with warmth (“my hands and feet are very warm”). The third formula is “the heart beats calmly and evenly” (for cardiophobia it is not used because it revives fears for the heart). The fourth formula is “breathing calm and even.” The fifth formula is “warmth in the solar plexus.” The sixth is “coolness in the forehead.”
Typically, an autogenic training course includes 8-12 sessions with a specialist, and then independent autogenic training continues. The most important thing in order to achieve success is to practice every day, combining perseverance with faith in your strengths and capabilities.
Recently, the method of verbal self-hypnosis (affirmations) has gained enormous popularity. Affirmations are verbal formulas compiled according to certain principles (they use only positive expressions, there is no “not” particle, the present tense is used, formulas are pronounced in the first person, etc.). With the help of affirmations that need to be repeated many times, you can achieve the effect of calm and relaxation of the mind and body.
For those who have a vivid imagination, the method of creating mental images is perfect. Images have great power: they can evoke completely different states, from sadness to joy, from complete relaxation to mobilization of all forces. It is important to find “your” image that will bring you to the desired state. Beautiful and bright pictures imagined by our minds help us to be filled with positive emotions, to relax and unwind our souls. The most effective images for relaxation are when you are basking on a soft feather bed, swaying on a fluffy cloud, lying on the seashore or in a warm, pleasant bath. Even a fleeting immersion in such a comfortable situation has a beneficial effect on a person’s well-being. When using an image, it is important to take a better look at all the details and feel all the sensations associated with it. With successful training, after a while you will only need to remember your image, and the body, at the level of muscle memory, will itself reproduce the state of relaxation.
Relaxation through affirmations or mental imagery works well with muscle relaxation techniques.
Relaxation techniques associated with art
One of the main tasks of art is to give joy and peace to the soul. The relaxation effect can be achieved by listening to specially selected music, viewing paintings, photographs of natural landscapes, videos, etc.
In addition, you can achieve relaxation by viewing special images to relax the eye muscles. Such pictures automatically calm neuropsychic activity, gradually leading the brain and the whole body to a state of relaxation.
All kinds of methods associated with dance movements also contribute to physical and neuropsychic relaxation. Moving to music along with pleasant communication supports positive emotions. The combination of music and lighting effects enhances the effect on the biocurrents of the brain. The Russian composer Scriabin began to promote color music as a method of relaxation and maintaining health and good mood.
These methods can complement each other - for example, using music and paintings or videos at the same time is very effective.
Singing is also an excellent anti-stress method - a singing person can be much more relaxed and harmonious. It’s especially good to sing when no one can hear you - this way you can more fully express the whole range of feelings associated with the song and with your own inner state. At the same time, tension goes away and peace comes in its place.
Relaxation techniques related to lifestyle and perception of reality
A natural and essential way to relax and maintain a positive attitude is laughter. Laughter therapy as a psychotherapeutic direction is rapidly developing today. Laughter causes a reaction in our body, which contributes to the healing of the entire body. All muscles first contract and then relax. Breathing and heart rate temporarily increase, which enriches the blood with oxygen. And brain cells reduce their sensitivity to pain. In addition, they produce endorphins - substances that eliminate pain and bring pleasure. Laughter therapy is directly related to our perception of ourselves and the surrounding reality: the more funny we find in ourselves or in the current situation, the more resistant we become to stress and adverse influences.
Also, being in nature has a beneficial effect on a person - on the seashore or lake, at the foot of the mountains, in a shady forest. If you can’t be alone with nature for several days, then you can at least recreate a corner of it at home or in your office - plant flowers and indoor trees, have an aquarium, arrange a mini-waterfall, etc. The sounds, colors and smells of living nature are one of the most powerful and effective means of achieving complete relaxation.
Relaxation techniques related to parapsychology and spiritual teachings
Today, many ancient spiritual teachings and healing techniques are being revived and gaining popularity. Correct adherence to one or another system of spiritual improvement contributes to the overall calm of the body, soul and spirit - after all, as a rule, work is carried out on three levels: physical, energetic and mental. The use of yogic exercises also leads to the achievement of comprehensive relaxation.