Practising relaxation techniques has many benefits.
Benefits to the body: –
- Slowing your heart rate.
- Slowing your breathing.
- Reducing your blood pressure.
- The blood flow to primary muscles is increased.
- Greatly reducing chronic pain and muscle tension.
- Major body systems, circulatory, immune, respiratory, and gastrointestinal will function better.
- Many common health conditions improve when regularly practising relaxation, asthma, heartburn, PMT, some skin disorders are a few examples.
Benefits to our mental health: –
- Calms your mind and brings you into the present
- Able to sleep better.
- Helps you control your emotions.
- Helps you focus and increase your concentration.
- Can improve anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.
- Reducing stress.
There are many ways to relax and improve our health.
- Read a book.
- Listen to calming music.
- Have a relaxing bath.
- Take a walk in nature.
- Take up painting or drawing.
- Many hobbies help us relax.
- Tai Chi, Chi gong classes
- Meditation and mindfulness
Although I personally love meditation I know it is not for everyone. The aim of relaxation is to enable our minds to be totally immersed in what we are doing. We are therefore in the present not worrying about the past or future.
Soul Essence runs a fortnightly online meditation group Tuesday evenings.