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The common thread running through the fabric of our lives is stress. If that thread is pulled much tighter, many of us may start to unravel. While a certain amount of stress can be beneficial, stimulating the body and mind to improved performance, too much stress causes overstimulation and leads to physical and mental illnesses. Here are 10 relaxation techniques you can practice to prevent or ease stress-induced illness.
Body Movement
Body movement techniques should be learned from a qualified instructor. However, after initial training, they may be practiced individually.
T'ai chi
T'ai chi (pronounced tie chee) is an internal martial art, originally developed as a boxing style, defensive in nature but based on the Taoist principles of yielding. T'ai chi has evolved into a gentle form of exercise. Often referred to as "restful action," it is seen as a means to health, through movement and meditation, and allows the individual to seek self-perfection through practice. The growth in t'ai chi's popularity has also increased the number of trained instructors available. Your local martial arts school may be a good place to find one.
The Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique teaches ways to move more efficiently to function more fully. Students learn a way of thinking about and using their bodies to become more aware of unnecessary tension.
Developed by Frederick Mathias Alexander in the late 19th century, it has been most widely used by actors and dancers. It has been reported that stress disorders, including hypertension, ulcers and dysmenorrhea, respond positively to the Alexander Technique.
Writer Nesahema Franklin reported her experience with the Alexander Technique in an article: "My Alexander session started on a massage table. The practitioner, a woman with exemplary posture and precise speech, lifted my head slightly to show me what Alexander called the ‘primary control,' the area where the head and neck meet, an important key to releasing tension. She moved my head slightly forward and up, a small adjustment, but one that made a significant difference—I immediately felt relaxation spread along the length of my spine. Other minor adjustments led to a new feeling of ease across my hips and back. After each adjustment, I practiced replicating the movements that produced the new feelings of fluidity."
A certified Alexander Technique teacher is a highly trained professional, who has completed a 1600-hour training program over a minimum of three years. For links to certified Alexander Technique instructors, visit http://www.alexandercenter.com/#Anchor3.
Yoga
Yoga is the Sanskrit word for union. Its goal is to join the body, mind and spirit into a balanced whole. Its benefits are rooted in the physical rather than the metaphysical. A gentle form of exercise, Yoga gives more energy than it takes and dispels the "no pain—no gain" exercise theory that has become a pervasive part of the culture. Combining asanas (yoga body postures) with deep breathing and meditation leads to Savasana, a period of deep relaxation at the end of each yoga session. Savasana is said to produce a physiological and mental calm that makes the body more receptive to healing. Yoga classes are often taught through YMCA and community education programs.
Massage
Massage, although an increasingly popular way to prevent and relieve stress, is still not readily approached by many who could benefit from it. People feel vulnerable letting someone else touch them, especially if they are getting a full body massage which requires undressing. To allay fears, massage therapists suggest starting with an on-site chair massage that does not require clothing removal. It is also important to choose a therapist where the client-practitioner relationship is one of mutual trust and respect. That's just as important in massage as the patient-doctor relationship is in medicine.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is a form of massage that originated in Japan over 1,000 years ago. Combining gentle manipulation and body movement with finger and hand pressure, its goal is to balance the body's energy.
Eastern medical theory holds that the body has 72 meridians (energy channels) at different layers of the body. Stress causes these channels to become blocked. Traditional shiatsu uses the 12 meridians closest to the surface of the body—six in the arms and six in the legs. It is possible to self-administer some shiatsu techniques, but it is more beneficial when received from a trained practitioner.
Acupressure
Acupressure is like shiatsu without the body movement and manipulation. It works on the body using finger pressure to release tension and may, in some instances, be self-administered.
Reflexology
Reflexology, based on the stimulus-response principle, uses the stimulation of specific reflex points in one part of the body to produce a reflex response in another part. Reflexology is especially attractive to those who feel uncomfortable about removing their clothing and is equally beneficial when administered by yourself or by someone else. Foot reflexology is the most commonly practiced in the United States, but it may also be performed on the hands and ears. The Yellow Pages or a friend's recommendation are the best places to begin looking for a massage therapist.
Meditation
Meditation uses concentration to alleviate emotional and physical suffering and may be directed in its approach or take the form of "letting go." All forms of meditation described here require their user to be in a comfortable and secure-feeling place without distractions.
Visualization
Visualization is a form of directed meditation. Anticipation, as well as actual events, can trigger stress reactions. Instead of letting undirected worry increase stress, directed relaxation is used to reduce it. Visualization changes perceptions and attitudes about stress-inducing events. In addition to reducing stress, it can channel the stress into positive performance. Many athletes use visualization. It's a technique that can be self-taught with a good book from the library or an informative web site.
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Transcendental meditation, introduced in the United States in the early 1960s by its founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, uses a "letting go" approach. Deepak Chopra, M.D., has written that "in Transcendental Meditation, the mind learns to go beyond the noise of thought to a region that is silent, peaceful, and whole. It transcends sickness to find health."
Chopra describes TM as a "purely mechanical technique." Practiced every morning and evening for 20 minutes, "one sits quietly in a chair with eyes closed, using, as instructed, a special word called a mantra, selected not for its meaning but strictly for its sound. That sound alone attracts the mind and leads it, effortlessly and naturally, to a slightly subtler level of the thinking process."
A large body of research, including studies out of Yale, Harvard and Stanford Universities, show TM has tangible benefits, including reducing mild hypertension. Try the Yellow Pages to find a TM instructor in your area.
Autogenic Training
Autogenic training, like visualization, is a form of directed meditation. Developed by German physician Johannes Schultz in the 1930s, its key principle is that the body will naturally balance itself when directed into a relaxed state. The library and World Wide Web are the two best places to learn more about this relaxation technique.
Practicing relaxation techniques can take you from coping to thriving. A number of these techniques often give quick relief from some problems, but overall, their benefits are cumulative and their practice should be an integral part of your life.
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