Meditation for relaxation of the mind is well-known and practiced by people across the globe. By combining simple relaxation techniques with meditation, we can have a healthy mind in a healthy body. Simply relax both the body and the mind simultaneously. Have you been thinking of practicing meditation to relax your stressed-out mind but could not manage because of the time factor? The general feeling is that meditation is time consuming. In reality, meditation and relaxation takes hardly any time. What matters is your ability to concentrate. Try practicing my 15-minutes ritual which I enjoy immensely and have benefitted from. This helps in relaxing both the body and the mind; killing two birds with one stone, indeed!
Body relaxation: Sit comfortably in yoga asana (lotus posture or semi-lotus posture) or in any other comfortable pose even on a chair, with back straight up. The first step to the “how” of meditation is relaxation. Relax your hands and keep the palms on the thighs or on your lap, facing upwards; simultaneously close your eyes. Exhale completely and inhale deeply. Slowly, start scanning your body through the closed eyes. Relax it part-by-part starting from the toes. Bring awareness to the toes and silently say to yourself, “Relax the toes.” You will feel the toe muscles relaxing. Linger on for a few seconds. Move your awareness upwards slowly, bringing attention to the feet, calf muscles, knees, thigh muscles and hip muscles. At every step, autosuggest the word, “Relax.” Once you feel that your legs are completely relaxed, scan the abdominal muscles followed by the chest, back, neck, shoulder, and facial muscles. Relax the muscles one-by-one; concentrate for a few seconds on each set of muscles till the upper crust of your head is relaxed.
Breathing: Now divert your attention to breathing; be aware of your exhalation and inhalation. Try to count through the process as it happens. The outside noise may interfere; it doesn’t matter. Thoughts of all kinds and tensions will well up inside. Let these come and go; pay
attention to these. Then, return to the breathing process with mindfulness. Inhale slowly, counting up to 4. Exhale completely, counting 1 to 4. Hold your breath outside the body for another 4 counts. Repeat this cycle 20 times. Somewhere along the line, the counts will be forgotten and your entire concentration will now be only on your breathing. Experience a calmness spreading over your body.
Mind: Try and envisage your mind leaving the calm and composed body. Allow the mind to observe the body as that of an outsider. Let your mind float in the ocean along with the waves and fish, spreading peace through the mind. Now slowly let the mind take off and fly along with the birds, soar up like an eagle, and feel the oneness with the universe. Recognize the tiny bit of a role a human being plays in the universe. As the awareness brings in further relaxation, enjoy this moment. Slowly divert this peaceful and blissful mind back into the present and into the body. A totally serene mind enters into an equally content body. Be aware of your immediate surroundings and slowly open your eyes. Relaxed beyond words?
Make this a part of your daily routine. Attain greater goals and achieve greater heights.
Do remember, no one can attain complete relaxation in one or two days. Do not lose patience; don’t give up. Regular practice with awareness is the key. Start with 15-minutes-a-day meditation and go on increasing the time. Practice makes one perfect. Rediscover yourself.
