Quick Mindfulness Relaxation

First, breathe in deeply, then exhale slowly.

Now, notice if your body feels tense or tight anywhere. If any of your muscles feel tight begin relaxing them, including your hands, arms, legs, stomach, chest, back, neck and face (including your eyes and jaw).

Imagine your muscles becoming heavy and loose,  and slowly sinking towards the floor.

Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, notice the surface you’re sitting on, whether it’s a chair, sofa, or the floor, and the weight of your body on it.  Imagine your body feeling heavy and relaxed, sinking into the surface.

Take another deep breath in, and as you exhale, notice how your feet feel on the ground; imagine them totally relaxed and comfortable.

Take a deep breath, exhale and notice how your skin feels underneath your clothing. Imagine your skin feeling light, cool and dry.

Take a deep breath, exhale and begin listening to the sounds around you. Notice each of them, while not focusing on any one. If you find yourself focusing on one, change your focus to a different sensation in your body.

If your mind starts chattering and distracting you with thoughts, bring your focus back to your body and your  breath.

Do one last body scan for tightness, take a deep breath, exhale and refocus on the matter at hand.

This is a 5 minute exercise, but can be extended if you have time–just spend more time on each sensation and relaxation.

The breathing is important as it helps your body to relax, so be sure to include it in between every transition to focus on a new sensation.

Try this at work, next time someone annoys you in a meeting, conversation or  email.  You’ll find this quick exercise will help you respond in a calmer, more thoughtful manner.

Tap to Tranquility

The following technique is from Nick Ortner’s book, The Tapping Solution:

1. Create a statement of what you’re worried about and the emotions you’re feeling related to it, i.e.:

“Even though I’m worried and anxious about being out of work, I deeply and completely accept myself”

2. Create a reminder phrase to keep you focused on the emotions you’re feeling, i.e.:

“All of this worry and anxiety…”

3. Begin by tapping on the Karate Chop point (see below) with the side of your other hand, repeating your problem statement three times.
4. Tap through the other eight points using two fingers of one hand, a very light touch, and tapping 5-7 times on each of the points, while stating your reminder phrase. The points are:
5. Once you finish tapping the eight points, take a deep breath and see if you feel better. If not, repeat the sequence until you get the relief you desire.

*This is a brief synopsis of Nick Ortner’s technique; for more details about tapping go to www.thetappingsolution.com