- Are you feeling stressed and down?
or
- Are you feeling overwhelmed by life, the universe and everything?
or
- Are you feeling unable to cope?
Well the answer is only a few lines away. The key to de-stressing is obvious. It is RELAXATION. But we all know that you can't make someone relax or order someone to relax. That would be like asking them not to imagine a pink elephant wearing sunglasses.
So how can you achieve this wonderful, soothing state at will, when your mind is being pulled in different directions, when you have the worries of the world on your shoulders? You know what I mean. Maybe even as you read this, you can feel tension building up in your body; maybe it is in your stomach or in your neck and shoulders; maybe your heart is beating a little faster, you might feel you are unable to think straight as you ponder the backlog of work or deadlines to be met or family issues and so on.
STOP! You owe it yourself to free yourself from this state of mind and as soon as possible, to calm your mind, to give it a breather. I want to introduce you to one very simple, effective technique which only takes moments of your time, which you can learn easily and apply anytime. The technique I am highlighting is a form of self hypnosis, whereby you use your brilliant subconscious mind to help you to relax your mind and body. I hope you enjoy it. This is what I call the Walking Meditation and I have divided it up into a number of phases so that you can easily remember it. You can also record this and play it on an MP3 player.
This is what you do:
· PREPARATION PHASE
You can do this anywhere, for example in your office building or outdoors, walking from one place to another, or even in your mind! There is no need to be self conscious about doing this practice, and if you prefer do this somewhere where you are not observed. It is preferable to do this meditation in a quiet place, and if you are walking it for real, pick somewhere peaceful and safe and make sure you are dressed appropriately for the weather.
· INTENTION PHASE
Make a conscious decision that for the next 5 or 10 minutes (more if you can or want) that you are taking this time for yourself to relax from the stresses and strains of the day.
· ATTENTION ON YOUR BREATHING PHASE
Stand up straight and balance yourself squarely over your hips, feet shoulder width apart, head level, arms loosely by your side, eyes open and now focus on your breathing. There is no need to change the pattern of your breathing. Just stand there and notice the way you breathe in and out, and the more you focus on your breathing the more you relax and now slowly take a deep breath in, pause and exhale slowly and relax. Do this three times and with each breath just feel your body beginning to relax from head to toe, each muscle, nerve and fibre relaxing as you take in the perfect breath of air which is just right for you. And while you are doing this, you might notice noises in the background and you can relax and accept them, as they are just normal everyday sounds. And if you find some stray thoughts come into your mind, just accept them and bless them and send them on their way, like little puffs of smoke disappearing into the air. You can just blow them away.
· SCAN YOUR BODY PHASE
As you breathe you can begin to scan your body for areas of tension and if you find those areas, breathe in another breath of fresh air, this wonderful healing air and breathe this healing air right down into your body, sending it directly to the places of unease, easing the tension away and if necessary adjust your posture or your stance, so that you are even more comfortable and while you are standing there you can use your mind to talk to each part of your body, asking each part to 'SOFTEN' or visualise each part of your body and relax each part one by one from head to toe or from toe to head. It is all up to you as you are in control over everything you think, feel and do.
· WALKING PHASE
And now let's get ready to walk and you know the rate at which you usually walk and you know that this varies depending on your purpose. Sometimes it's very fast as you rush from A to B, sometimes it's slow as you amble along, relaxing outdoors. So I just want you to set off now at an average walking speed, a pace which is right for you and now here is the fun part, I want you to start slowing your pace down, maybe to half that pace and even to half that pace again. And for the next few moments and the time is up to you, I want you to walk along very, very , very slowly and maybe you are going at a snail's pace, barely putting one foot in front of the other and while you are going at this wonderfully slow pace, start noticing again your breathing, your body, how it is moving, notice the sounds your feet make on the floor. And maybe you notice the things around you now from a different perspective and allow your eyes to soften to take in more of the things that are around you and just notice how different everything is from what it was a few moments ago as you continue to breathe in and out, each breath relaxing you even more and more. And know this, that you are in control and you can do this walking meditation for as long or as little as your want, and I am sure the more you do it, the more you realise how good it is for helping you to relax by slowing you down, by giving your conscious mind some time out from everyday concerns.
· POSITIVE SELF SUGGESTIONS PHASE (Optional, I highly recommend this!)
And while you are in this wonderful state of relaxation, it is now time to treat yourself kindly by programming your wonderful subconscious mind with positive beneficial suggestions. So say the following affirmations 3 times (aloud or in your mind, it is up to you):
· I am calm, I am relaxed, I am in control, I am confident.
· I feel calm, I feel relaxed I feel in control, I feel confident.
And feel what it is like to be calm, relaxed, in control and confident. Feels good doesn't it?
· COMPLETING THE MEDITATION PHASE
And whenever you are ready to come back to 'now', just take another 3 breaths and notice how good it feels to be relaxed, knowing that you can achieve this state anytime you want, anywhere you want. On the third breath, just shake your body out, feeling good, relaxed, alert and energised.
Anne M. Courtney. I am a Certified Hypnotist based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland and am a member in good standing of the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) based in the USA. My business is called Integrated Health Therapies and I offer three healing modalities - homeopathy, hypnotherapy and neuro linguistic programming. My aim is to help my patients or clients in a gentle and safe manner to overcome personal limitations on mental, physical and emotional planes.
So I hope you enjoyed doing the Walking meditation. If you want to learn some more about me, the services offered or hypnosis just go to my website where you will also find a free relaxation download. My contact details are also on my site if you would like further information: http://www.annemariecourtney.com or http://www.hypnosistralee.com
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