How to get stronger by relaxing
You can get stronger by not doing anything for only 5 minutes a day.
There are only two ways of getting stronger: training and resting. It’s surprisingly easy to over train. If you’re a climber, it’s very easy to go overboard with ready access to gyms, crags and boulders. You get excited, don’t rest enough and eventually get hurt. You try over and over again and nothing improves. You can’t concentrate and you feel scared.
You like to run. You run everyday but don’t stretch enough. You get injured. You like to ski – you’re always sliding around in the snow but it feels like your technique never improves. Whatever your sport, if you do to much of it, and don’t give yourself a break occasionally, you’ll never progress.
Does this sound like you? Then you need to stop training and just learn how to rest and recover.
The benefits are impressive
Try the yoga practice of ‘savasana’. The effects of this practice, and other similar meditations, have been scientifically proven to relax the mind, relieve stress, cure mild depression, relax the body, reduce headache occourance and severity, lower blood pressure, relieve insomnia and fatigue, improves coordination time, memory and lowers breathing and heart rates. It has even been proven to raise IQ scores. Scientific studies aside, simply the anecdotal evidence of the power of the savasana practice is quite striking.
Try this simple yoga practice
It’s very simple to do. Time yourself for five minutes, lay on your back and close your eyes. The key to the practice is to relax your body, starting with the extremities. Relax your feet and hands first. allow them to feel heavy. Let go of muscle tension along the spine, and relax your abdomen, including your stomach muscles and side body. Relax your jaw, lips and tongue and back of the neck. Let the head lay heavy and relax your forehead. Allow the brain to relax and the mind to stop planning, thinking, dreaming and remembering. Stay in the present moment.
To relax your body as described is really a mind exercise to be present in your body, which will allow your autonomic system to trigger deep relaxation.
Here are some tips:
- Take the instructions seriously. Think about your various parts of your body that you’re trying to relax. Just those thoughts alone will promote relaxation.
- To assume the posture, begin by sitting on the floor with your legs bent, lean back on your elbows and then roll down the mat. Extend your legs one at a time, let your feet fall to the sides, completely relaxed. Rest your hands next to your body palms up.
- To come out, roll over to your right side and take a few breaths, then sit up.
- Our minds are so over stimulated that this practice is very challenging for most people. To get good at it, and to get good at getting the benefits of relaxation, simply practice it regularly, and you will begin to feel more and more comfortable. You will get used to it.
- Notice when your mind wanders. It will wander, especially if you are new to the practice. That’s not the point. The point is to notice when your mind wanders and to bring it back. You will inevitably start thinking about your day and your mind, likely overstimulated will rebel at the idea of shutting off. The practice of savasana is to notice when you’re thinking, and then bring yourself back to your body and the present moment.
- Daydreaming is not the point. When you daydream, you never disconnect and don’t get the benefits the exercise is supposed to promote. So notice when you are daydreaming, and bring yourself back. Don’t surrender your mind to thinking and daydreaming.
- Bring it to the areas of life where you need it. Regular practice will allow you to develop the ability to instantly notice when you’re stressed drop tension. I notice it in my shoulders, they get bunched up – I take a few deep breaths and concentrate on relaxing them. It works.
If you’re trying to treat insomnia, headache or fatigue, try to deepen your experience. Elevate your head by putting a blanket under your head and neck. Use an eye pillow or bandage to wrap the eyes. Stay warm – since your body temperature drops in savasana, try covering yourself with a blanket.
Start by practising for 5 minutes, then extend your practice to 10 minutes or more. The more the better, but remember if you fall asleep, you’re not doing the practice. There is nothing wrong with a nap, but that has other, different benefits.
Combating stress is important in today’s fast paced world. This practice can help revitalize the nervous system and improve your body’s capacity for dealing with stress.
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