Heartfelt Therapies

The last ten minutes of relaxation in my yoga classes seems to be the favourite time for everyone. About one third of my yoga participants say a desire to relax is their reason for taking part in the eight-week session. I am pleased to see a pronounced difference in the degree of relaxation attained in the first class compared to what is accomplished in the last class.

It intrigues me when I come across someone who is unable to relax. They do not have the physical ability to let go of their tension, and what’s more, they do not realize it. This sad state of affair will show up on the massage table as well. The ‘wet noodle’ test makes it painfully clear. When a client is relaxed, I should be able to lift their arm or leg and it will heavily dangle, swing, or follow my lead. There are those that maintain their control, trying to anticipate the direction I am headed. My heart goes out to them.

So why is relaxing so difficult, when it is so desired?  The act of control is so well-rooted into the subconscious mind, that we cannot shake the habit without a lot of time and effort.  Regardless of what you consciously say you want, if the subconscious holds a different belief pattern, or conditioned behaviour, then you are at its mercy.

A person living with excessive stress and tension is operating within the fight, flight, or freeze response. Stress hormones are constantly in the bloodstream due to worry, overworking, striving to be better, or other upsetting situations. The effect on your body, mind, emotions, and spirit is adversely overwhelming, and eventually life threatening, due to the early onset of illness and disease.

The relaxation response is necessary to switch off the damaging hormone flow, and discover the “flow” similar to what highly trained athletes strive for in their performance referred to as ‘the zone’. Watching television, taking a vacation, or going out with friends to have a couple of drinks is not what this is about! An intentional, wilful retraining to realize how your mind tunes into your body is required. The release I am talking about is internal in nature.

There are many techniques out there; yoga, breathing exercises, visualization, biofeedback, and meditation, but expect the one you choose to take time. The chances of sticking with it are better when you find a style you enjoy. Health is your responsibility, and relaxation is one of the necessary ingredients of stress reduction.

Filed under: Emotional Health, Meditation, Mental Health, Physical Health, Spiritual Health on May 16th, 2010