Relaxation Meditation
Stress is a fact of life, but it does not have to be a way of life. When stressed our days can be like an ongoing battle. With work to do, bills to pay and housework chores – where does it end! In today's world we are can feel locked into a 24/7 grid with Internet, the cell phone and email constantly clamoring for our attention....it can be difficult to find any downtime to rest and recuperate! Without a chance to rejuvenate our batteries stress can build up....leaving you feeling frazzled and worn out at the end of the day. This type of chronic stress can affect health, leading to exhaustion and fatigue. Health professionals have estimated that some 75-85% of all health problems are precipitated or aggravated by stress! Most of us are looking for more energy and less stress - but what we don't realize is that we need to relax to re-energize. We need to take time out each day to rest our body and relax our mind – which can be hard to do when you have a to-do list as long as your arm. Relaxation meditation can give you a way to release the accumulated stress and approach your day with a calm and clear mind This relaxation meditation is a great way to help your mind and body relax. However, as with any skill, the more you practice it the better you get at it. The benefits of meditationMeditation benefits the mind and the body. After you have meditated you may notice that you have a relaxed body and clear mind. This is because there are both physical and psychological benefits to meditation. It is reported that meditation can reduce blood pressure and muscle tension. Also there tend to be lower levels of stress hormones in people who meditate. The clear mind that you may feel after meditating may be due to the increased alpha brain waves that are typically associated with a relaxed yet alert mind. People who meditate also tend to experience less anxiety and report having greater levels of happiness and wellbeing. A relaxation meditation technique to reduce stressFree Stress Management Resources Take part in our free stress management course delivered to your Inbox.
When stressed, remember how good it felt during the relaxation meditation. Over time you will be able to return to this mind-body tranquility when you need to. Other relaxation exercises for stress reliefRelaxation meditation can counter the stress response and rejuvenate and tired body. Here are a number of other relaxation exercises that can help to relax your body and clear your mind.
 One of the most powerful tools for stress relief and relaxation is your imagination. Relaxation imagery uses all the senses of the body to re-create a scene of calm and tranquility. By doing so, your brain uses nerve impulses that activate certain areas of the brain as though you were really in the situation. This make guided imagery for relaxation a powerful stress management technique.
Transcendental meditation (or TM) is one of those relaxation exercises that are designed to reduce your stress. Practicing transcendental meditation on a daily basis you can rejuvenate a tired body and calm a busy mind. Here I talk more about the benefits of transcendental meditation for relaxation and stress relief.
 Developed by Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s, progressive muscle relaxation helps to reduce one of the main symptoms of stress - muscle tension. With the view that a tense mind cannot exist within a relaxed body, progressive muscle relaxation systematically tenses and releases each muscle group. Progressive muscle relaxation can have a deeply relaxing effect.
Chronic muscle tension and accumulated stress hormones can be the products of being chronically stressed. Physical exercise helps to reduce the effects of stress by relaxing the muscles and using up the accumulated stress products from the fight or flight response. Here are a number of ways that exercise reduces stress. Related Articles
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