Be Aware Or Become Aware Of Your Body
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Learn to scan your body for signs of tension and stress. Clenched jaw, grinding teeth, furrowed brow, tight muscles, shallow breathing, pulse rate…all may be indicators of stress and tension that helps to provoke anger. Becoming aware of these may help alert you to something you’re not consciously aware of. Yoga, massage, breathing exercises, meditation, walking and regular exercise are also great helps that should, in some degree or combination, be incorporated into a daily pattern of living. A few simple relaxation techniques are outlined below.
- Lie flat on your back on the floor. No pillows. “Scan” your body. Where does it touch the floor? Where doesn’t it touch the floor? Are your feet rolling out or pointing straight up? Begin at your toes and slowly work your way up to the top of your scalp. Notice every change in feeling, in breathing. It’s not uncommon for very stressed or tense people to fall asleep initially while practicing this. Once you get comfortable with scanning, you can begin to concentrate on those places where you feel tension. If you can, mentally picture the muscle relaxing as you exhale. This exercise takes one into the “alpha” state where the brain operates most efficiently.
- Dynamic Tension. This is not the secret success of Charles Atlas as promoted in the comic books of the 50’s and 60’s, though the technique is similar. Place your palms together in front of your chest and push your hands together. Then release. Do this several times, noticing the changes in the feeling of the muscles. Become aware of when the shoulders are tight and work to consciously release them to the more relaxed state experienced after the tension exercise. Do the same thing with your jaw, clenching and squeezing, then releasing. Squeeze your shoulders up towards your ears; hold, then let go.
In each case, try to pay attention to your breathing, deepening and slowing it when possible. Our breathing is usually the first element to be affected by stress or tension, reducing our flow of oxygen, which in turn reduces our circulation and leads to muscle tension.