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How to De-stress Your Day
How
do I start my day to make it as stress free
as possible? The first thing I do is lie in
my warm bed, and do some conscious,
slow breathing
with my knees bent. Then, I turn on my right
side, knees
to chest, and do ten “sipping” breaths
with a long exhale. Then turn on my left
side and do ten more sipping breaths, ending
with a long slow
exhale. Finally, I sit up in bed! Those
little breaths clear my head, and give me a
pop of energy to greet the day.
Here
are some other tips for, hour by hour,
de-stressing both the body and the mind.
•
8 A.M. Before you leave the house, hug some
one - a pet, a child, even your self.
• 9A.M. Eat a
healthful breakfast!
• 10 A.M. Carry a healthy snack in the in
your briefcase, or purse ,or even the car.
For me, it’s a V-8 juice or a piece of
fruit. When mid-morning hunger strikes, be
prepared.
• 11 A.M. Take a relaxation break. Check
out your jaw muscle. Is it clenched?
Suggest, with inner talking, “my jaw
muscle is soft.” Pause. Tell your jaw
muscle, soften! Uncurl your fingers. Bring
shoulders down from your ears, and exhale.
• Noon. Light lunch. Go outside for a
brief walk. Notice the sky, birds, natural
surroundings. Silently, express your
gratitude for being part of the planet.
• 1 P.M. Do something nice for someone
else. Connecting with other people is key to
self esteem.
• 2 P.M. Laugh. Even if you have to go,
“Ho, Ho, Ho” or “Ha, Ha, Ha” for one minute.
Laughter lowers blood pressure, deepens
breath, stimulates pleasure centers of the
brain.
• 3 P.M. Yawn and stretch again. Raise
arms, bend elbows, squeeze eyes, open mouth,
make a big lion yawn, stretch side to side.
• 4 P.M. Close eyes. Feel where the eye
lids touch. Hold attention to where eyelids are
touching, for 30 seconds. Brain waves become
quiet.
• 5 P.M. Turn on some relaxing music for
the commute home. This a good time to work out.
Take some kind active physical exer-cise,
or your yoga
practice.
• 6 P.M. Nurture yourself. Eat well. Foods
high in carbohydrates, whole grains, beans, seeds,
nuts, fruits, vegetables, increase levels of
a brain chemical called serotonin, which
helps folks to feel more relaxed.
• 7 P.M. Try to create a quiet time with
the family. Turn off the T.V. Read together. Talk.
• 8 P.M. Take 20- 30 minutes just for you.
Read that sports or fashion magazine. I call this
“my anesthesia.”
• 9 P.M. Time for a hot bath or shower.
Renew yourself in the waters. Let the day go down the
drain.
• 10 P.M. Early bed time. Read a book that
uplifts the spirit. Send love and light to all
beings. Stretch the whole body, especially
legs and back. Sit at edge of bed and do a
forward bend. In bed, do knees to chest. Assume
the relaxation pose. Close eyes. Go through
the 4 steps of relaxation. Sweet zzzzzz’s.
(Complete and easy directions on the “Four
steps of relaxation” available in “The
Inner Smile” found at Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble)
Energy
Breath
I do this breath each day as I awaken. It is
one of the few breathing techniques that can
be done on your back. I tell my classes, “Don’t
do this breath if you want to sleep in. It
will wake you
up!” Lying on your back, knees bent,
comfortable. 1) Start by placing the thumbs
on the navel, fingers toward the pubic bone
This is the belly section. 2) Slide your
hands up to the side of the ribs. This is your mid
rib section. 3) Slide both hands up above
the breast
area. This is the upper chest section. Now,
think of your lungs as lying beneath these
three sections. In a moment, I will ask you
to comfortably fill each lung section with
little bursts of air, or sniffs, as if you are
sniffing or blowing up a balloon, no strain,
nostrils remain gently flared, lips are
closed. Return
hands to belly. Slowly exhale out …
completely, down through the belly section. Now,
take tree or four gentle sniffs into belly
area. Pause. Take two or three sniffs into
the upper chest. Pause. Take one or two sniffs
into the upper chest. Then, slowly, smoothly, lips closed,
exhale out completely. Let your body
recover.Then repeat a few more times. At
first, you will need to use your hands to
identify the three "compartments” of
your lungs. Soon, the hands will no longer
be necessary. Imagine you are “sipping”
energy, refreshing your whole body, thus
energizing and charging the mind for the day
to come.
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