Just relax

We live in a world full of various noises and signals: the rumble of subway cars, the rumble of freeways, the hum of a computer, telephone calls … And as a result, our stress level increases in proportion to the number of sounds we absorb more or less consciously. And if we add to this the hum of our internal dialogues with ourselves … How can we achieve peace and balance under such conditions? You have to start with silence – in yourself and around you. At least for an hour, or one morning, or one day. Take every opportunity to organize a space of silence for yourself. How? After listening to the news, turn off the radio, get out of the habit of working at the computer to music, turn off your mobile phone from time to time for at least an hour, try to live a week without TV, and sometimes have dinner in silence. Not only will this help you achieve greater inner peace and mental clarity, but it will open up a new way for you to be present in your own life and the lives of your loved ones.

EXERCISE 2

find balance

Tree pose, one of the easiest yoga poses to do, helps to harmonize our mental and physical energies. Exercise can be performed in the morning or evening, if possible – in the afternoon at work.

• Stand up, straighten your back, look straight ahead.
• Raise your right leg, bending it at the knee and moving it to the side, rest your foot on the inner surface of the thigh of your left leg.
• Place your left hand on your left thigh.
• Having achieved balance, connect the palms at the level of the solar plexus.
• Try to hold the pose for 10 seconds, breathing softly and deeply, without delay.
• Interlace your fingers, turn your palms up, stretching your arms above your head, as if you want to push the sky away from you.
• Repeat the same with the left leg.

EXERCISE 3

Let your eyes rest

The payback for hours spent in front of the monitor is a heavy head and pain in the neck. Yoga exercises will help to get rid of the cause of these ailments – eye strain. Eye muscles, like any other, need training.

If your eyes are tired, you can resort to the relaxation technique “palming” (from the English palm – “palm”), invented by the American ophthalmologist William Beytes (William Beytes) *. Rub your palms to warm them up, cover your eyes with them, slightly bending your fingers. Stay in this position for 5 minutes, focusing on deep nasal breathing.

• Sit on a chair, straighten your back. Feet on the floor, hands on hips, palms up.
• Imagine that you have a large round clock with hands and numbers in front of you, and that you, without moving your head, move your eyes from 12 to 6 o’clock, from 1 to 7, from 2 to 8 o’clock, and so on, until you have gone full circle of the dial.
• Repeat the same in the opposite direction.

* W. Bates “Perfect vision at any age” (Krylov, 2010).

EXERCISE 4

Release the body

Under the influence of stress, our body tenses up and loses its flexibility. To get rid of the accumulated tension of the day, do an exercise every evening, which body-oriented therapists often use at the beginning of a session.

• Wear soft, loose-fitting clothing. Lie on your back, if possible, directly on the floor, slightly spreading your arms and legs.
• Close your eyes and take a few even, gentle breaths in and out.
• When your breathing evens out, relax your facial muscles by opening your mouth. Then relax the muscles of the buttocks, abdomen and thighs.
• On the inhale, strongly tighten the muscles of the legs, keep the tension for 4 seconds, then relax on the exhale (also 4 seconds). Repeat 4-5 times. Then repeat the exercise with your hands, remembering to clench your fists.
• After completing a full cycle of tension and relaxation of the legs and arms, lie still on your back, making sure that the muscles of the face, buttocks, abdomen and thighs are completely relaxed.

EXERCISE 5

Be filled with light

This relaxing and energizing meditation includes visualization and muscle relaxation exercises. The author of this technique, American Shakti Gawain, advises to perform them in the morning, immediately after sleep *.

• Lying on your back (arms extended along the body or crossed on the stomach), close your eyes, breathe deeply and evenly. Relax as much as possible.
• Imagine a halo of golden light around your head, take five breaths in and out.
• Mentally move the halo of light to the neck, again take five breaths and exhalations.
• Lower the halo below – into the chest area; solar plexus; belly. Remember to take five deep breaths in and out at each step.
• Imagine the five areas you have covered in a golden glow.
• Inhale deeply, and on each exhalation, imagine a radiant cloud of energy descending on the left side of your body, from head to toe. Inhale deeply again and mentally lift this bundle of energy up the right side of the body, from the feet to the head. Repeat the cycle three times.

* Sh. Gawain “Creative Visualization” (Sofia, 2009).

EXERCISE 6

Spread your arms

The kum nye relaxation technique, created by the Buddhist philosopher Tarthang Tulku, releases bodily energy to promote health and free the mind from annoying thoughts *. These exercises do not take much time.

• Sit cross-legged on the floor (tailor’s pose), straighten your back and neck well, put your hands on your knees.
• Slowly raise your arms to chest level, elbows bent, palms facing the floor.
• Breathe gently through your nose and mouth as you slowly raise and lower your arms a few inches. Continue this movement, reducing its amplitude and gradually nullifying it.
• Sit still until you feel warmth or tingling in your hands.
• Turn your palms up and press your elbows to your sides. Then bring the edges of the palms together so that they touch each other, then spread them apart as far as possible from each other, leaving the elbows pressed to the sides. Repeat the movement three times.
• Continue to keep your hands palms up and your elbows close to your body. Bring and spread your hands with quick and powerful movements. Perform these movements rhythmically for a minute.

* Т. Tulku “Relaxation of the sand” (Sofia, 2001).

EXERCISE 7

massaging feet

This secret of anti-stress practice is owned by many Africans: when relaxing, they are ready to talk to each other for hours, while tirelessly massaging their feet. Great for relaxing and improving blood flow.

• Sitting in the tailor’s position, warm up your palms by rubbing them together. Grasp the right foot (if you are right-handed) or the left (if left-handed) with both hands.
• Massage it, stopping at the areas that you feel are the most relaxing to massage.
• Gently massage each toe as well as the arch of the foot. Any kind of massage – stroking, pinching, kneading – will benefit.
• Do the same with the second foot. To enhance the effect of the procedure, use massage oil by adding 4-5 drops of lavender, ylang-ylang or mandarin essential oil to it.