قم بتحميل هذا المقال بالعربية (PDF)*This article in ArabicThis exercise combines best practices both from the East and from the West. It was originally developed by self-help groups of former political prisoners. It has helped them, so it should help you, too!!!
It takes around 20 minutes. Whenever you do this exercise, there is nothing more important than just focusing on what you are doing in the present. THESE ARE PRECIOUS 20 MINUTES ONLY FOR YOU! It is very helpful for you to keep your eyes closed throughout the exercise. You best do the exercise in an undisturbed environment, like your bedroom, or your office. Now enjoy the relaxation exercise!
1. Deep breathing (2 min.) Inhale air slowly and purposefully through the nose (so that you can hear it), and exhale equally slowly and purposefully through the mouth, so that the air flows through you like a circle. This way of breathing calms your emotional brain down. Once you have found your own healthy breathing pattern, your chest will start to move automatically up and down, like a wave…
2. Progressive relaxation exercise (ca. 15 min.) This section of the exercise is built upon the observation, that, if you tense muscles for 10 seconds and then let go suddenly of the tension, they swing over into a greater state of relaxation than before. The rhythm of this exercise is 10 seconds tension- 20 seconds focus on the consequent feeling of relaxation in the muscle group.
It is called “progressive”, because you work on muscle groups, starting from the feet, working upward through the trunk, neck, and face, until you reach your arms and hands.
To tense muscles throughout your body, here are some tips how to tense respective muscle groups:
- Tense your feet muscles, by putting your feet flat on the floor, and pointing with your toes inwards:
- Tense your calf muscles, by putting your feet flat on the floor, and pointing with your toes upwards;
- Tense your thigh muscles, by lifting your feet off the floor;
- Tense your buttock muscles, by squeezing them together, until you feel tension in your buttocks;
- Tense your back and shoulder muscles, by pulling your shoulders backwards;
- Tense your stomach muscles, by pulling them inwards
- Tense your chest muscles, by taking a deep breath
- Tense your neck muscles, by putting your chin on your chest;
- Tense your facial muscles by making a tight grimace (bite your teeth together, pull your lips apart, and squeeze your eyes together)
- Tense your arms and hands muscles, by stretching out your arms in front of you, while you make tight fists with your hands
Before you progress to the following section, examine mentally all the muscle groups you have exercised on, and if you find any tension still left in a muscle group, just repeat the exercise designed for this muscle group.
3. Imagination (ca. 5 min.) Put up in front of your inner eye (in the middle behind your forehead) a big white cinema screen, and put yourself on this screen, as you are right now. Then ask your right brain hemisphere to suggest to you real or imagined pleasant situations that give you a great sense of comfort, peace of mind, and safety.
Pick the one that feels right now best for you. Then try to imagine it with all your senses:
- Try to see the colours and shapes as clearly as possible;
- Try to hear the sounds as clearly as possible;
- Try to feel the situation with your skin;
- Try to smell and taste the situation as much as possible.
Indulge in this beautiful, comforting situation for 2 minutes.
If you try to focus on this situation, with time, you might encounter some distracting images or thoughts. Don’t fight them, just redirect your focus on the pleasant situation.
4. Wake up to reality After step 3, you will be so very relaxed, that it will not be easy to reconnect to the busy reality around you. You have to help yourself with some exercises that ease the transition from a great state of relaxation to the daily reality. Please do the following:
- Step out in your imagination of the pleasant situation.
- Roll up the cinema screen in front of your inner eye.
- Feel the chair or bed on which you are sitting or lying with your body.
- Count backwards from 4-1, count 4 and move your legs, count 3 and move your arms and hands, count 2 and roll your head, count 1 and open your eyes.
- Stretch yourself to the ceiling
At the end of the exercise, you will feel very relaxed or energetic.
If you do this exercise for one month, your body, mind, and soul will altogether get into a greater state of relaxation then they were when you started.
If you want to do this exercise while lying down on a bed or a couch, please support your neck and your knees with a cushion.