Why do we need relaxation techniques?

Stress is the bane of modern living and we all suffer from it in one way or another. Stress is a normal part of everyday life but from time to time it can become debilitating. When it does it takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions, minds and quite possibly those around us especially our love ones.

Many experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger and irritability brought on by mental stress. Too much stress brings about chemical imbalance that can lead to or cause a heart attack. Managing your anger and attitude is significant to the health of your heart and general well being and relaxing effectively can help you manage that debilitating stress.

Practical relaxation techniques.

Learning to apply a relaxation technique that works for you is important. If you are feeling stressed out, worn-out by fatigue or just simply having a real bad day, the best thing to do is relax before that harmful stress gets the better of you. There are many relaxation techniques available and the following are what I think are the most practical ones to use. I have used them myself and the relaxation technique I use the most is exercise. Try the following relaxation tips and see which works for you.

Relaxation Tip 1 Transcendental Meditation.

One ancient and well-known relaxation technique is Transcendental Meditation, which appears to reduce artery blockage, which is a major cause for heart attack and stroke. Practitioners of Transcendental Meditation repeat soothing sounds while meditating, this helps to achieve a state of deep relaxation. Research has found that in practitioners of transcendental meditation a significantly reduced the thickness of their arterial walls compared with those who didn't practice Transcendental Meditation. It appears that relaxation techniques applied correctly over a length of time can bring about actual physical changes in the body to help us cope with stress.

Relaxation Tip 2 Acupuncture.

Again another ancient and well-known relaxation technique is Acupuncture. This seems to reduce high blood pressure by stimulating the brain to release chemical compounds known as endorphins. Endorphins help to relax muscles, ease panic, lessen pain, and reduce anxiousness.

Relaxation Tip 3 Yoga.

Yoga is also another relaxation technique that has similar effects to Acupuncture and it utilises controlled deep breathing. During studies of the effect of Yoga, test subjects where exposed to stressful situations and they applied their own relaxation techniques while listening to nature sounds or classical music. Those who did Yoga as well showed a significantly reduced time for their blood pressure to return to normal.

Relaxation Tip 4 Deep Breathing.

Controlled deep breathing is one of the easiest methods to relax. Breathing influences our mind, our moods and our body. Simply focus on your breathing and you can feel its effects right away. Taking about ten controlled deep breaths reduces the heart rate and after a few minutes you can really feel yourself calming down. The benefits of controlled deep breathing are you can do it quickly, do it anywhere and you do not need any special equipment. Be a bit cautious with deep breathing it can make you feel light headed if you do it too fast of for too long.

In part 2 to you will find even more useful relaxation techniques that will help improve your health and well being promoting a long and happy life.