The common signs of bodily tension are pain in the neck and back. If you are stressed out, your shoulders also get the tension. Expressions such as "shoulder your responsibility" and "on your shoulders" speak volumes of how your shoulders may sustain the stress from everyday life. Given that tension saps your physical and mental energy, always tell yourself to "drop your shoulders" for relaxation. But it is easier said than done.

Why?

It is because physical relaxation is a skill ? something that does not come naturally. You must first of all recognize the problem, that is, you have bodily tension, and then you must learn how to acquire that skill for your physical relaxation.

For relaxation, you require the work of both your body and your mind.

Learning to relax is not easy. It takes time, patience and persistence. But the longevity health benefits are substantial and lasting.

Make time to practice physical relaxation. Above all, make it a routine ? not something you do only on the spur of the moment.

Do not do it before bedtime. Why not? Because it is a skill to learn, and thus requiring mental effort ? surely not something appropriate when you are tired and ready to go to bed.

Do not fall asleep while practicing physical relaxation. However, you can may it to help you sleep better, but not during the practice session.

Do not rush. Learn to relax at your own pace.

Do deep muscle relaxation using the pendulum method, in which you tighten up your muscles before letting them relax. Tense your muscle groups, beginning with the hands, the shoulders, the feet, and then the face and the neck, in that order.

During the practice, breathe in and out slowly and naturally. If your stomach moves gently up and down, you are breathing right. If your chest moves up and down, you are not breathing right. Always breathe diaphragmatically, like a baby does.

To practice physical relaxation, find a comfortable place to lie down. (When you mastered the skill, you can do it anywhere and anytime.) Follow the following steps:

Tense and then relax each of your muscle groups.

For your hands, clench your fists tight and hard, and then slowly let go.

For your arms, tighten your biceps and your lower arms, without tightening your fists.

For your shoulders, elevate your shoulders as high as possible.

For your feet, screw up your toes. Stretch the front of your legs by pointing them away from you as much as possible such that they are parallel with your legs. Flex your feet upwards while stretching your feet down. Tighten your thighs and press your knees against the floor.

For your buttocks, clench them together hard.

For your stomach, crunch and tighten your abdominal muscles.

For your lower back, press it against the floor

For your chest, take a deep breath, hold it, and tighten your chest muscles.

Going back to your shoulders, breath in, hold your breath, and raise your shoulders as high as possible.

For your neck, stretch your head up, stretching and tightening your chin. Press your head down in the opposite direction until your chin touches your chest.

For your face, press and tighten your lips, clenching your teeth. Close your eyes tight. Raise your eyebrows (forget about the wrinkles) as high as you can go. Screw up all your facial muscles.

Physical relaxation will increase your energy, decrease your anxiety and irritability, and reduce physical pain due to tense muscles.

Physical relaxation is a skill that can be acquired with practice, patience, persistence, and the right attitude.

After you have mastered the skill through daily practice, you can apply it to any daily situation, such as while you are driving, waiting for the bus, or any time while working in the office.

Make physical relaxation a part of your daily life. Relaxation not only restores your health, but also makes you sleep much better at night, without the use of medications.

Mental relaxation, to complement physical relaxation, is a more difficult issue, and will be discussed later.

Copyright (c) 2007 Stephen Lau