Relaxation techniques

Candle gazing. For the practice of candle gazing, you'll need a candle which are able to put at eye height and just make sure it is clear of any item that might burn or anywhere it could slip. If you suffer from epilepsy, it is advisable that you don't practice candle gazing.

Light your candle and ensure it is a couple of feet away from you at eye height, sitting nice and tall either on the floor or on a chair. First of all, closing the eyes and just taking the attention into the body, focusing on the breathing.

On the inhale. Simply observing how the belly expands, the chest lifts, and on the exhale, the chest sinks, the belly contracts back into the body. Just observing the inhale, belly expands, chest lifts, and then exhale, chest contracts, belly moves back into the body, sitting nice and tall.

And when you are feeling ready, opening your eyes, focusing your attention on the brightest point of the candle, which is probably just above the wick. Breathing steadily through the nose. Just allow yourself to be fascinated by the brightness of the candle.

Allowing your eyes to be steady, trying not to let them flick left or right. Simply become fascinated by the brightness of the candle. Breathing in through the nose and exhaling through the nose. Allowing the flame to steady your gaze. If your mind wanders and you start to think about other things in the future or in the past, just simply guide it gently back to the flame, to the candle, and just allow your attention to settle on the bright point just above the wick. You may find that the eyes water, and this is a natural response.

If the eyes become uncomfortable, you can close the eyes and once again take your attention to the candle you might see burning in the closed eyes, just allowing your gaze to be steady, straight ahead.

Allowing the eyes to rest for a few cycles of breath, or when the candle fades in the darkness of your closed eyes, opening the eyes, taking the attention back to the bright point just above the wick.

Again, if the mind wonders, keep bringing it back to the practice, to the bright point of the wick of the candle, not flicking the eyes left or right. Stay focused, focusing the mind, breathing through the nose in and out.

Again if the eyes become uncomfortable, closing the lids, taking the attention back to the candle you see burning behind the closed lids. Inhaling and exhaling, allowing the eyes to become comfortable. And when the image of the flame starts to disappear, opening the eyes and focusing on the flame.

Again, if the mind wanders, and it might happen a thousand times, just carefully, gently, without judgment, bring the attention back to the candle, to the flame. Staying focused. If any words pop into your head, just let them go and allow the candle flame to take the whole of your attention.

Nothing matters. Nothing in the future. Nothing in the past. Just be in the present, gazing at the flame. And then to complete the practice, closing the eyes. Breathe in gently, allowing the mind to settle. Taking a deep inhale through the nose.

And exhale. One more inhale. And exhale. When you are feeling ready, opening your eyes. Extinguish the candle carefully and maybe just taking some of this relaxation into your day-to-day life.

For this exercise, we are going to be focusing on floating visualisation, where we imagine the body as if it's suspended in water. Place your body on the floor carefully. Make your left and right sides even.

Get comfortable. Allow gravity to draw you downwards. Exhale and allow yourself to relax and feel the heaviness in your arms and in your legs. Exhale and relax. Focus on the points of your body that are in contact with the ground and allow them to relax.

Starting with the back of your heels, back of your calves, back of your thighs, buttocks, lower back, upper back, shoulders, arms, hands, back of the head. Exhale and allow yourself just to relax.

Become comfortable. If it's okay for you, maybe just setting the intention that for the next 10 minutes, you'll be completely still, completely focused. Now focus on the inhale. As you breathe into the body, just notice the lightness of the body. With each inhale, your body feels lighter and lighter.

Begin to visualise that you are floating on shallow warm water. Your body is floating maybe on a surfboard, maybe on a raft, possibly a lilo, or maybe directly on the water. Choose the option that speaks to you. Don't worry about it, and don't let it take your attention too much. Just visualise floating on that shallow warm water.

And you can even imagine that you can feel the sun on your skin, as if you are on a warm holiday. Now you are floating in the water, which is surrounding you in its protective support.

Soon you are floating gently. Feel the water beneath you as it moves you gently, rocking you, protecting you, supporting you. It's gentle. It's supportive. It's warm. Feel the water supporting your whole body. Your whole body is floating.

Notice the gentle rock side to side, the lightness of your limbs, the warmth on your skin. If you feel comfortable too, allow your raft or surfboard to float gently out from the shore, drifting carefree. Relax. Breathe. Feel the warmth on your skin.

Feel your body relaxed, light, floating. Enjoy the sensation of lightness, floating, carefree. If your mind wanders and starts to think of the future or the past, just gently, gently guide it back into the water, onto the raft.

Just gently enjoying the sensations of lightness. Of floating. Deep. Deep. Relaxation. Feel the water beneath you. It's gentle. It's supportive. Your whole body is relaxed. Light. Carefree.

Deep relaxation. The feeling of the sun on your face. The gentle support of the water rocking side to side. Enjoy the sensations however they find you. Enjoy the lightness. The floating sensation. Now it's time to return to the shore.

So gently you float, blown by the wind, taken by the current, just to the edge of the shore. And gently, gently over the next few breaths, you make your way to shore. Gently, in your own time, feeling the surface beneath you as it steadies.

As it becomes solid. Still comforting. Still relaxing. However a little more solid. Just taking your attention out gently. Noticing your surroundings. Gradually coming back to the present. Feeling the surface beneath you.

Hearing the sounds around you. Becoming more and more aware. Alert. Continue to rest for a few minutes longer. There's no rush. No hurry here. Gently. Gently making maybe small movements with your fingers. With your toes.

Gradually allowing your body to awaken. Maybe a tiny shrug of the shoulders, rocking the head from side to side, taking a big inhale, stretching up through the arms down into the feet, as if it were the first breath of the day.

Then in your own time when you are ready. Just rolling onto your right hand side. Gently sitting up. Just give yourself some chance. Some time just to return to your body. Collecting yourself back together again. No rush. Take it easy. When you are ready.

Return to your day feeling refreshed and alert after your journey.

Mindful breathing. This practice is called mindful breathing. Find time to practice this for 10 minutes per day at a convenient time and see how it feels. Become more aware of your breathing. Become more aware of how it feels to spend time each day just being with your breath, without having to do anything.

The purpose of mindful breathing is not about becoming relaxed. Rather, it is about coming into the present moment with openness and non-judgment. For the practice itself, if you can get yourself into a comfortable position. So if you prefer, you can lie or maybe sit on the floor or sit on a chair. If you are sitting, if you could keep your spine straight and let your shoulders drop.

Tuck your chin in slightly and lengthen through the back of your neck. Close your eyes when you're ready, taking your attention into your body and onto your breath. Breathe in through your nose. Notice how on the in-breath the belly swells and on the exhale the belly contracts.

Keep your focus on your breathing, just being with each in-breath for its full duration and for each out-breath for its full duration, as if you were riding the waves of your own breath. As you inhale, your belly expands. And as you exhale, your belly contracts. Very simple. Inhale and exhale.

Just follow the duration of your own breath, whether it be short or long. Just inhaling and exhaling, staying with the breath from its start to its finish. Inhale and exhale.

Each time your mind wanders, and it's natural for it to wander, just notice that your mind has wandered and gently bring it back. Bring your attention back on your belly and the sensations of the breath coming in and going out. The belly expands. The belly contracts. Just notice any slight movement in the body on the inhale and on the exhale.

Gentle natural rocking of the spine, inhaling and exhaling. Each breath is unique as it comes and as it goes. Just imagine that you are riding the waves of your own breath as it comes and as it goes.

Even if your mind wanders away from your breath a thousand times, just keep bringing it back each time. It doesn't matter how preoccupied you've become, don't push, don't pull. Simply accept that your mind has wandered and then return it to the inhale and to the exhale. The belly expands and the belly contracts. And then just letting go of the practice.

Just allow the breath to come and to go and maybe just making some small movements with the fingers, with the toes, giving the shoulders a shrug. Interlace the fingers and having a big stretch above your head, just inhale. Wake the body. And when you're feeling ready, just moving out of the practice and going about your day-to-day life.

Progressive muscle relaxation. This practice is called progressive muscle relaxation. For this practice, if you could make sure you are sitting or lying in a quiet, comfortable position.

What I'll do is suggest a particular muscle group or area of your body. So if what you could do is tense that area that I suggest for 7 to 10 seconds without straining too much. Concentrate on really working that area of the body. And then when I say relax, if you could let go and allow that area to completely relax.

We'll begin when you are ready, feeling nice and comfortable and relaxed in your position. To begin with, taking some deep abdominal breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling, slowly imagining with each exhale the tension floods from the body.

Inhaling through the nose and exhale, allowing the tension to flow from the body. One more inhale. Exhaling and relax. Taking your attention to the fists to begin with.

Really squeeze the hands, making a clenched fist. Really squeezing those muscles, holding them squeezed, breathing all the time. Really working those muscles. And then release, allowing the hands to soften into the ground, into the lap. Exhaling the tension out of the hands.

Next we move to the arms. So tightening the arms. Making a muscle with both arms. Tightening the whole arm. Tensing the arm. Really squeeze and feel the tension in all of the muscles of the arms. Really squeeze them.

Hold and then relax, allowing the arms to flop. Be soft and relaxed. The tension flows out of the arms.

Next the attention moves to the face, the whole face, the eyes, the eyebrows, the nose, the mouth, scrunching the face together, holding the muscles

Really squeeze and then release, allowing the forehead to soften, the eyes to relax, the nose, the mouth, all to feel relaxed. Next, moving to the jaw. Opening the jaw as wide as possible. Really stretch the muscles around the hinge of your jaw.

Really stretch and hold. Holding it open and then release. Let your lips part and allow your jaw to hang loose. Next, moving to the shoulders and neck. Tightening the shoulders by raising them up as if you're trying to touch your ears.

Tightening the neck, really squeezing those muscles together, lifting the shoulders, tightening the neck, holding it there, really working those muscles and then relax. Allow the shoulders to sag, the neck to relax and the tension to flow out of the body.

Next, tightening the chest and the stomach. Really using those muscles, really tightening the muscles of the stomach by sucking them in. Really work chest, stomach, tight, hold and then relax.

Imagine a wave of relaxation spreading through your abdomen and chest. Breathe and relax. Now taking your attention to your lower back and your buttocks. Drawing the buttocks together, arching the spine, really working them together and squeeze and hold and then release.

Imagine the muscles in the hips going loose and limp. The buttocks are relaxed. The back is relaxed. And just resting there. Next we move to the thighs and knees. You may have to tighten the hips and the thighs together. Really tighten those thighs and knees. Really squeeze and hold.

Feel the muscles tightening up and then relax. Allow the thigh muscles to smooth out, relaxing completely. Now the attention moves to the calf muscles and the feet. Scrunching the feet, working the calf muscles, really screw those muscles up. The feet may come off the floor if you're sitting or lying. Really work them together.

Tighten, hold and then relax. Exhale. Allow the calves and the feet to soften. Now starting at the feet, scanning the body for any leftover tension which we will just release on the exhale.

Release the feet the shins the knees the thighs the buttocks the back the belly the chest the hands.

The forearms, the upper arms, allowing the shoulders to drop, the neck to relax, the head to soften into the ground or to soften on the shoulders, the whole of the body soft and relaxed, the whole of the body soft and supported.

Now taking a deep inhale in through the nose and exhaling. One more in through the nose. Feel the lungs and exhale.

When you are feeling ready to move, just make some small movements with the fingers, with the toes, gently rocking the head side to side, giving yourself the opportunity just to collect your thoughts, collect your body back together. And when you are feeling like you can move, opening the eyes and turning the attention outwards.

Purification of visualisation. For the purification visualisation, try sitting comfortably or lying if you prefer. Sitting on the floor or on a chair, just allowing the spine to be long. Allowing the chin to be tucked in slightly. Resting the hands comfortably in the lap. Taking your awareness to your nostrils.

Noticing how the breath comes in and out of the nostril. With each exhale, relaxing into the breath. Starting at the top of the head, relaxing the forehead, the eyebrows, the ears, the nostrils, the mouth and the jaw.

Taking the attention to relax the shoulders, the arms, the elbows, the wrist, chest, heart, abdomen, buttocks, legs, ankles and feet.

Taking your awareness to any stiff areas of your body, anywhere that's feeling tight today. Using your exhale just to imagine you are breathing into that area. As you relax, feel your body being drawn down into the seat, into the floor, as you exhale.

Now I'm going to ask you to imagine you are sitting in a shower of whitish blue light. The light enters the body through the top of your head, washing it clear of any impurities. Feel this whitish blue light wash through your head, through your neck, shoulders, arms. Hands. Chest. Abdomen. Legs. Feet. Imagine the light taking away impurities, toxins, stress, any strain from the body. Just allow the light to flood in through the top of the head and wash through the body.

If there are any areas of your body which need specific attention, any areas of tightness, any areas you feel that need extra attention, then just allow the light to purify those areas.

Now that the impurities have been washed away, let the light flow up through your feet and into your body, changing it to a vibrant, cleansing energy. So you might want to visualise it as a golden light, allowing the golden light to flow up through the feet, charging up the body.

Feel the golden light rush up through the legs and the torso, setting the whole spine tingling. Feel it flow along your arms, hands and into the shoulders, the neck. Finally let the golden light flood up into your face and head.

The whole of the body is charged with vibrant, cleansing golden light, filling you with energy, focusing on any areas that feel like they might need special attention or special healing. For a moment, just allow your whole body to be flooded with the golden light.

Then let the light ascend through the top of your head out into the sky. Just imagine the golden light flooding through the feet and out through the top of your head. Allow yourself for a few moments to be bathed in a golden light. Relax in the golden light. Energised in the golden light.

Now take a few deep breaths, inhale, fill the lungs, exhaling. One more inhale, fill the lungs, bringing some movement back into the body, slightly moving the fingers and the toes, rocking the head side to side.

And when you are feeling ready, opening your eyes and moving out of the practice.

Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra, or Yogic Sleep. Although it mentions sleep in the title, the idea is that you stay awake and alert. Place your body on the floor carefully. You can sit, but you will probably find it most comfortable if you lie down directly on the floor.

If it is uncomfortable for you to lie on the carpet or the wooden floor, you can put a blanket down or possibly have a cushion under your head, maybe one under each knee if you have any back twinges or any pain. See if you can make the left and right sides even. So if someone drew a line up the centre, you would feel like you were evenly placed on the ground.

Give yourself a few moments just to get comfortable. Deeply inhale through the nose. Fill the lungs and then exhale through the nose and allow the breath to leave the body. Inhale through the nose and exhale. Just allow the breath to flow freely out of the body. One more. Inhale, fill the lungs and exhale.

Place your body evenly on the floor. Hands are rested. The feet are apart, falling away from each other.

So just make any tiny adjustments that you need to make before we remain still for the next 10 minutes or so. Next, I'm going to suggest some areas of your body. And what I would like you to do is just to relax those areas of your body with your attention. On the next exhale...

Allow your attention to move down the body, all the way down into the sole of the right foot. Taking two or three exhales, allowing it to move down the body into the sole of the right foot. Starting with the right big toe. On the exhale, release the right big toe.

Release first toe. The second toe. The third toe. The fourth toe. Release the sole. Top of ankle. The shin. The calf. The knee. The thigh. The buttock. Whole of the right leg. Heavy and soft. Whole of the right leg. Soft and supported. Now the attention moves across the body. All the way down into the sole of the left foot. Releasing the left big toe. The first toe.

Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Release the sole of the foot. Top of the foot. The ankle. The shin calf. The knee. The thigh. The buttock. Whole of the left leg heavy and soft. Whole of left leg heavy and soft. Whole of left leg soft and supported.

Now the attention climbs up the back of the body, step by step, climbing up the vertebrae. With each exhale, soften the vertebrae into the mat, into the floor. Starting with the lower spine, exhale. The back of lower ribs, exhale.

The mid-ribs and back, exhale. The shoulder blades, exhale. The whole of the back of the body, soft and relaxed. Whole of back of body, relaxed and soft.

Now the attention flows down the right arm to the palm of the right hand. Release the right thumb, the first finger, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, palm of the hand. Back of the hand. The wrist. The forearm. The elbow. The upper arm. The shoulder.

Whole of right arm, heavy and soft. Whole of the right arm soft and supported. Now the attention moves across the body all the way down into the left hand. Release left thumb. First finger. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. Release the back of the hand. The palm. The wrist. The forearm. The elbow. The upper arm. The shoulder.

Whole of the left arm, heavy and soft. Whole of left arm relaxed and supported. Now the attention climbs the neck spine. Softening the head into the ground. Taking the attention to the back of the head. Feeling as if the scalp is flowing off the skull.

Now the attention climbs to the top of the head. Over to the forehead. The forehead softens with your attention, allowing the eyebrows to soften, inner and outer corners of the eyes to soften, nostrils and nose to soften, cheeks to soften, lips to soften, tongue to be heavy in the palate, chin to soften,

Whole of face and head heavy and soft. Whole of face and head soft and relaxed. Whole of body now heavy and soft. Whole of body soft and relaxed.