3 Relaxation Methods at a Glance
Ever wondered what relaxation techniques are out there? Keep reading to find out more on progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training and mindfulness.
What is progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)?
Relaxation through tension
After discovering how psychological tension can lead to muscle tension, Edmund Jacobson developed the progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique in the 1920s. In PMR, groups of muscles are actively tensed and then released in order to relax both body and mind.
The tensing phase is held for 10-15 secs.
A phase of active tension is always followed by a natural relaxation of the muscle. This makes PMR a good technique to start with, because it can produce positive results in a short span of time.
It’s a holistic approach that addresses both the body and the mind.
The basic idea behind this relaxation method is Edmund Jacobson’s discovery that there’s a link between tense muscles and mental tension. He examined how mental tension lead to tense muscles and developed the method of progressive muscle relaxation to counter it. The muscles are systematically tensed and then released in to achieve a state of mental relaxation.
This method takes a holistic approach and addresses both the body and the mind.
PMR involves a number of exercises which are divided into 2 levels. Begin with one part of the body and systematically move from one muscle group to the next, which is tensed and relaxed one after the other. This allows for a greater ability to distinguish between sensations of tension and relaxation in each muscle group.
Over time and with much practice, a greater awareness allows the body to then relax certain muscle groups as soon as it senses tension in that area.
A number of visualisation techniques can help in this process.
They’re called visualisation exercises because you no longer actually tense muscle groups and instead only imagine you’re tensing them. In the first visualisation exercise, you actively tense and relax the muscles.
In the second visualisation exercise, you use your imagination to locate tension in individual muscle groups which you then relax mentally. Finally, the counting technique helps you reach a state of relaxation simply by listing individual muscle groups. This will only work if you’ve mastered the exercises that come before it, though.
What is autogenic training?
Relaxation through autosuggestion
Autogenic training is a relaxation method developed by J.H. Schultz, where the power of the mind is used to relax the body. In autogenic training, certain verbal cues are used in order to create a calming effect on different body parts.
For this technique to be effective, getting enough practice is important (more so than with PMR) because the body and mind need training to react appropriately to the different verbal cues, which focus on the feeling of heaviness, warmth, and calm.
Once the body and mind have had enough practice, it becomes easier to reach a state of relaxation.
The exercises in autogenic training are divided into 2 types:
Basic exercises, which include experiencing heaviness, warmth and calm.
Organ exercises, which include experiencing the breath, the heartbeat, the stomach and the cooling of the forehead.
Each exercise relates to different relaxation responses in the body.
In autogenic training, verbal cues are recited one after the other, which are gradually internalised. At the beginning, each cue is repeated 6 times. Eventually, this goes down to 3 and in the end, just once.
With enough training, a single repetition is enough to bring about a state of deep relaxation.
As an active form of relaxation, it’s useful to visualise and feel the sensations in your body as you do the exercises and repeat the verbal cues in your mind. To reinforce the sensations of warmth, heaviness and calm, It’s also important to use positive and pleasant imagery as you go along.
What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract!
Initially, the exercise should last about 15 minutes. In time, it can be reduced to 3 or 4 minutes. You should always go with your intuition and personal experience of the exercise. Some people prefer longer exercises, some shorter.
Autogenic training exercises can be done sitting or lying down. The verbal cues can also be repeated in your mind throughout the day, especially when faced with a stressful situation.
Use the calming effect of autogenic training to help centre yourself before an important meeting or presentation.
Apart from supporting deep relaxation and reducing stress, autogenic training can also benefit those with the following:
high blood pressure
asthma
depression and anxiety
migraines
trouble sleeping
As you focus on the verbal cues in each exercise, concentration is also improved.
What is mindfulness training?
Relaxation through mindfulness
Mindfulness is about experiencing every moment as it comes, as you tune into your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and physical surroundings.
When we can find acceptance in the present moment, no matter what the situation may be, a sense of calm and peace can be achieved.
Practising mindfulness can bring about many positive changes.
As we all know, the mind is constantly wandering and on the go, which is just a natural part of the human experience.
This is the challenge of practising mindfulness – because our mind is filled with an endless stream of thoughts, it’s our job to bring our attention back to what’s happening in the here and now.
So as the mind wanders to the next thought, instead of being pulled away, we focus instead on our breathing, our bodily sensations, or what we can observe around us.
Accepting without judging is key.
No matter what the situation, it’s also easy to pass judgement. Our thoughts tell us that something is either good or bad, right or wrong, but with true mindfulness, it just is.
You’ll notice that when we pay too much attention to what we don’t like, these negative thoughts can lead us down a dark path – anyone who knows mindfulness will do their best to accept the situation as is, without judging, only observing.
Picture a mountain. Viewed from the outside, the mountain always stays the same. The seasons don’t affect it, nor does the weather. The mountain remains stable, unmoved, whether there are clear and sunny skies or torrential rains beating down.
The mountain is detached from all of these things, which come and go just like our thoughts. This is the approach to cultivating mindfulness.
Be like the mountain.
Viewed from outside, the mountain always stays the same. The seasons don’t affect it. Neither does the weather. The mountain stays stable, whether it’s windy and snowing or cows graze and flowers blossom on its surface. It’s detached from all these things, which come and go like clouds on a summer day. This is the inner attitude you want to cultivate through mindfulness.
You’re not your thoughts. You have your thoughts.
Although we all have thoughts, we are not our thoughts. When we can recognize this difference, we learn to keep a healthy distance between our thoughts and our sense of peace.
Despite the ups and downs we all face in life, practising mindfulness, observation, non-judgment and acceptance allows us to find an inner stability that protects us from being thrown around and controlled by our thoughts.
Detachment from thought shouldn’t be confused with indifference or apathy (which are feelings that are born from thoughts).
Don’t be surprised if mindfulness also helps improve your relationships with others. When we understand that we’re not our thoughts, but just observers, we can also see that we are not our feelings or emotions.
Practising mindfulness allows us to better manage our emotions, which can sometimes get in the way of positive interaction. While it teaches us that it’s ok to feel hurt or angry or embarrassed, it’s when we react to (and judge) these feelings that we lose our grounding.
Are you still with us?? No worries if we lost you, we’ll have many opportunities to come back to this.
Like all of the relaxation methods shared, mindfulness takes practice. In fact, it’s probably the most challenging of them all to master, but with hard work and determination, it’s possible to cultivate mindfulness in everyday life, bringing a greater sense of overall calm and peace.