Relaxation
Guided Imagery for Stress Relief and Well-Being
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Each issue is full of valuable
information and inspiration to help you release tension and find balance
in life.
Learn simple relaxation techniques
that support your well-being.
Let the practical wisdom of Joel
& Michelle Levey guide you on your inner journey of self-discovery.
"Subscribe now. You'll
be glad you did."
Bryan
Brewer
Producer
Self-Guided.com
Seattle, WA USA
Relaxation Tips Information and Inspiration to Help You
Relieve Stress and Find Balance in Life Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Relaxation Tip of the Week
Stay Positive
Carry a card with four or five personal
affirmations written on it (for example: I am calm and relaxed; I am confident and capable
of handling any situation; etc.)
Letting Go During Relaxation
by Bryan Brewer, Producer, Self-Guided.com
No, this is not an invitation to "go
wild" or "let your hair down" during a break. Rather, this is an invitation
to notice how your body may respond involuntarily when you first start to practice
relaxation or meditation.
Perhaps you've noticed something called "release phenomena" as you begin to
quiet your mind.
In their book Wisdom at Work: A Treasury of Tools for Cultivating Clarity,
Kindness, and Resilience, Joel and Michelle Levey give a description of
these kinds of reactions.
"In meditation, as you
begin to relax, it is quite common to experience what are called 'release phenomena.'
These may include jerking or quivering of the body as you are falling asleep, gurgling of
the stomach, tingling feelings or numbness, memories, mental images, inner sounds, or
other perceptual changes."
"Release phenomena are
common indicators that your practice of relaxation or meditation is becoming effective in
dissolving deeply imbedded mental, emotional, and physical holding patterns. The best way
to deal with these experiences is to simply allow them to arise, unfold, and dissolve
without distracting your attention."
"With practice, you
will become aware of the subtle physical, emotional, and mental states that are the
indicators of progressively deeper levels of relaxation and meditation. Eventually, your
reservoirs of accumulated stress will be drained, allowing you to feel lighter, clearer,
and better able to handle the challenges of daily life more effectively and with greater
patience and understanding."
Your mind/body is a wonderful instrument of awareness that will point you in the right
direction as you seek a quiet place inside yourself.
Best wishes for clear signs along the journey to
rediscovering your calm, peaceful center.
"Do not anticipate
trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."
-- Benjamin Franklin
Featured Product
Wisdom at Work
by Joel Levey & Michelle Levey
Conari Press, 1999
306 pages, hardcover
$13.95 + shipping
Wisdom at Work
is contemporary mental fitness manual
field-tested in team and leadership development programs at over 100 leading
organizations. It offers a treasury of practical wisdom distilled from many of the most
respected authorities on the world’s inner science traditions. It also offers an
introduction to the disciplines necessary for personal mastery and resilience in times of
increasing intensity and accelerating change.
"In this beautifully done
book, the Leveys have skillfully woven together contemporary insights into the value
and need for meditation practice in our lives with a large number of extremely evocative
suggestions for making use of different ways to practice relaxation, concentration, and
meditation. It’s a real gem."
-- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Director, The Center for Mindfulness in
Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, author, Wherever You Go There
You Are
