 Mindfulness, an Limitless Relaxation Source
Think about how much time of your life you spend with a constant tension in your body, as if you are waiting for something to happen each instant? For most of us, tension-free moments are exceptions associated with vacations, isolated happy events or practices of different kind of meditation, when, in fact, relaxation should be the normality of our lives.
Mindfulness is just one of the many ways to restore relaxation into our lives, by escaping the permanent alert state and get a hold of our experiences. Mindfulness originates from Buddhism and it’s the practice of being fully aware of the present moment, with no judgment coming from the past or based on our idea of the future. Mindfulness is not a relaxation technique itself because this isn’t the primary aim or the main benefit of practicing mindfulness. But without setting ourselves free of body and mind tension, mindfulness would not be achievable. Mindfulness brings relaxation for our bodies and minds, along with many other benefits; in other words, mindfulness is a source of relaxation.
When we shift from stress to relaxation, our body decompresses because the adrenaline level decreases and all the functions previously accelerated - heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, blood flow into the muscles, muscles tension – slow down. Thus, the digestive function improves and the immunity system strengthens. At psychological level, relaxation brings more energy, increases the power of concentration, improves the ability to deal with problems and smoothes emotions. The benefits of a permanent tension-free state are obvious: a longer and a more enjoyable life.
Through mindfulness, relaxation can become a sustainable state of mind, but mindfulness can also help get instant relaxation in situation of acute stress. The basic mindfulness exercise of focusing on your own breath and following it during a short meditation session is often used to chase anxiety and replace it with calmness.
Another mindfulness exercise for relaxation you may find useful when you want to decompress for a while is to become aware of every step you take while you are walking. It implies paying attention to every move of your feet and noticing the sensations that the simple action of walking generates in your body. These are only 2 simple mindfulness exercises for relaxation that you can take each time you want to remove tension, even for a few moments. But for long-lasting effects, it is recommended to take a more rigorous program of exercises and, further on, to internalize mindfulness as your own way of dealing with life.
Thirty years ago, Jon Kabbat-Zin, a molecular biologist, developed a well-known today mindfulness based technique for relaxation. It is called Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program and, in eight weeks of classes combining mindfulness practices with yoga and body scanning, it aims at teaching practitioners to carry on a mindful and stress-free life, with benefits for the physical and mental health.
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