Pivot from negative mental states; cultivate feelings of well-being.
Stress plays a significant role in disease processes and system dysfunction. Relaxation,
then, isn’t some selfish luxury, it’s imperative for healthy function and longevity. If you want to become fertile you NEED to relax. So, take the Nourishing Life 30-day relaxation challenge. As with any practice, it’ll need to be done regularly. You don’t get better if you don’t practice. Contact us if you would like our accompanying worksheet to help you stay committed. So, ready? Here’s the challenge:
- Spend 20 minutes a day on your chosen relaxation technique. Minimum.
- Do it every, single day for 30 days.
- What’s not to like? Your practice should leave you feeling physically and emotionally relaxed.
This next technique helps pivot from negative states and cultivate well-being and relaxation.
- Set an intention. Think it from the head down, and feel it in your body from your feet upwards. (Try a phrase like, “I choose to relax.” Or, “Qi and blood circulate freely throughout my entire body.”)
- Relax. Take 5 deep breaths. Inhale to the count of 3 and exhale to the count of 9. Relax the muscles of your tongue and jaw, allowing the mouth to slacken. Proceed to a progressive relaxation. Clench tightly and then release each body part in succession. Start with your feet, move to your calves, then knees, thighs, and buttocks. Start again at your upper limbs: hands clench and release, forearms and elbows, upper arm and shoulders. Then your low abdomen and low back, upper abdomen, chest. Move your attention to the neck, back of head, forehead and scalp. Then, to the face, eyes, mouth, and return to the jaw. Tense everything. Release it.
- Cultivate a feeling of safety. Energetically bring in teachers, divine beings, friends and pets, alive or passed, that make you feel safe and loved.
- Cultivate feelings of well-being for yourself, to start. This is important and not to be skipped. If you’d like and are able to, expand that to include all beings. Bring your attention to your low abdomen, breathe in and out from there, and experience your sense of self as originating from this spot. Step 4 is where you’ll spend the majority of your relaxation time.
- Soak it up. Bring all of these feelings into the depths of your being, like a sponge soaking up water.
- Repeat tomorrow.
