Techniques for releasing stress
When you are feeling stressed, fearful, or angry, your body naturally releases adrenaline and cortisol which can trigger the ‘fight or flight’ response which is used to prepare the body for impending physical danger. When the physical response that your body has prepared for does not take place as planned, these chemicals remain in your tissues and can create havoc in the form of digestive issues like IBS, or with high blood pressure or having a lowered immune system function. Here are a few techniques to calm the body and the mind.
Deep Breathing
One way to calm yourself before this negative process takes place is by using a deep breathing technique which focuses your attention on your breath instead of on the aggravation.
- Begin by taking slow, deep breaths -in through your nose for the count of 5, filling the lungs fully, then slowly releasing through your mouth saying “Yuuummm” as you exhale. The vibration of repeating this word helps the body release the built up nitrous oxide which in turn can relax the lungs and blood vessels, thus lowering your blood pressure, allowing your heart to readily pump blood to all of the organs of your body and allowing the immune system to function better.
Meditation
Another calming technique is meditation- Begin by finding a comfortable position, either in a chair with your legs reaching to the floor, or sitting on the floor with your legs gently crossed. Relax your muscles and close your eyes. Once again you will give your full attention to your breathing, taking slow, deep breaths in through your nose for the count of 5, and out through the mouth. Try to clear your mind of all worries and temporarily release all fears. If thoughts enter your mind, acknowledge them without letting them carry you away and becoming distracted. They will go away on their own when you don’t give them your attention. Repeat this calming ritual a couple of times throughout the day to relax your mind and body.
The goal with meditation is to enter a calming place in which there is nothingness, no worries, no negative emotions, no illness. It is a technique which trains the mind to find peace and to recognize the “higher self” which usually lies dormant within most people. Sometimes the source of our greatest discomforts comes from the way we have over-reacted to any given circumstance or stress. Mediation allows you to free yourself from your human traits and frailties, allowing you to find calm instead of a storm. Add soft music and candlelight if that appeals to you, anything in order to relax your body and your mind.
How to meditate
Visualization
Practicing various meditations and visualizations during stressful or fearful times can be a useful tool to calm your mind and give you peaceful imagery to concentrate on. One that has worked for me is based on my religious upbringing and involves the mental image that would accompany the song, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. During fearful or stressful times I visualize the Lord holding me safely in the palm of his hands. It is hard to feel afraid with that powerful image in your head.
Visualizations for cancer- bring to mind the most powerful healing image that you can imagine. Whether it is a religious figure like God, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, or an Angel (or whoever you prefer) providing you with a healing, loving touch directly over your cancer, or embracing you with love and healing energy, while surrounding your body with a brilliant white light that is so intense and warm that it begins to dissolve away cancerous tumors.
A friend shared a visualization that she used for a cancerous tumor which involved standing under a waterfall and allowing the cascading water to fall over her chest and gently break apart and wash away the cancerous cells, carrying them far away from her. This is one that she did daily while taking her morning shower.
As you can imagine there are countless visualizations that you can use that would involve dissolving the tumors, find one that works for you and make it a part of your healing routine.
Can you imagine cancer away? David Seidler says he did. Seidler won an Oscar for best original screenplay for “The King’s Speech,” also suffered from cancer just like King George. But unlike his majesty, Seidler survived, and he says he did so by visualizing it away. Seidler says that when he found out that his bladder cancer had returned, he visualized a “lovely, clean healthy bladder” and the cancer disappeared. He’s been cancer-free for more than 10 years. You can read more about his story at: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/03/ep.seidler.cancer.mind.body/
Additional Resources
Chopra.com meditation resource- learn how as well as have access to a library of information
Chopra Center: 21-Day Meditation Challenge Mantras & Music (2-CD Set)