o{---Progressive Muscle Relaxation---}o

Here is a quick exercise I'd like to share with you today, as I am sharing it with friends, family, etc - in order to promote this meditation that has helped me much in the past and present. Today is elections day in Canada, so all Canadians in stress/pain: this is dedicated to you :)

(I suggest you do this while listening to calming music, like SomaFM Radio's Drone Zone, or Radio Tabla):

1. Lay down with a pillow under your head and another one under your knees (optional, but it's more comfortable)
   
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 6, and out through your pursed lips (like you're whistling, but without sound) for a count of 15. Get used to this breathing for a few minutes before you continue to the next step. (This is easy to memorize, but you can also copy and paste this into a word document and print it out if you wish.)
   
3. Think of each muscle from your toes to your nose, tense them all up for that inward respiration (6 seconds or count to 6) but tense them up only once, and then relax them all slowly for a count of 15. Another option for this is going through each muscle at a time from toes to face, each breath cycle being one more group. The optional method is more effective, but it takes a lot longer, of course depending on how down to detail you get. I suggest you can also just focus on muscle groups: leg muscles, abdominal, arms, neck and shoulders, and face.
   
4. Continue breathing, and feel like your body is slowly melting into the carpet, like a marshmallow in the microwave or snow under a warm joyful sun.. This should relax you plenty. Do this for 15 minutes to an hour (or more!), and your body will release plenty of happy endorphins.

For some free Audio Meditation Lessons, click here