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Exercise 1: Focusing
Select a small personal object that you like a great deal. It might be a
jeweled pin or a simple flower from your garden. Focus all your attention on this object as you inhale & exhale slowly
& deeply for 1 to 2 minutes.
While you are doing this exercise, try not to let any other thoughts
or feelings enter your mind. If they do, just return your attention to the object. At the end of this exercise you will probably
feel more peaceful & calmer. Any tension or nervousness that you were feeling upon starting the exercise should be diminished.
Exercise 2: Meditation
- Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes & breathe deeply. Let your breathing be slow & relaxed.
- Focus all your attention on your breathing. Notice the movement of your chest
& abdomen in & out.
- Block out all other thoughts, feelings, & sensations. If you feel your
attention wandering, bring it back to your breathing.
- As you inhale, say the word "peace" to yourself & as you exhale, say
the word "calm." Draw out the pronunciation of the word so that it lasts for the entire breath. The word "peace" sounds like
p-e-e-a-a-a-c-c-c-e-e-e. The word "calm" sounds like: c-a-a-a-l-l-l-l-m-m-m. Repeating these words as you breathe will help
you to concentrate.
Continue this
exercise until you feel very relaxed.
Exercise 3: Oak Tree Meditation
- Sit in a comfortable position, your arms resting at your sides.
- Close your eyes & breathe deeply. Let your breathing be slow & relaxed.
- See your body as a strong oak tree. Your body is solid like the wide, brown
trunk of the tree. Imagine sturdy roots growing from your legs & going down deeply into the earth, anchoring your body.
You feel solid & strong, able to handle any stress.
- When upsetting thoughts or situations occur, visualize your body remaining
grounded like the oak tree. Feel the strength & stability in your arms & legs.
You feel confident & relaxed, able to handle any situation.
Exercise 4:
Grounding Cord Meditation
- Sit in a comfortable position, your arms resting comfortably at your sides.
- Close your eyes & breathe deeply. Let your breathing be slow & relaxed.
- Imagine a thick wide cord attaching itself to the base of your spine. This is your grounding cord. It can be a thick
piece of rope, a tree trunk, or any other material that feels strong & stable. Make sure your cord is wide & sturdy
enough. Then imagine a thick metal hook attaching itself to the end of your cord.
- Now visualize your grounding cord dropping down two hundred feet below the earth & hooking on to the solid bedrock
below the earth.
- Continue to breathe deeply & notice the sense of peace & stability that your grounding cord can bring you.
Replace the cord with a new one each day or whenever you feel
your emotions getting out of control.
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Visualization
The next 2 exercises use visualization as a therapeutic
method to affect the physical & mental processes of the body; both focus on color.
Color
therapy, as it applies to human health,
has a long & distinguished history. In many studies, scientists have exposed subjects to specific colors, either directly
through exposure to light therapy, or through changing the color of their environment. Scientific research throughout the
world has shown that color therapy can have a profound effect on health & well-being.
It can stimulate the endocrine glands,
the immune system, & the nervous system, & help to balance the emotions. Visualizing color in a specific
part of the body can have a powerful therapeutic effect, too, & can be a good stress management technique for relief of
anxiety & nervous tension.
The first exercise uses the color blue, which provides a calming & relaxing effect. For
women w/anxiety who are carrying a lot of physical & emotional tension, blue lessens the fight or flight response. Blue
also calms such physiological functions as pulse rate, breathing, & perspiration, & relaxes the mood.
If you experience
chronic fatigue & are tense, anxious, or irritable, or carry a lot of muscle tension, the first exercise will be very
helpful.
The second exercise uses the color red, which can benefit women who have
fatigue due to chronic anxiety & upset. Red stimulates all the endocrine glands, including the pituitary & adrenal glands. It heightens senses such
as smell & taste.
Emotionally,
red is linked to vitality & high energy states.
Even though the color red can speed up autonomic nervous system function, women w/anxiety-related fatigue can benefit from
visualizing this color. I often do the red visualization when I am tired & need a pick me up.
You may find that you are
attracted to the color in one exercise more than another. Use the exercise w/the color that appeals to you the most.
Exercise 10: Healing the
Inner Child
- Sit
or lie in a comfortable position. Breathe slowly & deeply.
- Begin to
get in touch w/where your inner child resides. Is she located in your abdomen, in your chest, or by your side? (This may actually
be the part of your body where you feel the most fear & anxiety, such as your chest or your pelvis.) How old is she? Can
you see what clothes she is wearing? What are her emotions? Is she upset, anxious, sad, or angry? Is she withdrawn & quiet?
- Begin to see her upset feelings flow out of her body & into a container on the floor. Watch
the upset feelings wash out of every part of her body until they are all gone & the container is full. Then seal the container
& slowly watch it fade & dissolve until it disappears completely, carrying all the upset feelings w/it.
- Now begin to fill your inner child w/a peaceful, healing, golden light. Watch her become peaceful
& mellow as the light fills every cell in her body. Watch her body relax. Give her a toy animal or a doll or even cuddle
her in your arms.
As you leave
your inner child feeling peaceful, return your focus to your breathing. Spend a minute inhaling & exhaling deeply &
slowly. If you like working w/your inner child, return to visit her often!
Exercise
11:
Tension
Release Through Color
- Sit
or lie in a comfortable position, your arms resting at your sides. As you take a deep breath, visualize that the earth below
you is filled w/the color blue. This blue color extends 50 feet below you into the earth. Now imagine that you are opening
up energy centers on the bottom of your feet. As you inhale, visualize the soft blue color filling up your feet. When your
feet are completely filled with the color blue, then bring the color up through your ankles, legs, pelvis, & lower back.
- Each
time you exhale, see the blue color leaving through your lungs, carrying any tension & stress w/it. See the tension dissolve
into the air.
Continue to inhale blue into your abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, neck, & head. Exhale the blue slowly out of
your lungs. Repeat this entire process 5 times & then relax for a few minutes.
Exercise 12:
Energizing Through Color
- Sit
or lie in a comfortable position, your arms resting easily at your sides. As you take a deep breath, visualize a big balloon
above your head filled w/a bright red healing energy. Imagine that you pop this balloon so all the bright red energy is released.
- As
you inhale, see the bright red color filling up your head. It fills up your brain, your face, & the bones of your skull.
Let the bright red color pour in until your head is ready to overflow w/color. Then let the red color flow into your neck,
shoulders, arms, & chest. As you exhale, breathe the red color out of your lungs, taking any tiredness & fatigue with
it. Breathe any feeling of fatigue out of your body.
As you inhale, continue to bring the bright, energizing
red color into your abdomen, pelvis, lower back, legs, & feet until your whole body is filled w/ red. Exhale the red color
out of your lungs, continuing to release any feeling of fatigue. Repeat this process 5 times. At the end of this exercise,
you should feel more energized & vibrant. Your mental energy should feel more vitalized & clear.
Exercise 13: Positive
Mind/Body Affirmations
- I handle stress & tension appropriately & effectively.
- My mood is calm & relaxed.
- I can cope well & get on w/my life during times of stress.
- I think thoughts that uplift & nurture me.
- I enjoy thinking positive thoughts that make me feel good about myself & my life.
- I deserve to feel good right now.
- I feel peaceful & calm.
- My breathing is slow & calm.
- My muscles are relaxed & comfortable.
- I feel grounded & fully present.
- I can effectively handle any situation that comes my way.
- I think through the solutions to my emotional issues slowly & peacefully.
- I am thankful for all the positive things in my life.
- I practice the relaxation methods that I enjoy.
- My body is healthy & strong.
- I eat a well balanced & nutritious diet.
- I enjoy eating delicious & healthful food.
- My body wants food that is easy to digest & high in vitamins & minerals.
- I do regular exercise in a relaxed & enjoyable manner.
Exercise 14: Self-Esteem Affirmations
- I
am filled w/energy, vitality & self-confidence.
- I
am pleased w/how I handle my emotional needs.
- I
know exactly how to manage my daily schedule to promote my emotional & physical well-being.
- I
listen to my body's needs & regulate my activity level to take care of those needs.
- I
love & honor my body.
- I
fill my mind w/positive & self-nourishing thoughts.
- I
am a wonderful & worthy person.
- I
deserve health, vitality & peace of mind.
- I
have total confidence in my ability to heal myself.
- I
feel radiant w/abundant energy & vitality.
- The
world around me is full of radiant beauty & abundance.
- I
am attracted only to those people & situations that support & nurture me.
- I
appreciate the positive people & situations that are currently in my life.
- I
love & honor myself.
- I
enjoy my positive thoughts & feelings.
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Exercise 5:
Discovering Muscle Tension
- Lie on your back in a comfortable position. Allow your arms to rest at your sides, palms down,
on the surface next to you.
- Raise just the right hand & arm & hold it elevated for 15 seconds.
- Notice if your forearm feels tight & tense or if the muscles are soft & pliable.
- Let your hand & arm drop down & relax. The arm muscles will relax too.
As you lie still, notice any other parts of your body that feel tense,
muscles that feel tight & sore. You may notice a constant dull aching in certain muscles.
Exercise 6:
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Lie
on your back in a comfortable position. Allow your arms to rest at your sides, palms down, on the surface next to you.
- Inhale
& exhale slowly & deeply.
- Clench
your hands into fists & hold them tightly for 15 seconds. As you do this, relax the rest of your body. Visualize your
fists contracting, becoming tighter & tighter.
- Then
let your hands relax. On relaxing, see a golden light flowing into the entire body, making all your muscles soft & pliable.
- Now, tense
& relax the following parts of your body in this order: face, shoulders, back, stomach, pelvis, legs, feet, & toes.
Hold each part tensed for 15 seconds & then relax your body for 30 seconds before going on to the next part.
Finish the exercise by shaking your hands & imagining
the remaining tension flowing out of your fingertips.
Exercise 7:
Release of Muscle Tension & Anxiety
- Lie
in a comfortable position. Allow your arms to rest at your sides, palms down. Inhale & exhale slowly & deeply w/your
eyes closed.
- Become
aware of your feet, ankles, & legs. Notice if these parts of your body have any muscle tension or tightness. If so, how
does the tense part of your body feel? Is it viselike, knotted, cold, numb? Do you notice any strong feelings, such as hurt,
upset, or anger, in that part of your body? Breathe into that part of your body until you feel it relax. Release any anxious
feelings w/your breathing, continuing until they begin to decrease in intensity & fade.
- Next,
move your awareness into your hips, pelvis, & lower back. Note any tension there. Notice any anxious feelings located
in that part of your body. Breathe into your hips & pelvis until you feel them relax. Release any negative emotions as
you breathe in & out
- Focus
on your abdomen & chest. Notice any anxious feelings located in this area & let them drop away as you breathe in &
out. Continue to release any upsetting feelings located in your abdomen or chest.
- Finally,
focus on your head, neck, arms, & hands. Note any tension in this area & release it. With your breathing; release
any negative feelings blocked in this area until you can't feel them anymore.
When you have
finished releasing tension throughout the body, continue deep breathing & relaxing for another minute or two. At the end
of this exercise, you should feel lighter & more energized.
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