Relaxation is usually a much needed and little experienced emotional state for all of us. Quite often the relaxed frame of mind is one that we only tap into whilst on our holidays or if we’re lucky on a quiet Sunday afternoon. It is treated more as a privilege than a necessity, and it is this lack of relaxation that leads many to frequently experience life as a stressful existence.
Yet there is so much to be said for entering into a “state” of relaxation on a daily basis. Those who do, reassure us that it does actually have a positive impact on their general state of mind and their ability to keep their cool.
A hypnotherapist will tell you that 20 minutes self hypnosis each day is incredibly valuable time which allows the communication between your conscious (the logical part of your mind responsible for short term memory) and the unconscious (the creative part of your mind responsible for running your body) to occur. This is of great benefit as it ensures that the conscious and unconscious are able to strive to achieve the same goals for you. Essentially the conscious mind is making up the rules, but it is the job of the unconscious to unsure that these rules or instructions are completed as easily and effortlessly as possible. If there is a lack of communication between the conscious and unconscious this could lead to an incongruence problem. This is very common, when a person thinks that they want to do or achieve something, but each time they try to do or achieve it, they are unable to. They may discover a lack of motivation or find that they sabotage their own efforts. What is actually happening is that the wanting to do or achieve something is a conscious thought. When it comes to actually automatically doing it, this is an unconscious activity. It is easy to understand how, like in many other areas of our lives, a simple lack of communication can begin to cause problems.
Here is a short exercise to help you remember what it is like to relax. Enjoy!
1) Make yourself comfortable, ideally somewhere quiet, where you can close your eyes for a few moments.
2) Sit/ lay back and begin to concentrate on your breathing. With each outward breath, think in your mind the word “calm.” If you are aware of your heart beat, imagine the beat becoming safely slow and steady. Do this for 2 or 3 minutes.
3) Imagine a calming gentle light- whatever colour represents calm to you will be the right colour, and imagine the light slowly moving through your body. It relaxes every part of your body as it moves through you, as you continue your slow outward breaths, slow and steady and echoing the word “calm” in your mind.
4) Move the light up and down and through your body several times until each muscle and limb completely relax.
5) Take in some really deep refreshing breaths, imagining that the air is crisp and fresh, gently revitalising your whole body.
6) Open your eyes and think of the positive things you have, and will achieve in your day.
If you would like to experience an even deeper level of trance, download the free People Building Podcast which always features a short hypnosis session at the end of the show.
By Gemma Bailey
www.gemmabailey.co.uk
