The body’s natural relaxation response is a powerful antidote to psychological stress. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, visualisation, yoga, and tai chi together with aromatherapy and mindfulness can help you activate this relaxation response. When practised regularly, these activities can help manage stress and lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. What’s more, they also serve a protective quality by teaching you how to stay calm and collected face of life’s curveballs.

How can the relaxation response aid in managing stress?

You can’t avoid stressful situations in every aspect of life, but you can counteract their negative effects by learning how to evoke the relaxation response , a state of deep rest that is the polar opposite of the stress response.

The stress response floods the body with chemicals, the body's reaction to prepare you for 'fight or flight'. The autonomic nervous system is one of the major neural pathways activated by stress. But while the stress response is helpful in true emergency situations where you must be alert, it wears your body down when constantly activated. Multiple studies have detected a correlation between chronic stress levels and the impact they can have on individual's mental health. Chronic stress can even contribute to the development or aggravation of a serious illness.

The relaxation response brings your system back into balance: deepening your breathing, reducing stress hormones, slowing down your heart rate and blood pressure, and encouraging progressive muscle relaxation.

In addition to its calming physical effects, research shows that the relaxation response also increases energy and focus, combats illness, relieves aches and pains, heightens problem-solving abilities, and boosts motivation and productivity. Best of all – with a little practice – anyone can reap these benefits in managing stress and attaining emotional equilibrium.

Starting a relaxation practice

A variety of relaxation techniques help you achieve the relaxation response. Those whose stress-busting benefits have been widely studied include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, visualisation, yoga, and tai chi, as well as aromatherapy and mindfulness.

Learning the basics of these relaxation techniques isn’t difficult. But it takes practice to truly harness their stress-relieving power: daily practice, in fact. Most stress experts recommend setting aside at least 10 to 20 minutes a day for your relaxation practice. If you’d like to get even more stress relief, aim for 30 minutes to hour.

Do you need alone time or social stimulation?

If you crave solitude, solo relaxation techniques such as meditation or progressive muscle relaxation will give you the ok to quiet your mind and recharge your batteries. If you crave social interaction, a class setting will give you the stimulation and support you’re looking for. Practising with others may also help you stay motivated.

Meditation for stress relief

Meditation that cultivates mindfulness is particularly effective at reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions. Mindfulness is the quality of being fully engaged present moment, without analysing or otherwise 'overthinking' the experience. Rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past, mindfulness meditation switches the focus to what’s happening right now.

For stress relief, try the following mindfulness meditation techniques:

Mindfulness meditation is not equal to zoning out. It takes effort to maintain your concentration and to bring it back to the present moment when your mind wanders or you start to drift off. But with regular practice, mindfulness meditation actually changes the brain – strengthening the areas associated with joy and relaxation, and weakening those involved in negativity and stress.

It is nearly impossible to avoid practising mindfulness when you follow these instructions and take notice of what is in front of you present moment.

1. The body scan

Another popular exercise for practitioners of mindfulness is called the Body Scan. It requires very little way of props or tools, and it is also easily accessible for most beginners.

Step 1: the Body Scan begins with the participants lying on their backs with their palms facing up and their feet falling slightly apart. This exercise can also be done sitting on a comfortable chair with feet resting on the floor.

Step 2: the facilitator then asks the participants to lie very still for the duration of the exercise, and move with awareness if it becomes necessary to adjust their position.

Step 3: next, the facilitator begins guiding the Body Scan. Participants begin by bringing awareness to the breath, noticing the rhythm, the experience of breathing in and expelling out. The facilitator explains that nobody should try to change the way they are breathing but rather just hold gentle awareness on the breath.

Step 4: next, the facilitator guides attention to the body: how it feels, the texture of clothing against the skin, the contours of the surface on which the body is resting, the temperature of the body and the environment.

Step 5: the facilitator guides awareness to the parts of the body that are tingling, sore, or feeling particularly heavy or light, s/he asks the participants to note any areas of their body where they don’t feel any sensations at all or are hypersensitive.

A typical body scan runs through each part of the body, paying special attention to the way each area feels, the scan usually moves as follows:

1. From toes of both feet to

2. The rest of the feet (top, bottom, ankle) then to the

3. Lower legs,

4. Knees,

5. Thighs and

6. Pelvic region- buttocks, tailbone, pelvic bone, genitals. From there moving to

7. The Abdomen, then the

8. Chest,

9. Lower back,

10. Upper back- back ribs & shoulder blades,

11. Hands (fingers, palms, backs, wrists),

12. Arms (lower, elbows, upper),

13. Neck,

14. Face and head (jaw, mouth, nose, cheeks, ears, eyes, forehead, scalp, back&top of head),

15. and finally ending with the blow hole (Fleming & Kocovski, 2007)

After the Body Scan is complete and the participants feel ready to come back to the room they can slowly open their eyes and move naturally to a comfortable sitting position.

Now that you have a firmer understanding of the Body Scan, check out this free PDF mindful body scan script which will help you facilitate this exercise for others within a group setting.

2. Mindful seeing

For some, the absence of visual stimuli can feel stifling. After all, a healthy imagination does not come naturally to everyone. The activity of Mindful Seeing may be helpful to anyone who identifies with this feeling.

This is a simple exercise, requiring only a window with some kind of a view. The facilitator guides the group following these steps:

Step 1 : find a space at a window where there are sights to be seen outside.

Step 2 : look at everything there is to see. Avoid labelling and categorising what you see outside the window; instead of thinking “bird” or “stop sign”, try to notice the colours, the patterns, or the textures.

Step 3 : pay attention to the movement of the grass or leaves breeze, notice the many different shapes present in this small segment of the world you can see. Try to see the world outside the window from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with these sights.

Step 4 : be observant, but not critical. Be aware, but not fixated.

Step 5 : if you become distracted, gently pull your mind away from those thoughts and notice a colour or shape again to put you back right frame of mind.

This __LINK_START__https://contextualscience.org/files/Mindfulness%20and%20Acceptance-based%20Group%20Treatment%20for%20Social%20Anxiety%20Disorder-%20A%20Treatment%20Manual_0.pdf__LINK_END__ extensive group treatment plan __LINK_CLOSE__ of Fleming and Kocovski’s 2007 work offers a glimpse of how to use mindfulness in any kind of group session and provides detailed worksheets, exercises, and handouts which can provide inspiration and guidance for your group facilitation.

5. Mindful Listening

This last activity is extracted from the Positive Psychology Toolkit and introduces mindful listening as a group exercise.

Mindful listening is important skill and can be a great group mindfulness exercise. In general, people thrive when they feel fully “heard” and “seen.” In other words, mindful listening involves a form of self-regulation in which the focus on the self is set aside. Mindful listening can create inner stillness in both parties as the speaker may feel free of the listener’s preconceptions and prejudices, and the listener is free of inner chatter whilst learning valuable positive communication skills. It will help you to improve physical health.

The Mindful Listening exercise involves these steps:

Step 1 : invite each participant to think of one thing they feel overwhelmed or stressed about and one thing they look forward to.

Step 2 : once everyone is finished, each participant takes their turn in sharing their story with the group.

Step 3 : encourage each participant to direct attention to how it feels to speak, how it feels to talk about something stressful as well as how it feel to share something positive.

Step 4 : participants are instructed to observe their own thoughts, feelings and body sensations both when talking and listening.5. The mini-mindfulness exercise

Another great exercise to try if you are strapped for time is the mini-mindfulness exercise. In this lesson, there are only three steps:

Try to pause and take a comfortable but dignified posture. Notice the thoughts that come up and acknowledge your feelings, but let them pass. Attune yourself to who you are and your current state.

The goal is to focus your attention on one thing: your breath. Be aware of the movement of your body with each breath, of how your chest rises and falls, how your belly pushes in and out, and how your lungs expand and contract. Find the pattern of your breath and anchor yourself to the present with this awareness.

Allow the awareness to expand out to your body. Notice the sensations you are experiencing, like tightness, aches, or perhaps a lightness in your face or shoulders. Keep in mind your body as a whole, as a complete vessel for your inner self. If you wish, you can then expand your awareness even further to the environment around you. Bring your attention to what is in front of you. Notice the colours, shapes, patterns, and textures of the objects you can see. Be present in this moment, in your awareness of your surroundings.

6. The three-minute breathing space

Unlike meditations or a body scan, this exercise is quick to perform and easy to get started with a mindfulness practice in your busy life or that of your clients. With meditations and the body scan, thoughts often pop up and keeping a quiet head can be challenging.

This last exercise of Three Minute Breathing Space can be the perfect technique for those with busy lives and minds.The exercise is broken into three sections, one per minute, and works as follows:

This exercise can be rather challenging for keeping a quiet mind and often thoughts can pop up. The idea is not to block them, but rather just let them come into your mind and then disappear back out again. Try to just observe them.

All the exercises mentioned above can be used for the benefit of yourself, individual clients and even in group settings. They are beneficial to all client groups; however, some will be better suited than others so a method of open-minded trial and error can often be necessary.

The most important part of mindfulness is to recognise that it is training of the mind, and like any exercise, will take some time to see the benefits and for the mind to get used to a new way of thinking. The trick it to persevere, approach the process with self-compassion and allow for reflection, change and flexibility between different techniques and interventions.

7. simple mindfulness exercises from dialectical behavioural therapy

In addition to the DBT mindfulness techniques used in clinical research, there are many informal mindfulness techniques and exercises shared online for anyone to try.

1. Observe a leaf for five minutes

This exercise calls for nothing but a leaf and your attention. Pick up a leaf, hold it in your hand, and give it your full attention for five minutes. Notice the colours, the shape, the texture, and the patterns. This will bring you into the present and align your thoughts with your current experience.

2. Mindful eating for four minutes

As with the raisin exercise described above, this exercise calls for mindful eating.

Pay attention to what you are holding (preferably not something messy!), notice the feeling of it in your hands. Once you have noticed the texture, the weight, the colour, etc., move on to bringing your awareness to the smell.

Finally, move on to eating, but do so slowly and with concentrated attention. Notice the taste and its texture against your tongue. This exercise may help you discover new experiences with familiar foods.

3. Observe your thoughts for fifteen minutes

This exercise is a staple of mindfulness, designed to simply enhance your awareness of your own thoughts.

To begin, sit or lie down in a comfortable position and try to let all tension in your body dissipate. Focus on your breathing first, then move your awareness to what it feels like to be in your body, and finally move on to your thoughts.

Be aware of what comes into your head, but resist the urge to label or judge these thoughts. Think of them as a passing cloud sky of your mind.

If your mind wanders to chase a thought, acknowledge whatever it was that took your attention and gently guide your attention back to your thoughts.

4. Mindfulness bell exercise for five minutes

In this exercise, you begin by closing your eyes and listening for the cue. When you hear it, your aim is to focus your attention on the sound and continue your concentration until it fades completely. This exercise helps you to keep yourself firmly grounded present. You can use the audio below.

5. Stare at the centre

The goal is simple: to focus your attention on the centre of the shifting pattern of colour. You can let your mind wander freely, noticing whatever thoughts come into your head but staying present

This experience is similar to the well-known phenomenon of the quiet fixation that results from staring at a candle flame or a campfire.

The same focus and deep thought can be brought on by this exercise, but be careful not to lose yourself in thought, and instead stay present moment and let your thoughts pass by.

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Written by Raluca Babota