What is mind?

Mind is a whole body concept. You cannot think about anything without having feelings or emotions. Feelings are the physical manifestation of thinking. Mind involves the brain, the biochemical substances that flow into your body and the results in your muscles.

So it stands to reason that by focusing your mind on a simple physical exercise you can learn to relax and achieve inner balance and peace.

Just a few minutes of this exercise done frequently can spill over into the rest of your day. And, personally, I find that just thinking about how I feel when I do the exercise helps to release some of the tension. My mind becomes my safe place, my center of relaxation.

Unless you try the ideas for 3 to 4 weeks, you will never know what benefits are in them for you. If you never try them then you are responsible for choosing.

Preparation

Find a quiet place where you can stretch out.  A lounge chair or lazy chair is good.

Put on some soft mood music. Baroque music is good. Or albums like The Prayer.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise

These are the complete instructions. Deep breathing encourages the flow of the good chemical substances into your body that act to release tension.

Close your eyes. Focus on your body. Beginning at your toes quickly scan your body becoming aware of any tensions or discomforts.

Then start your exercise.

Turn your toes down tightening all the muscles.  Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your toes. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your feet. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your feet. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your ankles. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your ankles. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your calves. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your calves. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your thighs. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your thighs. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your hips and buns. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your hips and buns. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your abdomen and lower back. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your abdomen and lower back. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your chest front and back. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your chest front and back. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your upper chest and shoulders. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your upper chest and shoulders. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten and close the muscles in your fingers. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your fingers. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your forearms. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your forearms. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your upper arms. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your upper arms. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your neck. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your neck. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your jaw and face. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your jaw and face. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your eyes. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your eyes. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your eyebrows. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your eyebrows. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Tighten the muscles in your scalp and ears. Take a deep breath. Hold that position for a few seconds. Keep focusing on your scalp and ears. Then release them to normal position. Breath out.

Now, lie there a few moments just enjoying how it feels to have release all the tension from your muscles. Let the feeling flow through all  your body.

After a few days of doing this you will realize the benefits. You will begin to feel more relaxed and will look forward to doing the exercise. When you are at work all you will need to do is think of the feeling you had and it will help to relax you.

This is true mind training. Your mind should be your safe place.  Your mind should be where you feel confidence, where your rules and beliefs tell you what happiness and success are.