2. Fill your lungs as full as you can.

3. Hold that breath for five seconds.

4. Exhale very slowly.

5. As you exhale say to yourself, "relax".

Tension Reduction

Instant Relaxation is a fast method to alleviate stress in today's fast paced society.  Its quick and its simple.

1. Take a Deep Relaxing Breath

2. Then say:

"I can be calm...

at ease...

flowing...

lots of time...

feeling good...

relaxed."

3. Take another deep relaxing breath.

You can learn to keep your body more relaxed by practicing the relaxation response every day.

I recommend:

• That you practice at least 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon.

• Do not practice within 2 hours after a meal. The digestive processes interfere with experiencing the Relaxation Response.

The Relaxation Response Technique:

1. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Deeply relax all of your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face. Keep them relaxed.

4. Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word, "ONE" silently to yourself.

For example, breathe IN . . . OUT, "ONE" ; IN . . . OUT, "ONE" ; etc. Breathe easily and naturally.

5. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. What you finish, say quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened. Do not stand up for a few minutes.

6. Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation. Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace.

When distracting thoughts occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to repeating "ONE." With practice, the response should come with little effort.

Reference: The Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Benson.