Skip to main content

Five ways to relax


Finding space to relax in our busy lives never feels particularly easy.  Here's 5 simple ways you can add a little bit more 'chill time' into your day...

  1. Meditate.  You don't have to attend a meditation class (although they are a great way to learn and meet like-minded people), you can instead download apps onto your phone, listen to YouTube or even buy a guided meditation CD.
  2. Move. Yes you read that right!  One of my favourite ways to relax and chill out is to actually get moving.  I see running as an active form of meditation and love getting out of the house into nature, allowing the focus on physical movement to help deal with any mental or emotion stresses or anxieties.
  3. Yoga.  Another form of 'active chill', yoga asanas (movements) are performed with mindfulness and class finish with a lovely savasana (relaxation) session, where you get to lie on the floor and feel your whole mind and body relax.  You could try Restorative Yoga, which is designed to help you rest, relax and recharge.
  4. Laugh.  Watch a TV show that makes you laugh, hang out with people who make you happy.  Do something every day that brings a great big cheesy smile onto your face.  Think of all those happy endorphins you release when you laugh.
  5. Pamper yourself.  Get your nails done, get a massage, change your hair.  If you're always running round after other people, it's lovely to spend some time letting someone else make you feel a million dollars for a change!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why you don't need to be an athlete to benefit from sports massage…

Before you skip past this post because you don't go to the gym or do any form of fitness training, ask yourself these questions: Do you spend around 8 hours of your day sitting at a desk or driving? Are you required to perform repetitive movements as part of your job? Does your body feel achey most of the time but you've come to regard that as ‘normal’? If youcan answer ‘yes’ to even one of those questions, there's a very strong likelihood that you will benefit from a regular sports massage. Modern life is becoming increasingly more sedentary, with many people working in desk-orientated roles for up to 8 hours a day.  When you combine this with long commutes driving, and recreational time spent bent over mobile phones, games consoles or books, our bodies are coming under increasing stress and strain, without even factoring in any exercise.  One of the most common issues I see - and I mean on a weekly basis - is people suffering from knotty shoul...

World Peace Day: accessing tranquility

On World Peace Day, I wanted to take some time out and think about what the idea of peace really means to us on a day-to-day basis. The dictionary definition of peace offers us two versions; firstly it means the freedom from disturbance or a state of tranquility; and secondly, it means a state in which war is non-existent or has ended.  It is not my area of expertise to discuss the second meaning and although I wish that version was a reality for us all, sadly at the present time it is not. Instead, I'll focus on that first definition. Freedom from disturbance - well that sounds rather lovely doesn't it?  Peace and quiet, the mental space to do what we want without being annoyed or distracted by any outside interferences.  How realistic is that really? This week, I spoke to some of my yoga students about how sometimes we have to craft that space for peace and tranquility even in the most difficult of environments.  When we are stressed or in the midst of a ...

Ahimsa: why it's cool to be kind (to yourself)

Last night, I addressed the theme of  ' ahimsa ' in my yoga class. Ahimsa is derived from Sanskrit and essentially means "not to injure" and to behave with "compassion".  Whilst most of us (me included) are very good at being compassionate to others, we often fail to accord ourselves with that same level of compassion and love (again, me included). I had a very frank conversation with someone this week about their perception of me and how it differs from my own.  I feel that I am a very independent person - self-reliant, resourceful etc. - but they said that whilst that is the case, there is also a side of me that does tend to ignore or discredit my need to be nurtured.  It wasn't the easiest conversation I've ever had but it was certainly one that I am finally ready to hear and to accept. Acting in accordance to the principle of ahimsa means allowing compassion and nurturing into all areas of our lives. It could mean living in a way that is ...