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Positive Imagination and Affirmations for Breathing and Health - Part 1 |
"Relaxation for the Body, Breath and Mind" |
    
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Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D.
Editorial Note: Positive Imagination for Breathing and Health has two parts: Part-1"Relaxation for the Body, Breath and Mind" and Part-2 the "Healing Imagery." You can do either one or both parts. If you choose both parts, you may do them as two sessions at different times of the day or in continuation, Part-A followed by Part-B. I believe we should exercise positive imagination and self-affirmation just as we should perform mental and physical exercises on a daily basis. Such mind-body exercises strengthen our hope and will power and keep us in a state of preparedness for positive health actions. I invite you to a few such healing images, positive beliefs and self-affirmations. Equipment Needed Have a cassette recorder or any other type of recording device on which you can record this script or something along the lines of this script in your own voice. You can change any words, ideas or images of this script to the ones that you prefer or feel more natural to you. In fact you can re-write the whole script in your own style and format. As you record your script, play soft and soothing music of your choice in the background. Software Needed 1. Belief in yourself and in the power of your mind. Caution: This exercise invites you to relax and pay relaxed attention to breathing. If physical and mental relaxation or bringing attention to your own breathing makes you uncomfortable, you may skip this exercise. If any part of this script upsets you or creates a negative feeling in you any way, please delete that portion and use the rest. Position: Make yourself as comfortable as you possibly can in a sitting or lying down position. Now for the words "I do my best to relax physically and mentally in spite of such annoying problems as the outside noise, cough, shortness of breath or pain. Thoughts, feelings and sensations may interrupt me but I can quickly bring my mind to the part of the body I want to relax. Staying relaxed and calm, I simply bring my attention to each part of the body. "Feet relax….Relaxing soles of the feet, toes and ankle joints…. Legs from ankle joints to knee joints….From knee joints to thigh joints. "Relaxing shoulders, shoulder pads and the shoulder blades…now the space between the shoulder blades. "The feeling of relaxation flows down my face. "I observe my breathing without trying to change it in any way." "I can imagine as if the breath enters through the crown of my head…and exits through the feet. Breathing in as if through the crown of the head and breathing out through the toes and the soles of the feet. "Neck and shoulders become more relaxed and loose. "Diaphragm is soft, relaxed and increased in length. "I exhale softly and slowly. Diaphragm on both sides goes up like two domes pushing at the bottom of the lungs. The center of the diaphragm goes up and massages my heart at the same time. As the diaphragm moves up, lower ribs slightly lower down towards the hips. I exhale and feel the diaphragm moving up towards the lungs. "Observing effortlessly and calmly. As I breathe IN softly and gently, my diaphragm goes down….side ribs spread out and up like the little wings on both sides. My ribcage lifts, lumbar curve arches…at the same time, abdomen between the navel and the breastbone tip lengthens. "Whole body breathing! Ten relaxing breaths! If you have more time, think about the place you would like to be right now? What time of your life you loved and enjoyed most? Imagine you are in that time and place you love right now…. lying down or sitting as you prefer. Spend as much time as you have at your disposal. Savor that time and place in your mind and occasionally return to whole body breathing.
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