Train for Life

Tag: Relaxation Technique

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice 🧘‍♀️🫁Weighted Belly Breathing🫁🧘‍♀️ This deep breathing technique can calm us by slowing our breath and providing proprioceptive input.  Here’s how! Find an object to place on your belly such as, a wheat bag, a hot-water bottle, a heavy (weighted) blanket, or a book. Life…

  • Therapy Thursday

    What is a mantra? A mantra is an influential, dynamic affirmation or phrase that can support focus and relaxation.  Mantras can start with “I am…” I am calm. I am relaxed. I am happy. I am loved. What mantra can you add? One of my favorite mantras is “Ebb and flow, come and go” from Kristin McGee‘s 5-minute guided…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice 🫨Somatic Shaking 🫨 When we experience a shock, upset or trauma, one of the body’s natural responses is to shake. This motion can help release energy, which ‘completes’ the stress response and regulates the nervous system. Intentional shaking can dissolve stress and move the nervous…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice 💪🏻Arm Squeezes💪🏻 Oftentimes when life gets overwhelming we can feel disconnected from our bodies. The gentle pressure in this relaxation technique can help us feel grounded in and connected to our bodies again. Here’s how! Use your right hand to gently squeeze down the…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice 😊Face Massage😊  The muscles in our face can hold a lot of tension, especially around our forehead and eyes and in our jaw. We can try to soften our expression and find time for some self-love with this practice. *Tip: Apply some face oil…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice 👀 Peripheral Vision 👀 When we feel anxious or panicked we may find our vision changes. It might be difficult to make eye contact or our eyes might scan around in search of threats. Try these practices to send cues of safety by engaging…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice Ear 👂🏻Massage We can create a beautiful sense of calm by massaging our ear. This is an effective way to activate our vagus nerve and turn on our parasympathetic nervous system. This simple technique can be practiced discreetly. We may notice signs of release such…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice Postural Shifts The state of our nervous system can affect our posture.  When we are in a sympathetic nervous system state (anxious or angry) we may feel tense and on-guard. When we are in our dorsal vagal state (feeling low or stuck) we may collapse…

  • Mindful Monday

    Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice Full Body Relaxation This progressive muscle relaxation practice can be an effective way to relax our whole bodies and send us off to sleep or when we need a calming break on a busy, stressful day. Try this exercise in bed or on the…

  • Mindful Monday

    How to use your body to soothe your mind. Calm Practice Drop Your Armor Isometric muscle relaxation teaches us the difference between tension and relaxation.  Try this exercise when you are feeling stressed or anxious. Hold each muscle group tense for seven (7) seconds then release, allowing it to feel heavy. Visualize tension melting away…