Guided Relaxation Training for Wellness & Stress Management
Beth Freschi is a relaxation and life coach based in St. Paul, MN and the owner of A Time for Expression, LLC. She holds a B.A. in psychology from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from University of St. Thomas (St. Paul. MN). With over 15 years of experience in the mental health field, she brings a wealth of professional knowledge to her nuanced, specialized relaxation classes and popular recordings.
Practicing loving kindness meditation fosters a sense of kindness and friendliness toward the self and others through extending good wishes and intentions, and opening the heart to a life of love and acceptance.
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Painting "One Who Bows Me" by Jackson Dainty www.jacksondainty.com
Do you ever find yourself feeling stuck when working on a project? It is something that most of us deal with at different times of our lives. It might be while writing a book, composing a song, painting a new work of art, or some other creative endeavor—we sometimes find ourselves in a rut that can result in frustration or stress.
Being an artist or creative person, it is so vital to be able to get those creative juices flowing. Learning how to recognize being stuck and how to become “unstuck” is a challenge that every creative has and will face. As strange as it may sound, one of the best things that we can do is to relax. Often when we are stuck, we become more stressed and more frustrated, and it becomes a cycle. However, if you are able to tap into a few of the relaxation techniques below, it can free you and your creativity.
Breathing – Finding a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down and pay attention to your breathing is a quick, simple way to refocus. Pay attention to how you are breathing. Do this for several minutes, taking slow, deep breaths and making sure you exhale fully each time. This technique can help reduce fear and pain, and for stuck creatives, it can also help you clear your mind and alleviate the stress of trying to come up with your next project.
Muscle Relaxation – Focus on tensing and releasing each muscle group. Doing this for a few minutes can help relax your body and open up your mind. While you are focusing on tensing and releasing your muscles, you are no longer stressing or wondering how you will come up with that next idea. This technique is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation, and as its creator Edmund Jacobson said: “An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.” Once the anxiety is released, your creative thinking has a chance to flourish.
Guided Imagery – Tap into your imagination and visualize yourself somewhere. Maybe it’s one of your favorite destinations for vacation, or possibly it’s a favorite restaurant, gallery or place in nature. You can fully engage each of your senses—touch, sight, taste, scent, and sound—to bring the experience to life. Going somewhere else for a while in your mind can be a wonderful break, and you can return to your project with a fresh perspective.
Meditation – A part of becoming unstuck is to remove barriers or limitations that we might be experiencing. The reasons for these barriers vary, but could be work, relationships, finances or even our own thoughts. By meditating, we are centering our thoughts and focusing on the present. If you enjoy silent meditation, spend a few minutes in quiet reflection. If you struggle with silent meditation, you can try guided meditation to keep your thoughts from wandering to worries and preoccupations.
Do you have a favorite technique from above? To read more examples of each of these relaxation techniques, see some of my other blog posts such as How Relaxation Techniques Can Help You Focus, 1 Minute Relaxation Break, How Loving Kindness Meditations Can Help You and Guided Imagery: Relaxation via Your Imagination.
May you find a time to relax and free your creative expression.
If you are ever feeling lonely, disconnected from people, hurt or overwhelmed, I recommend loving kindness meditation as a way to practice fostering a sense of kindness and caring towards yourself and others.
Loving kindness meditation is a method of developing compassion. Although it comes from the Buddhist tradition, it is truly universal, and can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of personal belief or religious affiliation. Loving kindness meditation is essentially about cultivating love.
I use loving kindness meditations at the end of my relaxation training sessions, because I find people are more open to the idea of unconditional love after relaxing first with breathing, muscle relaxation and guided imagery. If you try to "go in cold" with loving kindness, you might feel some resistance, or question your ability to feel this deep love for yourself and others. However, if you "warm up" with some other relaxation techniques, by the time you get to the loving kindness meditation you will feel ready to at least experiment with feelings of love, caring, compassion and acceptance.
I posted the above photo on Facebook (I found it on a Facebook page called Landscape of Beauty) and I added this excerpt of a loving kindness meditation:
"Think of people everywhere, near and far. See children and adults living in the cities, towns and countryside around the world. All of them looking for happiness. All of them having goodness in their hearts. Feel that goodness within them—connect your heart to their hearts. Let your compassion, your warmth and your care, for all these human beings, flow from your heart, giving them a feeling of being safe, happy, at ease." — "Meditation on Loving Kindness" from the album "Uplifting Guided Meditation"
I sent this post out to many countries around the world and received a huge, positive response. I am not mentioning this to pat myself on the back—I was just struck by how hungry people are for this idea of loving kindness. Seeing that photo of all of those people forming a heart and reading the words about loving kindness touched something in them. All I did was put it out there.
We all experience stress, loneliness, disconnection and hurt, and I think loving kindness meditation gives us a chance to experience some healing, some relief from difficulties. Here are some loving kindness phrases to try if you are interested in how they might benefit you:
May I be safe and protected
May I be free from pain and suffering
May I be healthy and strong
May I be happy
Notice how these are phrased, using the word "may" as a wish, as an intention for feeling love and kindness. This is another reason I find loving kindness meditation so helpful—instead of commanding, like when people say "smile" or "be happy", it is gently wishing for positive things. If you are anything like me, you don't always respond well to commands—it feels much better to extend a wish. Here are some more phrases, this time expanding the meditation to include others:
May we all feel peace and ease
May we have love and warmth in our lives
May we all be happy, healthy and whole
Some people tell me that practicing loving kindness meditation gives them a feeling of warmth and openness, or a sense of connection. Some mention that it helps in their interactions with difficult people. Others say they experience a wonderful feeling of bliss. I find that it comforts me when I am overwhelmed by negativity in the world. There is something about opening the heart to loving kindness that can change our perspective and remind us that healing is possible.
If you are interested in finding out more about loving kindness meditations, you can of course contact me or check out my recordings. In addition, here are some resources you can explore:
The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society
Video "Street Loving Kindness" by Sharon Salzberg
16 Science-Backed Benefits of Loving-Kindness Meditation
May all beings love and accept each other