100 How to Elicit the Relaxation Response with a Mini Meditation to Calm Down and Reset

Hi, this is a continuation of my tribute to Dr. Herbert Benson, a true pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine. I learned the relaxation response from Dr. Herbert Benson at the very first mind-body conference that I attended at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard Medical School. I was lucky enough to be there for Dr. Benson's opening remarks to start off the week-long conference. An auditorium packed with healthcare providers, physicians, nurses, therapists. He led us through the simple relaxation response. And now I'm gonna lead you through the relaxation response just the way Dr. Benson taught it. So first you're gonna close your eyes. Then you're gonna deeply relax all of your muscles, scanning yourself from head down to your toes. Perhaps on the out-breath, releasing muscles systematically from your head all the way down to your toes. Then you're gonna start breathing through your nose, becoming aware of the breath, and you can simply say silently to yourself the word or phrase of your choice as you breathe. Your breath should be natural and easy. So the key here is to not worry about whether you're achieving any particular state and to maintain a passive attitude, a permissive relaxation throughout the practice. Dr. Benson said, whenever a distracting thought comes by or you lose focus on your word or phrase, as you naturally will, everybody does, simply just say, "Oh well," and in that nonchalant attitude, come back to that word or phrase. So that's it, those simple steps: closing your eyes, deeply relaxing your muscles, becoming aware of your breath, and silently saying the word or phrase that you chose for 10 to 20 minutes. Keep that nonchalant attitude and just say, "Oh well," whenever your mind wanders. Using an alarm can be kind of jarring at the end, so you can peek at your watch or clock to see if the 10 or 20 minutes, whatever your choice is, has passed. Once you're done, just sit quietly for a few minutes with your eyes closed and gently start to arouse yourself, opening your eyes and stretching if you need to, taking some deep breaths, and allowing yourself to wake up slowly. Don't suddenly stand up. Do a few stretches, deep breathe, and slowly get up. And those are the simple steps to the relaxation response. This is a natural physiologic change that we can elicit anytime. All of us have this ability. And Dr. Benson's robust research showed that this simple method is all you need to elicit this physiologic response that's deeply healing, and that's the opposite of the stress response. So if you decide to stay, I have a gentle bell at the end of 10 minutes and 2 gentle bells at the end of 20 minutes. So find a quiet spot and sit quietly in a comfortable position. Close your eyes or allow them to lower. And now start to relax your muscles deeply with each out-breath, scanning from head down to your toes, paying special attention to your neck, and shoulders, your hands and fingers. Allow all your muscles to deeply relax. Now breathe gently and naturally through your nose. Becoming aware of your breath, and silently say to yourself the word or phrase that you chose for this practice. There's no need to worry about getting to a special place or achieving a deep level of relaxation. Whenever you notice distracting thoughts or outside distractions, just say, "Oh well," and come back to your word or phrase. At the end of 10 minutes, you'll hear a gentle bell, and if you stay for 20 minutes, you'll hear 2 gentle bells. Slowly become aware of your surroundings. Maybe doing a few stretches and a few deep breaths and becoming alert and awake before you stand up. And now I will leave you to your practice.