Daily Dose: 3 Step Relaxation Response 10 min

The relaxation response. Find a comfortable place to sit with support behind your back. It's usually best to pick the same time and place each day. Make sure you turn off your phone and any other distractions. Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Imagine a perfect warm sun over the top of your head, moving down over your face ears, back of your head and neck, shoulders, arms, hands, lingering on your palms. Feel that perfect warmth relaxing all of the muscles down your chest, your abdomen, your back, vertebra by vertebra by vertebra. Now your legs and your knees, your calves, your shins, the tops of your feet and the bottom of your feet. Now take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, move this warm light over from the top of your head all the way down to the bottom of your feet, releasing any leftover tension. Now deeply relax all of your muscles. Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. Now bring to mind a word, phrase, or prayer from your religion that is uplifting to you. Something that you desire. For yourself. It could be something like, "I am calm," or a word like peace or calm. And now bring this word or phrase to mind. As if it is your best friend in the whole world. You feel so warm towards this word or phrase, and you can't help but pay attention to it because it's so fun to be with, and you're so curious to be with it. So now bring this word or phrase to mind. Just maintain a non-judgmental attitude whenever thoughts come up, as they will. Let them fly by like clouds in the sky. Or birds that are flying overhead, perfectly natural, meant to be there. We don't have to stop or grapple with it. Now I'll leave you to your word or phrase, and every time you notice a thought Just say, "Oh well," and come back to this word or phrase. Wherever you are is perfectly fine. Just watch your mind, and if it wanders off, Gently and kindly bring it back to your word or phrase. It's perfectly fine. Just watch your mind. And if it wanders off, gently and kindly bring it back to your word or phrase. Gently and kindly bring it back to your word or phrase. Mm-hmm. Now gently release your word or phrase. Just come back to your breath, feeling the rise and fall of your chest.