Part 5 of 6 Stress Relief Down To The Cellular Level: Relax Your Muscles With Autogenic Training (Prerequisites: Parts 1 To 4)

Hello and welcome to the meditation portion of the RxChill Pill Get Resilient podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Juna Bobby MD, a physician specializing in mind-body medicine, and I'm here to bring you your daily dose of the relaxation response. Learning to elicit the relaxation response is extremely helpful in decreasing stress and any stress-related conditions. Relaxation techniques are generally known to be quite safe. However, if you have any medical issues, consult with your physician and be aware that relaxation techniques never replace proper medical care. In certain psychiatric conditions, these relaxation techniques may be contraindicated. Please check with your physician. I'd like to leave you with a little quiet time for reflection at the end, so I'm asking you now to please share subscribe, and download. It would also be really helpful to me if you could leave a positive review. If you use Insight Timer, you can find me as a teacher under Juna Bobby MD. As with all meditation and relaxation audios, please find a safe and comfortable quiet place and do not use while driving or operating a moving vehicle.

Welcome to Week 5 of Autogenic Training. This is Dr. Juna Bobby MD, and as you know, we add just one small change each part. In the last 4 parts, we focused on the heaviness in our arms and the warmth, then the awareness of our heartbeat and slowing down the breath. Today we will focus on relaxing the abdomen. As you know, when we are under the stress response Blood shunts away from the digestive system. With the relaxation response, the opposite happens. So find a comfortable spot where you can be quiet and relatively undisturbed for the next 9 minutes. And at any time, if you feel uncomfortable or it doesn't feel right for you, simply stop using the audio. Now sit or lie down, getting yourself as comfortable as you can. Now I invite you to close your eyes if you haven't already done so. Start to notice the breath entering through your nose And exhaling through your nose or through pursed lips. Inhale through your nose. Hold it. And slowly through pursed lips, as if you're blowing bubbles, exhale through your lips. Now the next few breaths, continue to breathe through your nose on the inhale and exhale. Inhale, 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold, 2, 3, 4.

4.

Exhale. 3, 2, 1. Hold. 2, 3, 4. Inhale. And at the exhale, release the tension in your neck and shoulders. Whenever you're ready, take the next inhale and just breathe naturally.

Exhale.

On the next breath, again, release any tension in your neck and shoulders as you exhale. And finally, settle down into a very comfortable position. Please repeat each phrase silently to yourself 4 times over about 5 seconds, followed by about 3 seconds of silence. My arms are heavy.

And warm. My legs are Heavy and warm.

My arms and legs Legs are heavy and warm. I feel calm. My heart feels calm and regular. My breathing breathes me. My stomach is soft and warm. The practice is now complete. I invite you to sit and relax with the beautiful music for a few more minutes. Or you may stretch and begin to move and end your practice here.