Meditation as a relaxation technique

MEDITATION AS A RELAXATION TECHNIQUE
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Meditation as a Relaxation Technique
Relaxation techniques are a great way of managing stress. Relaxation is not merely having peace of mind; it is a process that aims to decrease the aftermaths of stress on the mind and body. Relaxations techniques are a sure way of coping with the stresses that we encounter on a daily basis. These techniques also help in putting into check health related problems like pain, respiratory problems, and cancer. Normally, relaxation techniques are offered free or at low costs and can be done anywhere with little or no risks. Amongst the various relaxation techniques, meditation is one of the most popular.
There are some relaxation techniques worth noting. These include meditation, deep breathe, reaching out and tuning into the body and yoga. Yoga, for instance, is a relaxation technique that helps a person to manage their stress and achieve improved breathing (Carrington et al., 2012). This paper attempts to lay focus on meditation as a technique in stress management.
Meditation involves sparing some minutes each day to reflect on things about life. Research indicates that meditation carried out on a daily basis may change the brain altogether by neutralizing the brain’s pathways. This in turn makes people more resilient to such issues as stress.
To carry out this technique, it is important for one to sit up straight with feet positioned straight on the floor. The next step is eye closure followed by recitation, done either loudly or silently.

Often, the best form of recitation adopts a positive mantra like ‘I love my life’, ‘I love myself’ or ‘I feel awesome’ (Lazar et al, 2009). One hand should be placed on the belly so as to sync the mantra with ones breathing. This will ensure that distracting thoughts are eliminated.
The beauty of having meditation as a relaxation technique is its provision of an allowance that boosts the spiritual, mental and physical relaxation. This is often done in a quiet place, away from friends, family, television and other forms of distractions (Lazar et al, 2009). Focusing the mind is the most important thing as it ensures a complete transformation. Meditation should take between 20 to 30 minutes at any given time.
Findings tracked each day before and after engagement in the activity
The findings that were tracked on a daily basis, after and before the engagement were amazing. Before the technique, health-related issues were rampant. Stress took center stage in a day today activities. After a series of meditation, the stress levels were reduced. Besides, the body adjusted to challenges and everything turned normal.
Expression of original expectations
Just like any other new undertaking out there, the meditation process had set expectations. The expectations were that the process be concluded as fast as possible and with instant results. This was inconsequential. However, when meditation was done consistently, the end results were amazing.
The major surprise was the fact that the technique is cheap and does not necessarily warrant the presence of any instructor. This makes the whole process a pocket-friendly choice.
The known benefits of meditations are slowed heart-beat, lowered blood pressure, an increased blood flow to major blood vessels, lowering of fatigue and anger management. Through the process, the body was able to gain new perspectives of stress situations. Self-actualization and personal awareness are also some fruits that came with meditation.
The chronology of the events were as follows;
Deep breath exercise accounted for seven minutes of the practicing session, muscle relaxation exercise 18 minutes, visualization being slotted 19 minutes while cruise imagery being allotted 12 minutes.
One of the challenges encountered during the exercise was consistency. Since it was a new practice to most people, adopting the new practice and consistently following its guidelines was a challenge. Apart from consistency, other challenges were not pronounced.
References
Carrington, P., Collings Jr, G. H., Benson, H., Robinson, H., Wood, L. W., Lehrer, P. M., … & Cole, J. W. (2012). The Use of Meditation-Relaxation Techniques for the Management of Stress in a Working Population. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 22(4), 221-231.
Lazar, S. W., Bush, G., Gollub, R. L., Fricchione, G. L., Khalsa, G., & Benson, H. (2009). Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation.Neuroreport, 11(7), 1581-1585.