Four Steps to Relaxation, Essay Example

In today’s busy society, stress is the result of various situations such as work, environment, family and financial issues.  According to the website medicinenet.com,

Dr. Melissa Conrad Stopper says, “Stress is simply a fact of nature . . . forces from the outside world affecting the individual . . . The critical factor is how . . . relate to their environment . . . from a biological point of view, stress can be neutral, negative or positive . . . .”   Stress can be managed by listening to music, exercising (low and high impact), breathing meditations, and yoga.

During the 17^th century, William Congreve, an English playwright and poet wrote, “Music charms to soothe the savage beast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”  Biologically, music relaxes us because we are affected by sound, one of our five senses.  It reminds us of pleasant memories. However, different types of music produce different responses.  Classical music, jazz, and opera have the most relaxing effect.

In the book, This Is Your Brain On Music, the author Daniel J. Levitin says, “At a deeper level, the emotions we experience in response to music involve structures deep in the primitive reptilian regions of the cerebellar vermis, and the amygdale – the heart of emotional processing in the cortex” (87).  Additionally, he says, “Music, then can be thought of as a type of perceptual illusion in which our brain imposes structure and order on a sequence of sounds.  Just how this structure leads us to experience emotional reactions is part of the mystery of music . . . “ (109).

Low impact exercises (walking, swimming, hiking, step aerobics, and cycling) and high impact exercises (running and jumping rope) stimulates the heart, increases blood flow and stretches muscles.  Additionally, it releases endorphins that make you feel positive and relaxed.  According to mayoclinic.com, staffers say “Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to weightlifting, can act as a stress reliever.  If you’re not an athlete . . . you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management.  .  . Exercise also can improve your sleep . . . and anxiety. . .”

The practice of breathing meditations can be uncomfortable physically and mentally for the average person who is used to paying attention to everyday conscious and unconscious stimuli. According to How-to-Meditate.org, “The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. . . . choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position . . . Breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils. . . .”

Yoga and meditation are closely related.  Yoga also requires keen attention to your breathing as you practice many positions or “asanas”.   Yoga is Sanskrit meaning to control” “to yoke” or “to unite.”  The goals of yoga vary.  In general, the purpose is to unite the body and mind.

Stress is a fact of life.  Choose a method that is right for you (music, exercise, breathing or yoga) to address it directly.   This simple decision empowers you and puts stress in its  proper perspective.

Works Cited

How to Meditate. “Breathing Meditations.”  22 October 2010. http://sss.how-to-meditate.org/breathing-meditations.htm

Levitin, Daniel J.  This Is Your Brain On Music. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

Mayo Clinic staff.  “Exercise and Stress:  Get Moving to Combat Stress.” 24 October 2010. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036>

Stoppler, Melissa. “Stress.” 24 October 2010. < http://medicinenet.com/stress/article.htm>