Relaxation and
performance.
Whether it is sport or business the best results are
obtained when one is relaxed. A calm mind can function
better under duress. Any top golfer will tell you that
winning a major tournament requires as much stress
management as course management. When you want the ball
to fall in the hole, if your mind is tense with the
thought of what if it does not, you can be sure of
disaster. The calm relaxed mind focused in the act of
stroking the ball, with all the attention on the act, has
more chance of success.
In business very often you lose your cool and also the
deal.
Many poor decisions are made in heated moments on a
reactive basis. A relaxed mind can give you an
opportunity to become more proactive and focused, without
letting stress affecting your thought process and your
performance. Relaxation helps you douse the fire of
stress whose smoke can often suffocate the mind.
How to relax?
"A lot of stress is created in an effort to
relax"
Yes.. To achieve relaxation is a tough proposition.
Whenever I perform surgery under local anesthesia, I want
my patient to be in a stage of mental and muscular
relaxation.
Initially if I would ask the patient to relax, I would
usually get a solid response of tenseness.
" Please relax.. Just try and relax".
" Doctor, I am trying my best" and the patient
would hold limb more rigidly.
" No, no keep the leg as loose as possible".
" Is this OK?"
" No, no less tight"
And it would go on, creating even more tension.
This went on till I came across the "stop
tense" formula.
This is borrowed from the boss’s "stop
flirting" formula.
Boss rings up his neighbour’s wife:
" Will you come out with me alone tonight?"
" Are you crazy. What do you think I am? If I tell
my husband he will kill you." She shouts.
" Don’t worry. I am just trying to obey your
dear husband."
" What do you mean?"
" Yesterday he threatened to shoot me if I did not
stop flirting with his wife. How can I stop flirting
without starting? So will you come out?"
When it comes to relaxation "The stop tense"
formula works.
I ask the patient to first tense his thigh muscle and
hold it really tight. Then I tell him to UN-tense. Let
go.
And there is relaxation. UN-Tense is easier obeyed than
the command.... Relax.
PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR RELAXATION is a technique employing
the stop-tense formula. In this method various muscles
are directed to first contract and tense voluntarily.
After holding them tense for a few seconds they are told
to un-tense and relax.
Technique:
The first phase is establishing breathing rhythm.
Wear loose clothing and remove your shoes. Lie down flat
on your back on a mat. Now close your eyes.
Breathe in deeply feeling your abdomen rising up as you
inhale. Hold the breath momentarily and then exhale
completely. As you exhale you could whisper the word
relax.
Reeeeelllaaaaaax. Your mind is focused on the breath
coming in and going out. Picturise a tiny aircraft. As
you inhale, this aircraft is sucked in. It picks up speed
and travels deep inside the body. It floats freely for a
while. When you exhale, the plane maneuvers expertly
through your windpipe and out of the body. It takes a
smooth circle in front of you till you inhale again.
Repeat this till you establish a comfortable rhythm.
The second phase is the actual muscle relaxation.
Start with your toes. As you inhale extend your toes of
the right foot towards you. Hold this posture for a few
seconds and then start exhaling. As you exhale tell your
muscles to drop the tension and relax. Repeat the same
for your left foot.
Next flex your right foot so that your toes point towards
the floor. Create a tension in your leg muscles as you
inhale. Exhale to banish the tightness you have created
and allow your right leg to relax. Repeat the same for
the other leg.
Press your heel of each leg hard against the floor and
then progressively release.
Tighten the thigh muscle make it rock hard and then
release.
Raise both your legs six inches off the ground. Hold
tight and then relax.
Tense your abdominal muscles as if to receive a punch in
the stomach and then relax.
Raise both your legs six inches off the ground. Hold
tight and then relax.
Arch your back to slightly raise your waist above the
ground. As you relax feel as if your back is spreading
along the floor.
Shrug your shoulders as high as they can possibly go.
Drop them and feel them widening totally relaxed.
Press your hands down against the floor. Un-tense them so
that they drop limp and completely relaxed.
Tighten the muscles of your face to create a horrible
frown. Then un-frown. Clench your teeth and tighten the
jaw muscles.
Then let your jaw loose.
MEDITATION:
There have been countless definitions and equal number of
techniques for meditation. Persons have danced, laughed,
chanted, ruminated and even jogged for meditation.
Meditation remains a controversial topic spoken of by
many and understood by few. Without going into
controversies and discussions regarding the pros and cons
of various techniques, I propose to recommend a simple
technique practiced by my patients with great success.
Hum Meditation:
Select a quiet place. Sit comfortably. Close your
eyes. Keep your hands on your laps with your palms
pointing upwards. With your mouth closed take in a deep
breath through your nose. Focus on the air entering your
body and filling up your chest. Pause for a moment. Now
start exhaling. Create the sound of humming as you
exhale. Let your body and thoughts reverberate with the
sound of the hum. Hum till all the air is exhaled from
your lungs. Now pause and start inhaling again. To begin
with you could perform a dozen cycles.
The objectives of relaxed respiration and focus of
thought are both possible in the Hum Meditation. Stress
management with deep breathing techniques has been
practiced for a long time. Hum meditation first ensures
that rhythmic deep breathing is established during
meditation. Deep breathing by itself brings about
calmness. Chant of Hum helps you direct all your thoughts
towards a sound. This method keeps your thoughts from
wavering. If you catch yourself drifting elsewhere all
you have to do is direct your mind towards the sound or
breath depending on whether you are inhaling or exhaling.
The syllable Hum with its prolonged M’s maintains a
soothing sound HMMMmmmmm …..
ARE YOU RELAXING???
After scaling the Mount Everest Sherpa Tensing
was resting on a park bench. Seeing him there a passerby
asked him:
" Are you relaxing?"
" No" replied the Sherpa; " I am
Tensing".
The next day as Sherpa was taking a walk in the park he
saw a man resting on the same bench.
" Are you relaxing?" He asked.
" Yes indeed" replied the stranger.
" So here you are. There was somebody looking for
you yesterday and mistook me for
