How to Relax - Two Simple Breathing Exercises

Two simple breathing exercises that require little practice or preparation.

Step 1: Exercise One: Fading Sun

This exercise is good for helping yourself drift off to sleep.

Sit or lie down comfortably.

Close your eyes.

Picture the deep blackness of space, filled with a giant red sun. It is huge, but dull. You can feel its warmth all over your body, but it doesn't burn.

Watch the Sun as you slowly breath.

Breath in through your nose and watch the Sun expand slightly.

Breath out through your mouth and watch it shrink.

The longer you breath out, the smaller and fainter the Sun gets.

Keep breathing slowly as the Sun fades away.

The smaller the Sun gets, the slower you breath.

Smaller ... fainter ... slower ...

Smaller ... fainter ... slower ...

.............................sleep..........

Step 2: Exercise Two: Draining

This exercise is good for relaxing after a stressful episode, such as an argument.

Sit or lie comfortably. Perfect position is sitting upright in an office or dining chair where you can put your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands on your knees, relax your back, slump a little.

Close your eyes and think about your body. Picture the stressful feelings as an inky black liquid permeating your body.

Breath in slowly through your nose, lifting your chest and shoulders as you do.

Blow out slowly through your mouth (put a little effort into it), and, in your mind's eye, watch the level of the black liquid go down a little. Feel it drain away through your feet into the floor.

With each breath out, the level goes down more.

The liquid in your arms will drain out of your hands, down your legs and out your feet.

You should be able to feel muscles un-knot and even feel warmer as the level drops past them.

(You can also do this exercise whilst sitting in traffic. Imagine the liquid draining right out through the floor of the car, pooling in the road. As you drive off, you leave the stress of the day behind you - just don't close your eyes!)

(If you're lying on your back to do this, imagine the liquid draining out of the small of your back).