deep breathing

3 Quick Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation - this elusive state that we're always trying to achieve, but don't always have the time. Each of these techniques can be done in 5 minutes and wherever you are - the car, the park, at home:

Color Breathing - If you can, close your eyes, and visualize 2 colors - the color you breathe in is the color you visualize on your inhale indicates the way you want to feel, and the color you visualize on your exhale is the emotion/feeling you want to eliminate. As you inhale, envision your body filling with the color you want to feel, and as you exhale envision the negative emotion/feeling being released through the chosen color. For example, you may choose green to represent confidence and visualize this on your inhale, and gray to represent self-doubt to visualize on your exhale.

Circle Breathing - As you inhale visualize the breath rushing up the front of your body from your feet to your head, and as you exhale the breath rushes down your back from your head to your feet creating a circle of breath.

Mantra - Pick a phrase that you can repeat while breathing. Ideally it is a 2 part phrase and you say one part on the inhale and the other on the exhale. For example, control can be a trigger for tension and stress, so come up with a mantra that helps you to "let it go." A possible mantra could be: I cannot control everything (inhale), I will just let it be (exhale). Simple, and to the point.