Relaxation Through Mental Imagery
How can we maintain our physical and mental well-being in the face of modern life’s daily stresses and challenges? Identifying and tackling the primary source of stress is obviously the most effective stress-management strategy. However, no matter how hard we try, we cannot avoid feeling tense and anxious for various reasons from time to time.
Relaxation through Mental Imagery involves the use of purposeful and self-guided daydreaming to induce calming and pleasant sensations. It can take only about 10 minutes for you to feel refreshed and relaxed using this method.
- Find a quiet and private place to sit or lie down. If the environment permits, make yourself comfortable by taking off your shoes and loosening your belt or any tight clothing.
- Close your eyes. Focus on what you are doing and try to ignore all internal and external distractions. Practice deep breathing for 2 to 3 minutes until your breathing becomes even and stable.
- Try to visualize mentally that you are immersed in a comfortable and tranquil setting. Imagine the different bodily sensations aroused by the image in your mind, including that of sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. For example, you may imagine yourself sitting next to a river, listening to the soothing sound of running water, feeling the warm gentle breeze on your face, breathing in the fresh fragrance of green grass………
- When you become fully immersed in the serene and calming imagery, the tension in your body will gradually dissipate. Your mind will also be temporarily free from current worries and stresses. You will thus be able to enjoy momentary relief and relaxation both physically and psychologically.
Effective use of Mental Imagery can completely relax your mind and senses, help you escape from worries and enjoy a moment of relief.
The effectiveness of this method depends on whether or not you can fully engage in a tranquil and relaxing mental imagery during practice. It is therefore particularly important for you to select imageries according to your personal needs and preference so that the whole process can be appealing, pleasant and relaxing for you.
We produced 3 mental imagery videos to guide you into different natural sceneries through the use of sounds and images: Mountain / Lake / Forest.