How to get through quarantine 7: Relaxation techniques (Meditation, mindfulness, journalling)

Manuel Antonio National Park  • 

In this episode I talk about a meditation technique that works even for those who never thought they could meditate, and I also talk about keeping a journal and why. Previous episode (Daily Movement): https://youtu.be/BidwDuWsGks Este vídeo en español: https://youtu.be/JCLOBuFW7Uc Well, being a tremendously restless person with a mind that never stops, I tell you: we're all able to meditate and it is really useful for all aspects of our lives! It takes away a lot of stress (which is most harmful to our entire being), it helps us focus, lifts our mood, helps us sleep, makes us more empathetic, makes us more creative by reinforcing the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain, helps us prepare for difficult times, allows us to breathe more deeply as we oxygenate the body... Meditation does all that to me with only 15 minutes a day, which I get back throughout the day because I'm more focused. The good news is that thoughts are not the enemy of meditation, it's just your body's way of releasing stress. The course (The M-word by Emily Fletcher) for this particular technique is not free, but Emily Fletcher has a book where you can learn the technique: "Stress less, accomplish more". The link to her introductory video, which really takes you through the entire technique in a 15-minute guided meditation, is: https://www.mindvalley.com/m-word/masterclass/invite?utm_source=google In this course, she divides 15 minutes into 5 blocks: * 2-3 minutes of alternate breathing (or you can also do 2:1, which means your exhalation twice as long as your inhalation). * c. 5 minutes of mindfulness, being completely in your body and trying to be in your 5 senses at the same time, playing with it. * c. 5 minutes of silence, with a word that serves as a silent mantra. Thoughts are most likely to emerge at this stage, but that's not a bad thing: it means your body is releasing stress. * Naming 3 things you are grateful for, right then and there. * An exercise visualising someone you love right in front of you, assimilating that love, and sending it to the whole house, the city, the country, the continent, the entire world, the entire universe. There is also the option of keeping a journal. The book "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron proposes, instead of meditation, every day 3 pages of journalling, without judging what you write, simply writing 3 pages every morning, releasing blocks and stress. She proposes it for the morning, although journalling at night is also an option if it helps you sleep better. In the video I don't mention listening to music, although the music that plays in this video tells its story simultaneously: music moves us, relaxes us, connects both hemispheres of the brain and for me personally it's what calms me most when I have a lot of anxiety.