We tend to take our body for granted. We take more care of our cars than our physical body. We hardly let our body really relax. There is a simple routine we can follow to make our body relax. Do it at the end of a hard day’s work. You will really feel refreshed.

Wear something light.

Lie flat on your back on a mat on the floor. Even the bed can be used provided it is a hard bed. Don’t use pillows.

While lying become aware of your body top to toe.

Wriggle yourself for a few seconds.

Let your hands lie along your body with palms open.

Gently close your eyes.

Imagine that you have a heavy weight tied to your legs. Raise one after the other few inches from the floor and hold in that position for a count of ten and drop your leg and repeat for both legs.

Imagine you have to carry something very heavy and tighten your fists and raise your hands above the floor for a few inches and hold them like that for a count up to ten. Repeat for both hands.

Raise your head and try to see the toes and hold for a few seconds and let the head fall back gently.

Close your eyes and bring your attention to the tip of the right toe. Gently tell your mind “ right toe relax” “ right toe relax”. Repeat this for few times.

Right sole, upper sole relax, relax.

Ankle area, calf muscle …..keep commanding every single muscle of your right leg to relax. Repeat the commands until you feel the muscles are relaxed. If you feel tensions at any place, gently massage the place in your mind until it relaxes. Slowly bring the right leg consciousness to a point just below the navel. Repeat the same with the left leg and bring the left leg consciousness as well to the same spot.

Now take your attention to the right hand. From the finger tips to the shoulder, command every single muscle to relax. Visualize how each part of your hand get relaxed and the weight being pulled to the ground.

Bring the right hand consciousness to a point at the centre of your chest. Repeat the same process to the left hand and bring the left hand consciousness to the same spot at the centre of the chest.

Take the mind to the place where leg consciousness was brought just below the navel and keep relaxing every single muscle from the navel area and upward in circular motions.

Slowly bring the awareness of the trunk area to the center of the chest and continue moving up to the neck commanding every muscle to relax. Wherever you feel a tension gently massage the place in your thoughts. Be kind to your body and ask the muscles to relax, they will obey.

Now slowly bring your awareness along the neck relaxing the muscles of the neck, scan the back of your neck and come back to the front along the crown of your head relax the face muscles and bring the whole body consciousness to the point between eyebrows and keep repeating the command telling the whole body to relax.

At this stage try to keep your attention on your breath and be with the breath and breathe alone.

Sometimes you might even fall asleep for a few minutes. After five to ten minutes when you feel like, slowly sit on the mat with your eyes still closed. If you can sit cross legged then it is very easy – otherwise sit on a comfortable posture.

With your eyes closed, touch your whole body with both your palms as if you are washing your body. Bring both palms to cover your face gently massage in a circular motion and rub both palms vigorously until they are warm. Cover both eyes with the warmed up palms for a few seconds and as you take the palms away from your eyes gently open your eyes.

Take a few deep breaths and slowly breathe out and gently stand up.

You are fresh again … try doing this before you rush for your evening engagements.

You can practice this technique before you go to bed as well. You will fall asleep much faster than you can imagine.