Release Tension From Head to Toe
Herbert Benson, MD, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director emeritus of Harvard Medical School's Mind/Body Medical Institute and the Benson-Henry Institute, recommends consciously relaxing all your muscles one at a time while you meditate. He calls this the "relaxation response." Benson's research shows that meditation has a beneficial effect on metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and other biochemical and physical processes in the body. The following meditation expands upon Dr. Benson's ideas, enabling you to relax and let go of tension in every part of your body. Like water flowing through a series of locks in a canal, energy flows up from your toes to your head as you do this meditation. We recommend taking your shoes off and wearing loose-fitting clothing to facilitate relaxation. **Do this meditation whenever you feel a need to unwind and drop the cares of your everyday life. we suggest doing it at the end of a stressful day, to unwind before bedtime, or to leave behind your workday pressures and relax into your personal life.** (From the book ‘The Best Meditations on the Planet, by Dr. Martin Hart & Skye Alexander)