Five Ways to Reduce Stress

Author of Body Odyssey: Lessons from the Bones and Belly
www.bodyodyssey.biz

Your body carries your mental and emotional stress. It also carries the secrets for stress relief. Here are five ways to reveal these secrets and create more ease for yourself when stress is mounting during your day.

1) Loosen your jaw. Whenever you're stressed, your jaw is probably tense, maybe even clenched. Practice letting your jaw drop open for 30 seconds. Holding it up takes effort. As you stop making this effort, notice if you breathe more deeply and if your stress eases up a little.

2) Feel your feet. Spend a minute or so feeling the size and weight of your feet. Feel the firmness of the floor or ground they're resting on. Drop your weight (and your worries) into your feet and let the earth support you.  

3) Tighten your muscles. Instead of relaxing your muscles, try tightening them. Tighten and hold that tightness until your muscles beg to relax. In a short while, they'll do it naturally.

4)  Get in balance. Stand and let your body sway for 30 seconds or so until you feel it settle into an easy, balanced stance. If your body is balanced, your mental state will follow.

5) Do belly breathing. Relax your chest and notice your belly rising and falling as you breathe.

Use these five ways to be kind to your body. Your body is always ready to help you out if you give it friendly attention.

Author of Body Odyssey: Lessons from the Bones and Belly
www.bodyodyssey.biz