Moms need to practice relaxation techniques. Taking time to recharge, refocus, and regroup can help you be a better mom. Sometimes that means a “girls’ night out.” Sometimes it means a weekend away with friends or your spouse. But often, almost daily, it means taking a few minutes, even an hour to focus on you. It can be exercise, reading, journaling, listening to music, practicing a hobby, or even just breathing.
If you are ready to scroll to another article, STOP. Don’t go. Take a moment. Take the time to learn about some unique relaxation techniques that might encourage you to want to find the time to unwind.
Do you ever find that when you finally get a moment to sit and read, relax or do something for yourself that the Amazon delivery guy rings the doorbell, the dog starts barking, someone texts, the baby cries or your husband calls to tell you the battery died on his car? All this happens in between Zoom meetings or on your way to the night shift at work. As moms, we juggle it all. As moms, we need to take time to discover the importance of relaxation techniques for ourselves.
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“It only takes a minute to give ourselves that time. We get so overwhelmed with the fact that we have to take the time to relax,” says Gina Ferrara, owner of Odonata Reiki Healing Arts. “In one minute you can sit and focus your breathing. And, for one minute not be aware of what’s in front of you, but only focus on your breathing. Start with the one minute and what comes next might come naturally.”
Breathing – The Most Basic of Relaxation Techniques
Breathing with intention, or while meditating for 1 minute or a set amount of time brings peace and relaxation to the mind and soul. “Focused breathing is important. It’s the most basic thing we have. It regulates our minds and bodies,” Ferrara says.
Meditation is not turning off thoughts and feelings but paying attention to thoughts and feelings. This can be done with focused breathing while forming an intention.
Breathe in through your nose.
Breathe out through your mouth. Exhaling slowly.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
“For one minute, focus on a quote, a word, a scripture,” says Amy Denney, owner of Shine Light Therapy.
“I’m in the check-out lane at the store and I am getting irritated. What’s a word I can focus on right now? Choose joy. Choose joy. Choose joy.”
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Effective Relaxation Techniques Can Take Place on a Quiet Morning
You may have to wake up 15 minutes before anyone else in the house to discover your quiet time so you can practice your favorite relaxation techniques – breathing, exercising, journaling, meditating, or praying. “At my house, I only can anticipate quiet times when nobody is awake,” Denney says. “My goal for 2022 is to not pick up my phone in the morning letting it gobble up my precious time before my family is awake.”
Phones, social media, the news, and streaming TV shows/movies may seem like they are letting you relax, but they are a constant bombardment of information and moving pictures.
“As Moms, we have so much stimulation. It’s important to train our brain to come back into balance, to sneak in those moments of stillness whenever we can. Sometimes that might even be when we are doing the dishes,” Denney adds.
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Meditation, prayer, or journaling are excellent relaxation techniques for a quiet morning, says Denney, a Holy Yoga and Yoga Alliance certified instructor in Springfield, Illinois. Holy Yoga disciplines include scripture, prayer, movement, journaling, breathing, mediation, and community.
Journaling can be as simple as “doing a complete brain dump” in the morning. Another style of journaling encourages you to write out all of your worries and literally throw them into the trash. Denney says she recommends the ‘Based on Purpose’ journal as “a way to set goals, affirmations and stay connected to the Lord. It guides my morning routine.”
Making your quiet time or your me-time a priority is important. “Even if it is just 10 minutes of quiet in the morning before everyone is awake, find something that inspires you,” Denney adds.
Relaxation Techniques Can Be Exercise
Exercise can be a terrific way for moms to relax – a walk, a jog, or a bike ride. A bit of cardio gets the blood pumping.
Pilates is an excellent low-impact exercise that promotes core strength, flexibility, mobility, and mood. “Exercising releases good hormones, which puts you in a better mood,” says Camila Bergamini certified Club Pilates instructor in Port Orange, Florida. “During class, we have to focus on our body to perform the exercises properly to get the benefits. We focus on deep breathing, too. Deep breathing itself helps you and your mind relax. It helps relax tension from your body and mind.”
Pilates is an exercise that you can begin at any fitness level and at any age. It helps you gain control of your body as you improve strength, flexibility, and mobility, Bergamini says. The classes at Club Pilates are taught using reformers, TRX, Exo-Chairs, Bosu balls, mats, rollers, and more.
Taking an exercise class, be it Pilates, yoga, or even a spin class, forces Moms to unplug for an hour and be present and focused on themselves, their bodies, and their breathing.
If you cannot find the time for an exercise class, you can exercise at home to relax. Bergamini says if you have a little one, you can incorporate your little one into your exercising making it a game. “You can do squats while holding your baby or put your baby on your hips to bridge,” she says. “If your children are older exercise with your children.”
Relax with Vibrational Healing
Hand-hammered Tibetan singing bowls come in different sizes and tones in a blend of metals. The user strikes or rubs the bowl with a mallet, which causes the bowl to sing or vibrate. “The vibrational bowl is an instrument. The sound is healing,” says Ferrara, certified Reiki master and master of vibrational healing. “We are alive and active. Every cell of our body is vibrating. The vibrations from the bowls create relaxation effects.”
The bowls can surround the individual receiving vibrational healing. The bowls can be put in water or on a person so deeper vibrations can be felt within the body, Ferrara says.
Ferrara, a board-certified dance/movement therapist, has helped people of all ages and abilities by teaching them to tap into themselves through self-exploration through movement/dance. Now, she incorporates vibrational healing into her practice, too.
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Of course, you can purchase a singing bowl for yourself, but Ferrara encourages you to find a Sound Bath or Sound Experience near you to try it in person. You can listen to the Tibetan bowls through online videos, audio tracts, or a meditation app like Inside Timer. “When something comes in front of you. Give it a try, you can always move on to something else. That’s the beautiful thing, we can choose,” she says. “But, Reiki and vibrational healing, to me, are the ultimate relaxation.” Reiki, is a form of distance healing, where the trained Reiki Usui master, directs energy through the palms of their hands.
Relaxation techniques can be as simple as a 1-minute breathing exercise focusing on a word. Relaxation techniques can be exercise classes like Pilates or yoga. The key is choosing to take the time to make relaxation and me-time important.
Moms, it may mean you have to get up early or it may mean you have to schedule a sitter, but take the time to take care of yourself as you embrace your favorite relaxation techniques. Simply put, you are worth it.
Sources: Odonata Reiki, Shine Light Therapy, Club Pilates
Photo Credits: Unsplash, Pexels
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