This is the third of a 3-part series in which I describe various practices that can create the Relaxation Response within your body. This Relaxation Response counteracts the injurious effects of chronic stress on the body. Through these tested techniques which encourage the state of relaxation, we can begin to enroll the body's amazing potential for self-healing.

In Relaxation Response Part I, we reviewed the techniques of Diaphragmatic Breathing and the Body Scan.

In Relaxation Response Part II, we focused on creating a state of relaxation through Centering Meditation, Mindfulness, and Visualization.

In Part III, we will look at beneficial practices which can be thought of as Meditation in Movement. Just as we can practice meditation in a state of stillness, we can also practice meditation through mindful movement. (For those of us who are sometimes challenged by "just sitting", these practices may be ideal.)

Walking meditation is an excellent stress relief technique, especially if you feel fidgety while carrying out other mindfulness techniques.

A slow, mindful walk helps to center and relax you. Walking Meditation involves practicing mindfulness and meditation while walking -- a type of stillness in motion. A suberb book on walking meditation is "The Long Road Turns to Joy" by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Here are a few tips for walking meditation:

• Walk more slowly than your usual pace. While you are walking, focus on your breath. See if you can find pleasure in each one of your steps -- you are walking to walk rather than walking to arrive at some destination.
• Enjoy the nourishment of each incoming breath; with each outgoing breath, let go of tension in your shoulders, as you also let go of burdensome worry.
• Be awake to each and every one of the sensations in your body. Notice the feel of your feet as they make contact with the earth. Become aware of the sensation as the heel of one foot comes into contact with the ground and the toes of the other foot begin to lift off.
• Observe the interconnected movements in the action of walking: transferring the center of gravity forward as you lean into the next step; pushing off with the toes of the rear foot as you swing the foot forward; contacting the earth with your heel. Be aware of how the weight of your body is focused on various areas of the load-bearing foot, repositioning from heel to ball of the foot to the toes.
• As you walk, give your focused consideration to all the sensations in your feet, your legs and your carriage. As humans, we've spent a lot of evolutionary time in learning to walk upright. It is a multifaceted and remarkable phenomenon -- allow yourself to marvel at it!
• Combine consciousness of your breath, your body's movement and the tranquility and loveliness of the present moment. See if you can be fully present with each step, each breath. If you can do it for one step, one cycle of breath, you can do it for the next and the next and the next.
• As you inhale, take a step and say to yourself "Here." As you breathe out, take another step and say "Now."
• You can also step to the words "present moment, only moment." Using words and phrases such as these will help you to stay centered and present in the now.

The habitual practice of walking meditation can become enjoyable, restful, and deeply relaxing. You will experience the Relaxation Response as you sink into the mindful awareness of the process of walking and your breathing.

Twenty minutes spent in the Relaxation Response each day can undo the effects of chronic stress. Can you reserve twenty minutes to give yourself this gift of health?

The ancient disciplines of Tai Chi, Qigong and Yoga make excellent methods for heightening bodily awareness available, focusing on the breath, and living in the present moment - all are pathways to the Relaxation Response. Some have named these practices "meditation in motion." These may be particularly useful practices if you feel restless with less active approaches to relaxation.

When you practice any of these movement meditations you profit from motion paired with the awareness of the breath. Breath is the key to mindful movement and the bridge between the body and the mind.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese mind-body practice composed of a series of graceful, fluid movements and coordinated breathing. It makes a multitude of health benefits available to the practitioner. Some of these are: increased balance and muscle strength, improved aerobic capacity, greater coordination, reduction of stress, a sturdier immune system, and a sense of well-being. When you engage in a practice of Tai Chi, you are adding to the flow of internal "chi" or crucial life energy, and this provides significant health and wellness benefits.

Qigong

Qigong is an ancient Chinese healing art and is also a form of alternative Chinese medicine. It brings together breathing, meditation, and gentle, slow, rhythmic movement. When practiced frequently, it brings forth all of the components of the relaxation response while improving balance and flexibility. As with Tai Chi, Qigong facilitates the easy and efficient flow of "chi" all through the meridian pathways of the body.

Qigong helps you improve your stamina, blood circulation, immunity, flexibility, relaxation and quality of life in general through the combined grouping of movement, meditation and awareness of the breath. This encourages and accelerates the natural curative processes of your body as you experience the Relaxation Response.

In China, there are approximately 200 million people engaged in the practice of Qigong every day. Because the healthy as well as the severely ill can take advantage of the benefits of Qigong, it is one of the most broadly applicable systems of self-care in the world.

Yoga

Yoga is a very old practice of movement and philosophy based on instruction that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. The majority of people in the West are more familiar with the physical form of yoga, a system of physical poses designed to produce proper, healthy alignment in your body.

The physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation practices of yoga have been shown to lessen stress, bring blood pressure down, regulate heart rate, and even retard the aging process. Yoga practice boosts flexibility and coordination, releases muscle tension, and enhances tranquility. It is an excellent approach to developing body awareness and eliciting the Relaxation Response.

Try it!

You can experiment with movement meditation at present as you are seated in your chair! Little by little stretch through your upper body by extending up through the spine as you are reading these words.

Let your shoulders release from your neck. Experience the grace and strength in your sitting position. Relax through your eyes and let your tongue drop onto the floor of the mouth. Become softer in your jaw. Slowly raise your arms from your sides and stretch them over your head as you inhale. Then, slowly lower your arms as you breathe out. Duplicate that motion three times with awareness of your breathing. After the movement comes to a close, what do you notice?

These ancient movement meditations are wonderful techniques for stress relief. The cure for the Stress Response is to engage the Relaxation Response, which negates the harmful effects of the body being chronically "revved-up", as if to fight or flee from danger.

We unwittingly elicit the Stress Response in our bodies through holding chronic muscle tension; through anxiety, worry, and catastrophic thinking; through lack of exercise and proper sleep; through a hectic, fast-paced stressful lifestyle. The Stress Response leads to a compromised immune system, greater vulnerability to disease, and to more rapid aging.

The antidote to the Stress Response is -- the Relaxation Response, which undoes the harmful effects that result from the body being chronically "revved-up", as if to fight or flee from danger.

Twenty minutes of the Relaxation Response per day can reverse the effects of chronic stress. Start today!

Sandi Anders, M.Div., R.Y.T. (http://www.Imagery4Relaxation.com) has been helping people relax and access their inner creativity for many years. A stress management specialist, yoga and meditation teacher, musician and life coach, she uses her soothing voice to teach audiences how to let go of stress and tension and learn to listen to the wisdom of the body. Sandi blends poetic language with her broad knowledge of meditation traditions to teach relaxation skills anyone can learn.

Sandi is based in Nashville, TN and leads workshops and retreats around the country. Her popular new CD The Alchemy of Peace and Love offers two hours of guided relaxation and meditation, using her unique voice, evocative words and original music to guide the listener into a deeply relaxed state.

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