Most Americans know how to vacation real well, go the full nine yards for two weeks and then remain stressed out most of the year. We are really novices at relaxing and letting go of stress in our day to day lives. Our mojo is self-actualization and we ascribe great value to being efficient and busy. In fact, we tend to WORK AT relaxing which is counter-intuitive to how to become relaxed, but is very American.
I’m Dr. Miriam Franco, a psychologist and Relaxation and Guided Imagery specialist and host of Imagine That! on the Voice America Wellness Channel. Every time I conduct a workshop to teach people how to use the power of their imaginations to relax, I ask: “Who taught you how to relax?” And typically I hear: “No one.”
On my first Imagine That! Show, I introduce listeners how to let go of stress, to tune in and become aware of ways of slowing down by guiding them to turn on their relaxation response and to imagine relaxing, sensory images, like your ideal place of relaxation, which in this state, your body captures it and allows it to deeply resonate within your body. It’s a fun, easy way to evoke a paradigm shift, to become attuned to a different way of knowing and experiencing by relaxing and evoking images that help you open and connect to a natural way of being in the present and letting go of stress stored in your body or mind.
Most of us need strategies for how to get started, to really learn to sink below the surface of activity and become deeply relaxed because this is foreign in our culture. The quickest way to tune in and let go of stress is to learn Relaxation and Guided Imagery. Tune into The Power of Your Imagination to Relax on Imagine That ! Show on September 3rd at 12 pm PT or 3 pm EST on Voice America’s Wellness Channel https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/3906/imagine-that and I’ll guide you to playfully imagine with your senses centering techniques like imagining an ideal place of relaxation, a safe place or even picturing someone easy to love. These gentle yet powerful imagery skills are easy to practice at work or during transitions in your day. And they do not require much time or skill level as do most forms of meditation.
Come join me and discover the power of your imagination to relax, cope, heal or learn. And have some fun too.
Dr. Franco