In the video, we bring you a short relaxation exercise called Body Scan.
Breathing Techniques
Namely, there are various methods of shallow relaxation, such as different variations of breathing techniques, some of which you can also find on our YouTube channel. However, we always strive to teach our athletes at least a few different basic relaxation techniques. Even for athletes and coaches who are not as tense in stressful situations, it is important to have exercises in their “arsenal” of mental training techniques that quickly and easily lower their intensity, meaning the body’s arousal level.
The Usefulness of Mental Training for Relaxation
Relaxation exercises serve the purpose of both prevention and tension control; they can be performed once tension has already occurred, but also preventatively so that we remain in the ideal zone of intensity and performance.
How Body Scan Works
The Body Scan exercise in the video is very easy to use and practice, and it comes down to simply paying a bit more attention to a specific muscle group. When we do this, the nerve endings in that muscle become slightly more stimulated and, therefore, “more ready” for relaxation.
Very often, we ourselves are not aware of how much tension our body retains, much like a sponge whose water content we do not know until we squeeze it. It is similar with the body – until we start relaxing it, we do not know how tense we actually were.
The exercise that follows lasts only a few minutes; we gently pass through the major muscle groups, pay attention to them, scan them, and if any tension exists, we strive to release it.
How to Perform the Exercise
The best way to perform this exercise is to lie on a semi-firm surface or sit in a comfortable chair or armchair.
It is also important to keep your eyes closed for the duration of the exercise, as this allows you to relax better since there are no visual distractions. For the best results, use this exercise one to two times a day for approximately 4-5 minutes.
Just like all other mental training techniques, it is important to practice the Body Scan relaxation exercise in order to become better and more effective at relaxing. Because the ultimate goal is to remain in the ideal zone and be able to relax when a situation brings potential tension and stress.
After all, listen to the exercise and see for yourself that it is possible to achieve a higher level of relaxation within just a few minutes 🙂
