Quick Outdoor Relaxation Techniques

What you can learn from a thousand years of hammock experience If you see your yard as merely something to mow, you need to flip it from problem to paradise. Your backyard can be your mecca of relaxation. Here are a few tips to get you enlightened. Plant a few flowers. It doesn't take much to make your yard beautiful. The ancient Mayans surrounded themselves with simple, colorful beauty. Their hammocks were brilliantly colored, and so were their surroundings. Gardening isn't a chore. Think of it as playing in the mud. Zen air. Skip the mat and the towels, and take your yoga outdoors. Nothing connects you to nature like bare feet in the grass, and you'll find yourself concentrating on flowers, blades of grass and bumblebees like never before. Don't know the first thing about yoga? Most schools offer your first visit free, or you can buy a home video for just a few bucks. It's not hard, and it's best in your yard.

Do it the Mayan way. Mayan hammocks top the pyramid of comfort, made of the softest cotton, hand-woven in an ancient diamond pattern that's light and elastic but strong enough to hold the biggest warrior. Most natural Mayan hammocks skip the spreader bars and chains, so they have no awkward pressure points like traditional hammocks might. Mayan hammocks stretch and hug around you like a cocoon, wrapping you (and whoever is with you) up, cozy as a baby.

Take it outside. Your book, newspaper, magazine, homework, whatever: it's better done in the yard, where the air is fresher and the light heals. Don't have a hammock yet? Start with a simple folding table and chair. Add a flower in a bud vase. Or just toss yourself in the grass like you used to.

Hold still and shut up. It's harder than it sounds. When is the last time you shut off your phone and just rested your head, sitting quietly and peacefully with your thoughts? Think about nothing or think about anything. Meditation is as easy (and hard) as just listening. It lowers your heart rate, balances your internal chemistry, and improves creativity. Even just fifteen minutes is a great start. And it's free!

All together now. Grab a cool drink, your book, and your smile, and head out to your back yard, crawl into your hand-woven Mayan hammock, and count clouds. Say, doesn't that one look like a Mayan maiden?