Relaxation 101

Basic steps to doing basically nothing Relaxing should come easily, but it often doesn't. Give your brain a chance to rest, and it sometimes swirls with obligations, problems, and worries. Nothing relaxing about that. By itself, a hammock is by far the world's most natural tool to help you reach a peaceful state. It's instinctive. But we have other tips you can use to clear your head and feel a spiritual connection. A breath of fresh air. It's a lot of breaths, measured evenly. The more you think about your breathing, the less you think about anything else. Sitting comfortably or lying in your hammock, relax your face, keep your eyes open but unfocused ("soft eyes," some call it) and draw your breath in and out, slowly and evenly. Experiment with breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imitate the rhythm and pattern, even the sound, of ocean waves. If you can't help but be goal-oriented, here's a fun game: try to make the in-out breath cycle last thirty seconds. It takes relaxation and control, and counting seconds helps clear your mind.

Added bonus: deep breathing, just by itself, lowers stress and heart-rate in a very healthy way.

Drop it. It's amazing how much our bodies try to hold themselves up. Even if you feel relaxed, your muscles are probably fighting gravity. Try this game to release them as you lay in your hammock.

Starting with your toes, clench them as tight as you can for a count of ten, then let them relax. Do the same with your other leg muscles, working your way up the legs in steps, each time releasing the muscles and imagining them melting like butter, sliding down to the floor. When you get to your hips, do the same with your fingertips, palms, wrists, and more. Then do your forehead, eyebrows, and eyelids. Even scrunch-and-release your nose, lips, and chin.

At the end of each clench, let the muscles slide off your skeleton like melted wax. When you're all done, you'll actually feel much heavier sinking into your hammock, as if gravity increased, because your relieved muscles have dropped their load.

In and out. Most meditation techniques involve a mantra of some sort. If you're going to concentrate on something, it might as well be something good. The trouble is keeping your mind from wandering. Try this: with every breath in, think of something you want from the world. Think of its complement or opposite as you let your breath out. For example, ask for prosperity as you breathe in, and offer generosity as you breath out. Repeat, repeat, repeat, and you'll be relaxed in minutes.

Stick it out. With any meditation, don't give up when your mind wanders or clutters back up. That's normal, and it happens to everyone. Thoughts come and go. Don't fight bad thoughts; just let them pass right through. Relaxation and peace will come, even if it takes a whole extra minute or two, and soon you'll be in hammock heaven.