How do you like the idea of lying down and relax your body and mind?

There is probably no faster way to relax and refresh your body and mind than to lie down for a couple of minutes, close your eyes and focus you mind on your body.

I am sure you know this but how many of us use this actively, plan it and stick to it?

I don’t know about you but I definitely need more of ‘a couple of minutes lie down, close my eyes and relax’ in my life.

In my evening pilates classes, I usually include a relaxation exercise at the end of each class. It is no more than 3-4 minutes long. But I sometimes suspect that my clients only come for that: Lying down after a long day. And they put up with whatever I have planned for them in the classes to get it ;o).

There are many ways to ‘lie down and relax’. Many focus on the breath.

I have chosen a 10 minute relaxation exercise in constructive rest position. This usually means that you are in semi-supine or your legs rest on a chair or box. You should feel comfortable, of course.

During this constructive rest, I will draw your attention to the areas of you body which are in contact with the floor. This will focus your mind on your body and away from other – maybe anxious or upsetting – thoughts. I have included to address the eyes because we spend so much more time in front of a screen right.

The main image I will refer to is weight and gravity.

 

 

What is the exercise about?

• This exercise is about relaxing your body and mind.
• To take a moment of ‘time out’

 

What do I like about it?

• It is an easy way to refresh your body and mind during the day.
• Constructive rest position with a focus area is a great way to create awareness of different parts of your body.
• It is very calming for the whole body and can help reduce stress and anxiety.
• The exercise can easily be integrated into a pilates environment where you would like to add an element of rest.

 

What prop do you need?

None – unless you know that you need to put up your legs.

 

Which course/workshop is the exercise from?

• A Corona-friendly Friday bar in a pilates studio where we focused on slowing down and finding inner-cosiness. This included a relaxation exercise similar to this one.

 

I offer short workshops for your clients in your pilates studio which I can tailor to your and your clients’ needs.

 

And here is the video …

Video length: 11:24 minutes