release info

Houseman

New Calm Relaxation - Anti-Stress (Download)

Cat. No.: DDMETR109
Barcode: 0698458110985
Playing Time: 3572000

The reviving powers of music have been known to man for centuries. Featuring music specially recorded for the New Calm range, this CD will help soothe the spirit, restore the daily balance of life and promote contentment and wellbeing. The booklet contains helpful notes on how to use and benefit from this recording.

The non-stop pace of life can take its toll on bodies and minds in many different ways. It’s easy to feel trapped on a treadmill - a hostage to demands on your time, be they business or personal, with no means of escape. But help is at hand. By putting an hour of your busy day aside and using this compact disc as your soundtrack, you can leave stress and strain behind, tune in to yourself and take the all-important first step to inner peace.

The right environment is crucial. Take yourself away from all distractions - especially the ever-present mobile phone - and make it clear you are not to be interrupted. Dim any harsh lights and impart your own chosen fragrance to the atmosphere via an essential oil diffuser or scented candle. Lavender, jasmine, rose and geranium are oils favoured to relieve stress, but why not experiment for yourself? Once the ambience is to your liking and the outside world is excluded, sit down, start the music playing and relax.

Listen to your breathing, make it slow and regular and count your exhalations from one to five and over again. A truly relaxed person only breathes between five and eight times a minute, so your current rate of respiration may be some measure of how stressed you are. Regulate your breath and you’ll notice an immediate benefit. Stress often makes itself felt in the form of a headache, and there are various self-massage techniques by which you can relieve this. Breathing remains, as always all-important: exhale when the pressure is greatest and inhale when it eases. Start with the head. Rub your fingers over your scalp in circular motions, concentrating on particular areas. Don’t let your fingers move over the scalp for best effect; instead, connect firmly with the outer layer and move it over those beneath.

Tired eyes are often symptomatic of stress, so focus and unfocus them by looking out of the window to a distant object, then adjusting to a close one, repeating several times. Next, keeping your head still, move the eyes horizontally from side to side for 15-20 seconds, then vertically. Finally roll them clockwise and counter-clockwise, resting with closed eyes for 30 seconds between times. For a cheap and effective pick-me-up for tired eyelids, use cold, wet tea bags!

The forehead possesses acupuncture points that promote calm if you apply pressure lightly and regularly. Place your fingers on the temples, thumbs under the ears, and move your hands left and right as if opening or closing a jar. Relax.
Now release the tension in your jaw by pressing with your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind your teeth for 15 seconds at a time, repeating if necessary. Finish your ’facial’ with a hot damp towel, which you can also apply to your wrists. Your upper back and shoulders can become tense if you sit in the same position for long periods of the day. Sit upright and inhale, raising your right shoulder towards your ear - then exhale, rolling the shoulder back and away. Repeat three times, then change sides. Finally, lift both shoulders while breathing in and exhale as you release; repeat this five times.

Hands, though often ignored, are surprisingly receptive to attention. Link the fingers of both hands as if in prayer, then open the palms and massage the left with the right thumb, paying special attention to the muscle bulge below the thumb. Then stroke and pull the fingers individually before repeating with the other hand. Finally, try stroking the back of each hand with the fingertips of the other in a light, upward motion. It’s the turn of the feet next, pressing on the sole underneath the ball for 15 seconds at a time before stroking and pulling each toe in turn. Why not finish the head-to-toe treatment with an essential oil or lotion massage, applying it from heel to toe in a smooth, soothing motion?

As the music draws to a close and your hour of rest and relaxation ends, a cup of warm water is a surprisingly calming and reviving drink. Or why not try a camomile teabag infused for five minutes and sweetened with honey if desired? Taken up to four times daily, this is said to be beneficial for headaches, anxiety and work-related stress. Likewise three drops of camomile (or patchouli) essential oil on your pillow at night will aid restful sleep: eight hours a night is crucial between the ages of 25 and 55 to maintain energy levels.

When all is said and done, stress may be unavoidable; it’s how you react to it that matters.