AUDIO BLOG: Active Rest Talk Through to Help Ease Anxiety

To say there is a lot of anxiety in the air right now is an understatement.  

Among other things, caregivers report a strong uptick in clients due to stress from the presidential election.  But for many of us, anxiety is something we deal with on a daily basis.

There are a lot of ways the Alexander Technique can help anxiety.  By helping us to live more in the present, with less habitual tension, it can help us to undo frozen feeling stored in our body and clear our emotional life to flow freely.  It can also help us to recognize the beginning of an anxious reaction and release it while it is manageable.  

Below is a link to a stream-able on Soundcloud 10-minute active rest talk-through meant to help prevent and release anxiety and bring you into a healthier state of mind and body.  In case you have not experienced active rest before, I have included basic written instructions underneath the link, as well as the above image of what the position looks like (no massage table necessary, just a firm surface such as a yoga mat or blanket on the floor.).

Enjoy and Keep Thinking Up!

Soundcloud Active Rest Talk Through to Ease Anxiety

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How to Do Active Rest

​Lie on the floor with books under your head, knees towards the ceiling, and feet balanced with the heel and ball touching the floor.  The height of the books should be such as to not allow your head to loll backwards, but not so high as to make you feel like the front of your throat is pinched.  Your hands should be placed comfortably on your belly or lower ribs with your elbows wide and resting on the floor in a way so as they can feel secure.  This nearly completely supported position reinforces the natural positive directions of the body:  Neck freeing, spine lightly stretching, back widening , legs freeing away from the torso, arms relaxed and connected, elbows widening and released to the floor.  This position can re-expand the discs between your vertebrae and helps you to regenerate spinal fluid, as well as releasing excess tension from your body and mind.  Optimally, you should do it for somewhere between 12 and twenty minutes in the middle of the day.  It can also be used to get in touch with your body’s directions before a performance or to help relax you before bed for better quality sleep.