Coming next week: A New “I Wonder” Newsletter Series

Today’s One-off: The Best Relaxation Routine on the Planet

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Hello, after a Notes from the Prairie writing break.

I am preparing a new Notes from the Prairie series. I have named it I Wonder. . .

I have been keeping track of a vast array of items I wonder about—events and topics both microscopic and cosmic. And any time I wondered something random or bizarre, I wrote that down too.

It’s an exciting topic to start exploring.

But I keep procrastinating its launch. I decide I need another week before I start. . . And then another.

So today I am tricking myself out of procrastinating. I am announcing that I will start the series next week.

There.

I have said it.

As soon as I email this I have said it publicly. I can’t postpone for yet one more week, hoping my writing will magically morph into best on the planet.

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However, I want to also provide you with something of value today. So I’m sharing what I taught three friends at our November meeting: my most effective relaxation exercise. To try it, my friends consented to move from our normal coffee shop to Pella’s Central Park for the training session. They did request, though, that we move from near the street to the center of the park where we would get fewer mystified stares from passing drivers.

Over the years I’ve been developing this exercise for myself from a combination of the pre-performance warm-ups I learned in theater classes and from yoga classes.

I use it when I’ve been sitting at my computer wrestling words for too long, or when I’ve been reading a book that takes intense focus for me to follow. I sometimes follow it with a ten-minute walk, and I’m ready to go back to the keyboard or book. Enjoy!

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The Best Relaxation Routine on the Planet

From a standing position, bend forward at your waist, letting your arms and head dangle loosely toward the floor.

In this position, breathe deeply and slowly, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel your abdominal muscles move in and and out as you breathe. On each exhale, let your hands sink closer to the floor as you relax some more. Repeat for six to eight breaths.

Keeping the same position, breathe deeply for another six to eight breaths and make an “F” sound on each exhale.

Move your torso left, then right, and

continue this motion, allowing your head and arms to dangle loosely and to go wherever this torso motion moves them. When you stop, your head and arms will continue to swing for a bit.

Shift your attention to your arms and hands and shake them out as if your are a rag doll.

Slowly slowly, raise yourself to an upright position, straightening your spine from its bottom to its top. Imagine you are straightening just one vertebra at a time. Do not stack your head on top of your spine, let it continue to dangle forward.

With your head still dangling forward, turn your face slowly toward one shoulder and then toward the other. Do six or so of these slow half-circles from left to right and then back again.

With your chin centered between your shoulders, slowly raise your head to face forward, one neck vertebra at a time.

Imagine a cord attached to the top of your spine, behind your head, tugging up toward the ceiling. (You will feel your spine straighten and your abdomen tuck back toward your spine.)

Take some more slow deep breaths. Feel the air enter your abdomen.

Shake our your arms one at a time as if you are a rag doll

Let your arms hang loosely, let the string atop your spine continue to be taut. Stay in this position for a minute or so, relishing your relaxation.

Then slowly, calmly, return to whatever you were doing.

I’d love to hear from you if you try this and/or if you have questions about it.

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Coming next Tuesday: Column 1 of the new series titled “I Wonder. . .”

Oh my, should I really have promised that? I may need to use my relaxation routine every hour on the hour.

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Carol Van Klompenburg is a writer living in Pella, Iowa. She has a BA in English and an MA in Theater Arts — and is available for reading performances of her work. Her new book, The World in a Grain of Sand: Lively Little Stories of Household Stuff is scheduled for release in December. Readers can contact her at carolvk13@gmail.com.