I receive a lot of emails asking me about exercise and I am constantly helping people make time in their day to do more, especially to work out. Rarely do I ever talk about the importance of relaxing and making time to shut off once in a while is just as important as making time to exercise.
Anxiety is something that affects me, and although it is only mild and I have never been diagnosed with a Generalized Anxiety Disorder, there have been times in my life that I have had to go on an anti-anxiety medication. I believe it is because of this that I do not know how to slow down and from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed I have something that needs to be accomplished in my schedule. Last summer I had taken on so much in my life that my anxiety escalated to a point where I actually had to move in with my family for a few days as I could no longer function. I needed someone to force me to sit still.
Since then I have been trying to find ways to slow myself down, even if it is just for a moment or two. I have tried many techniques -- yoga, meditation and reading being some, but I always feel as though there is something else that I need to be doing. Exercise is the one thing that calms me but even though it makes me feel better mentally it is only stirring the pot, temporary.
Last weekend, however, I relaxed, finally. The morning after my Test of Metal mountain bike race I had a Kundalini Back Massage. Normally when I receive a massage I like it to hurt. I like a lot of pressure and usually I walk away from the massage feeling sorer than I did when I walked in. I was expecting the same from this, but I learned that Kundalini does not deal with the muscle tissue but rather focuses on your body’s nervous system (which I interpreted as its energy) and it is said to soothe a tired soul. I was sceptical about this treatment but it was exactly what I needed so I went into the massage room with an open mind.
The massage began with a very gentle foot scrub and then to the sound of soothing Kundalini music my massage therapist Catherine worked magic on me. With simple and rhythmic circular motions and short pauses where gentle pressure was applied to what is referred to as my chakras, I could honestly feel the anxiety I carry in my body begin to subside.
This massage was probably one of the best massages I have had. I could not explain what the massage therapist Catherine did to me if I tried but through the use of Kundalini music, gentle pressure on my back, hot stones and aromatherapy I had 75 minutes of pure bliss. I walked out of that massage room feeling for the first time that I could actually sit still and not stress about relaxing (and that is actually more impressive to me than the fact that I finished my bike race the day before).
As I say when I talk about healthy living, it is important to find activities to do that you enjoy and last weekend I learned that it is also important to find ways to relax. Yoga does not work for me, nor does meditation. And if you are the same, Kundalini might be right for you.
Attached- Reese Witherspoon heads to the gym.
