I have to admit, until I took a class in stress management techniques last term, the concept of meditation and guided imagery was a bit foreign to me. It's not that I didn't know about it, I had just never been successful in engaging in either of those techniques. Quite frankly, there are times when I try to meditate, that I fall asleep! Then there are other times when I have so much going on inside my head that I end up not being able to focus at all.
I think what it all comes down to is to train myself, train my brain to be able to engage in a relaxation/meditation practice and to not get discouraged or give up right away. The process can take some time, but I believe the benefits will last for a lifetime.
The "Journey On" relaxation exercise was good. It was fairly short and I was able to focus on the meditation. I decided to practice this exercise sitting up... to help insure that I would not fall asleep! I did feel very relaxed and I can honestly say that when the reader was suggesting trying to lift my arms during the exercise, I really couldn't. I do feel like this exercise was a good introduction to relaxation techniques and meditation. I can see where it would be an easy exercise to follow, even without the reader, just using some soothing music and the same techniques of focusing on various body parts that I need to relax more.
