Engaging in The Three-Minute Cure is a conscious stress management practice that can elicit the Relaxation Response.
While negotiating the obstacles of Delhi’s traffic, including families on motorcycles, mobile street vendors, and cows meandering across the roadway, my driver, Kumar, a yoga practitioner who likened himself to a Grand Prix racer, maintained a remarkable measure of calm and peace. I was his passenger and my life was in his hands. I was taking a journey through India to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to visit a friend and meditation teacher in the foothills of the Himalayas. Along the way I witnessed the resilience of not only Kumar, but many others living in a land that juxtaposes a deep spirituality and sacredness with over-crowding, poverty, stifled resources, and a chaos that rivals the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Throughout moments of reflection during my practice, I realized how often I was holding my breath in fear when Kumar negotiated everyday obstacles. My physical reaction reminded me of the stressful challenges I faced daily back home in Los Angeles, like work deadlines, family responsibilities and LA’s traffic, but nothing could compare to what a seemingly normal, routine day was like in India.
To live without stress is impossible. However, what you or I experience as stressful may not be the same for others. Since people demonstrate different reactions for managing life’s stresses, we could draw the conclusion that how we think — our perspective — plays a role in how we process stress. This in turn affects everything from how we breathe to personal transformation, healing, and our ability to find balance.
Managing and reducing stress includes both how we approach recuperating from the demands surrounding us and how we build our own residence, mentally and emotionally in preparation for life’s unexpected challenges. In this way, how we manage stress has at least two parts. First, create an environment that gives our body and mind enough time to restore and heal. Second, condition ourselves to respond to stress in a healthier manner by cultivating a more functional and mindful perspective, adjusting our attitude.
When we intend to participate in Conscious Stress Management, simplicity is key. We don’t want to overwhelm ourselves with too many instructions or techniques. Half of the practice sets our foundation by directing the body toward a healthy, feel-good state, while the other half aims at influencing our mind in a life affirming way. The following practice can help you reduce the effects of stress and improve your attitude about whatever challenges you face along your path.
Ultimately, our breath is the barometer, telling us how we’re doing mentally, emotionally, and physically. Taking a few moments to mindfully experience your breath has powerful, stress-relieving benefits. When we interact with our breath, we can affect our state of mind, our physiology, and our body’s stress response.
Ask yourself if this moment is a good time to give The Three-Minute Cure a try?
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath to settle. Begin to follow your breath, either at the nostrils or the belly/chest. This is your foundation. As the body becomes peaceful your mind opens to suggestion. Count 12-15 long breaths with the intention of relaxing your body.
Next, as you count another 12-15 breaths, visualize or imagine you are somewhere that you find quite pleasant, safe, and comforting, such as a beautiful beach or sitting by a warm, cozy fireplace. You can even imagine you’re with someone you love or care for. This will reinforce the Relaxation Response and align body and mind.
In the next 12-15 breaths or so, use your inner voice and remind yourself what a gift life is, and feel how thankful you are to discover and learn new things and how you have breath to breathe. You can add anything else to this list that creates happiness and joy.
Complete by saying to yourself that making the choice to see the positive side of whatever might be challenging you is the most logical and practical way toward health and well-being.
Before getting up, take a long, deep breath and thoroughly notice how you feel and what has changed.
After practicing this meditation a few times counting your breaths won’t be necessary. You’ll intuitively know just how long to stay with each segment.
The Three-Minute Cure is just one of many techniques that can elicit the Relaxation Response and better prepare us for life’s challenges. Its simple structure can reinforce the ability to be thoughtful of body and mind and to believe they are powerful tools for transformation, if used consciously. Sometimes, a state of healing and balance creates an opening so we can listen to ourselves. Since we are most suggestible to our inner voice, participating in what we say can make all the difference.
John Sahakian C.Ht., ERYT is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, conducts workshops on stress management, the creator of Three Circle Flow(TM) and the founder of the Clinic for Integrative Mindfulness and Stress Reduction in West Los Angeles. He is also known to teach some yoga, and he finds a sense of balance and connection to the breath and nature while surfing. threecircleflow.com; johnsahakian.com.
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