How to relax in a crowd

You know how it is? You're in the middle of a crowd, tension's at breaking point, and you've just got to relax but there's people all around you.

First off, don't panic! Relaxing in a crowd or within a group of people is really easy once you know how and this is how you do it. Begin by going through the ritual of tensing and relaxing your muscles starting at your feet and ending at your head (or your hands if you do it that way). If you can, close your eyes, otherwise relax your gaze and try to look at something unchanging.

If you have never done this before, you tense and relax each part of your body from your toes to your legs, then your tummy, your chest, your neck and head and finally your arms and fingers.

As you do it, say to yourself: “I am tensing my feet – now I am relaxing my feet” and so on for all the muscle groups. It is important to do this because it takes your mind away from events going on around you and puts the focus where you want it: on your body.

Now breathe slowly and a little more deeply. Your body will automatically begin to relax if you breath slowly and deeply, this is an automatic reaction that your body does on it's own,

To begin the relaxation process you need to take the present moment out of your mind and so you need something to replace it. Choose a word or phrase that you can repeat over and over again. If you do not already have a suitable word or phrase try something like 'Peace and stillness within me and without' or a single word like 'Oneness' or, perhaps, a word or phrase from your religion.

The actual phrase doesn't matter as you will say this to yourself slowly and rhythmically as you breath and it will soon lose any meaning that it had. Again, this has the automatic result of clearing your mind and getting you to focus on what is happening within your own body.

If you are experienced in meditation, you simply continue to do this as if you were at home and let your mind and body relax. Experience will tell you when to stop and you then simply allow yourself to slowly rejoin the world around you.

If you are not so experienced then relaxation is harder to do, especially with people around you! Just try as best you can to block out the world and concentrate on the word you are saying. It you want, you can try several times, perhaps getting a little further each time but stop when you feel you need to.

When you have finished, don't suddenly open your eyes and look around you. Allow yourself to rejoin the world at your own pace by becoming aware of the sounds around you, the smells and finally the sights and people. If it helps you can say to yourself: “Now, I'm listening to the world...now, I'm smelling the world...and now, I'm seeing the world!”

Remember, you don't have to be any special sort of person to do this and don't worry if you find thoughts intruding while you are trying to relax or if the outside world is still there. It's OK to just do the best that you can.

That's it! That's all you have to do. At some point you will 'surface' and resume waiting or whatever you were doing. As a final thing, say to yourself: “It's OK, the world is a good place and I am a strong person within it who can cope!”

The difference now is that your mind will be recharged and you will feel relaxed and at one with the world and those around you.