Relaxation Tips: Rita Patel

Rita Patel is a member of the New York Incubator. Rita blogs at
Rita's Drawing Board.

Giving myself a foot massage. It is great on a few levels: It feels good and relieves tension in many parts of my body. It is also a time for me to focus on my self – whether it is 5 minutes or 20 minutes – making me stop fro the busy-ness of the day and become reconnected.After I am done and I stand up---I feel a big difference in how grounded I feel – the reduction in stress I think is related to the idea of reflexology that each body part is represented on the hands and feet and that pressing on specific areas on the hands or feet can have therapeutic effects in other parts of the body. This grounded feeling is a really beneficial change the rest of the day and how I carry myself do things.
Meditating: I think there are many ways to meditate and not each
time is good but I find that no matter what the few minutes I spend focusing on my breath and letting the air and thoughts flow – either by focusing on soothing or freeform – that the rest of the day is better and I am able to enjoy and be more effective. Like the foot massage, I think it comes from feeling more connected and grounded.

On a long term level – really looking at how my thoughts and action affect how my body deals with stress I listen to a segments recorded by Milton Feher (found at
http://smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=1140 or in person in NYC).  I met Milton through my acupuncturist about four years ago and he changed my life. He is in his 90s and spends his time learning and teaching about stress and our bodies – helping people improve much from relationships to singing or walking to sleeping. He is practical yet profound...He is in Midtown and meets with groups regularly.