The Cleveland Clinic says one in three adults worldwide suffers from insomnia. But, their technique can save the day (or night). The two-minute technique was originally described in the book “Relax and Win: Championship Performance” by Lloyd Bud Winter back in 1981 and fitness coach Justin Agustin brought it to TikTok in 2018 and it’s catching on.
Here’s how you do it, according to Agustin:
- Relax: Relax every muscle in the body, starting with the forehead and working your way down to your toes. “Start by relaxing the muscles in your forehead. Relax your eyes, your cheeks, your jaws and focus on your breathing. Now, go down to your neck and your shoulders,” he added. “Make sure your shoulders are not tensed up. Drop them as low as you can and keep your arms loose to your sides, including your hands and fingers.” Then, he instructs us to imagine a warm sensation going from the top of your head to your fingertips. Begin taking deep breaths, relaxing the muscles from your chest down to your feet, and then reimagine that warm sensation, but this time going from your heart all the way down to your toes.
- Breathe: Make sure your shoulders and hands stay relaxed and take deep breaths, exhaling slowly.
- Clear your mind: “Now while you’re doing this, it’s really important to clear your mind of any stresses,” added Agustin, encouraging you to think of two scenarios: lying in a canoe surrounded by only clear lake water or lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch black room. “At any time when you start thinking of anything else or you start getting distracted, repeat these words for 10 seconds: ‘Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think,’” he said.
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