Relearning How to Chill

The art of relaxation is a lost one. In this highly digitized age, we are stimulated beyond belief, have a sleeping epidemic on the cusp of the obesity epidemic's heels, and wonder why it feels like all hell is breaking loose in the free world as we know it. (or once knew it).

Relaxing is so difficult for people that when teaching yoga, svasana is THE Hardest pose for people. They can hang and internally complain their way through their warriors, but svasana?!... Forget it, it is fidget central. Relaxing is uncomfortable for people because they do not know how. They've simply forgotten how.

See, relaxing has gotten lost somewhere between someone's ideology of lazy and boring.

Relax, literally means : 
To become or to cause (something) to become less tense, tight, or stiff. To relieve from nervous tension. To deprive of energy, zeal or strength of purpose. To treat hair chemically in order to relax curls. {thank you Merriam-Webster}

So relax, daily. Multiple times a day. With tea or wine (or bourbon) and an actual book. Relax your mind AND your body. Put your feet up and if you've done your due diligence and are getting your work done and your workout in, then there is no room for guilt.
Relax passionately and with intent. 
Because if not, you will definitely be bored on your premature death   bed, and perhaps with curls wound so tight. 

Relaxing at the the end of each yoga class in svasana, is a metaphor for everyday life. You did all the work in yoga class and svasana is where your body will reap the rewards. Same goes for busting your ass as a parent, a spouse, at work, at school... Relaxing will only help you appreciate all that hard work and not feel burnt out.

So for starters:
1) try taking a yoga class! Never done it? There's plenty of Beginner classes or you take a private class to get all of your questions answered. http://www.sumitsyoganashville.com/
2) book a monthly spa treatment. Don't wait all year to go on a vacation and 'get a way'. It's a monthly reward to keep up your good   work. http://organicskinden.com/
3) take a nice slow stroll. At lunch. At night. Whenever but make it meditative, simply noticing the sounds and smells. 
4) put down the electronics, seriously. Once you get home have a designated time and place they all go face down and leave them alone. 
5) a warm bath at the end of the day. Just like encouraging a routine for babies, we give them baths at night to induce relaxation and nighty-night time ~ do it for yourself.

Try one of these, or all of these for a week. Challenge yourself to a week of implementing relaxation and you'll be amazed at how time suddenly began to slow down just. for. you.