iCope Relaxation Methods
Many different methods can be used to get physical relaxation. In addition to the basic method described in the iCope books, here are a couple other different key methods, recorded by Dr. Eric Goldstein, our colleague and Sport Psychologist in Miami, Florida, including a brief one-minute breathing exercise to use throughout the day. Try these to help you achieve deeper physical relaxation.
Warm Wave Relaxation
This is a guided relation procedure where you simply focus on the instructions of the speaker to attain a more relaxed state of mind and body.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This is a procedure developed many years ago that asks you to tense and relax various muscle groups in order to attain a deeply relaxed state.
iCope Breathing Exercise
This is a one-minute breathing exercise where you learn to take deep breaths, hold that breath for a few seconds and then slowly exhale. This does not result in deep relaxation but is part of the daily relaxation steps used in the iCope procedure when you need a quick reduction of your stress level. This regular step helps increase your oxygen intake when you need it.