Relaxation exercise

Sometimes people experience so much agitation from the day's activities that it's hard to settle down in order to meditate. A simple relaxation exercise is offered in Naomi Ozaniec's Meditation for Beginners:

Relaxation should be done slowly. The mind is simply focused on the different body parts in turn in the following way: turn your attention inwards and mentally repeat the phrase to yourself. After each phrase you should also experience a release of tension in the body itself. Take your time with this exercise.

The top of my head is relaxing; I feel relaxed.
My face feels relaxed; I am relaxed.
My shoulders and chest feel relaxed; I am relaxing.
My arms and hands feel relaxed; I am relaxing.
My legs and feet feel relaxed; I am relaxing.
I am relaxed. My mind is calm. My body is calm.
I am relaxed. My mind is alert. My mind is awake.

The idea is not to space out but to come to a state of relaxed alertness. Try this exercise the next time you feel tense. You can do it at the computer while reading the instructions off the monitor as a little meditation break in the middle of your work. Then when you have it memorized you can do it anytime, anywhere.