Just as you must exercise your body to prepare for pregnancy, labor, and parenthood, exercising the mind is also important. Relaxation is a vital part of your exercise program. After working out your body, your mind is in a prime state to do relaxation. It also helps promote relaxation of the body and the cooling down period.

There are three basic types of relaxation: physical, mental, and emotional. Physical relaxation is simply the release of tension from the muscles of your body. Certain positions will help promote this type of relaxation. The best positions do not allow one body part to rest upon another. This prevents you from adding tension to your body.

Mental relaxation is simply clearing your mind of extra thoughts. By allowing your mind to ease itself into a relaxed state, you can train yourself to achieve this feeling of peace during even the most stressful situations.

Emotional relaxation comes with easing the mind and clearing the thoughts of everyday life. This allows your mind to bring to the surface issues that are bothersome to you and determine a solution for them. This might be done in a dream state or in a period of deep relaxation. Allowing your fears and concerns to surface allows you to address these issues before they can add more stress and tension to your life.