I have been aching all over at various stages of the recent few weeks.
What a joyously uplifting few words to open up with on the Hypnosis For Running blog today, eh?
Yes indeed, having run Brighton, London and Milton Keynes marathons in successive weeks, I fly up to Edinburgh tomorrow for my final marathon of this training period… Then start training for my next one in September.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced in recent weeks is recovering. I am no longer a twenty-something whose body responds to exertion with the greatest of ease. I am at that age where I get up to use the toilet in the night, and yes my legs tend to feel sore after my weekly long run, they scream at me during my speed sessions, I tend to whimper during my sports massage each week and recovering from a weekly marathon where I have been going for personal best times (i.e. not just lolloping around at ease) has taken its toll from time to time.
Added to that, I have incorporated some weight training aimed at the muscles I use when running to enhance my speed and strength, and it is that which I am feeling this week. Especially in my lower back following sessions aimed at my core.
I do go and see a sports massage therapist, though not as often as I would like and do see other great people who tend to me and the equipment that help me, find out about it at Massagetheatre’s review. Still I never lose track of what my own mind is capable of, and do use self-hypnosis at any and every opportunity to help along the way.
In recent weeks here, I have offered up a range of processes aimed at helping enhance performance when running. Today, I thought I’d offer up a really simple and basic self-hypnosis process that anyone can run through to help ease aching muscles, speed up healing. Which of course also aids performance.
It is not a strategy or a technique borne out of a deeper therapeutic process, it is more of a mental imagery technique which anyone can apply to and for them self.
Steps To Get A Hypnotic Massage:
Step One: Induce hypnosis. You can do so by any means you desire or know of. You can use the process in my self-hypnosis book, use the free audio at this website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you simply open the door of your mind:
Using eye fixation for self-hypnosis.
The Betty Erickson Self-Hypnosis Method video clip.
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis.
Once you have spent enough time doing this, move on to the next step…
Step Two: You are going to engage your imagination in a number of ways now. Firstly, we want to warm you and your muscles up.
Imagine you are in a natural environment of some kind. A favourite place in nature. Notice the sights, colours, sounds and how wonderful it makes you feel to be in this place of your own choosing. Really get a vivid notion of the surroundings.
Imagine lying with a balanced and comfortable posture, in a position that you feel relaxed in start to imagine the sunshine naturally and gently warming your legs, your back, your shoulders. The heat is so softly warm, at exactly the right temperature for you.
As a side note, you can see what my own colouring is like, can’t you? When people ask me to imagine lying on a beach, I tend to think “No! When I am at a beach the sun burns me!” So you need to adapt this notion at this stage to your own level of comfort and suitability.
Just imagine and feel the sun warming and easing your muscles. take some time to let the sun’s rays work their way into your muscles, imagine them relaxing and softening and do take some time to consciously let go of any lingering tension.
As you relax deeper, imagine and sense that the ray’s of the sun are directed to those places within your back, shoulders and legs (and/or any other place where they are needed) that need it the most.
You might start to notice that as you focus your attention on relaxing and warming the body, that you start to develop some mental calmness too and notice your breathing relaxing.
As the sunshine continues to warm and soothe you, imagine that it is slowly and deeply easing and allowing you to let go of any discomfort. You might imagine a change in colour to represent this happening, you might imagine a sound soothing it, you might just notice a change (however subtle) in actual sensation in those areas.
Spend as much time as it takes for you to notice something tangible as you imagine being warmed, soothed, and letting any discomfort ebb away. Once you notice that difference occurring, then move on to the next step.
Step Three: Now imagine the goodness and benefit of the sunshine is moving deeper and into your bones. Imagine them moving into place and soothing and feel a shift in how you hold your body in the most optimum and balanced posture. Imagine this happening beneficially and gently enhancing your comfort.
Let the light move towards the sources of any previous discomfort, warming and soothing and working into those places. Relaxing and loosening.
This is the start of the healing. Let yourself relax and warm-up deeply and allow your mind to become more clam and focused. Allow yourself to smile as you heighten your awareness of how much good you are doing yourself and getting ready for the next, even more progressive step.
Step Four: Continue to engage in the surroundings, smell the air, let it soothe your senses and enhance your calmness, notice the sounds and enjoy basking in the relaxing position you are in.
Now imagine that a number of beautiful looking hands appear directly in the space above your back and legs. Sense that you are comfortable with them, let the numbers be the amount that will help you the most. Imagine them to be magic, healing and beneficial to you and your recovery and healing.
You can watch and feel what happens now as the hands start to gently and deeply work on your back, legs, shoulders and anywhere else that requires it. Notice the hands going to the areas that need it the most.
Notice them massaging gently but deeply, it is almost as if they know the perfect pressure to apply for you to sense that it is really doing you some good.
You might imagine each warmed muscle now feeling as if it is melting and letting go of any tiniest traces of tension and discomfort. The heat remains and helps the process.
Imagine that the hands are absorbing any discomfort, removing it and letting it go. Imagine a sense of relief as the hands move along and through the muscles. Let the massage benefit each muscle, tendon, fibre and then let every bone get a sense of relaxing and letting go.
Spend as much time as is necessary for you to notice a difference in sensation as you engage your imagination with this step. When you are really noticing the benefits, then move on to the next step.
Step Five: Now you let the hands start to manipulate a bit more, and mobilise – not just the soft tissue of the body, but also flexing the joints and allowing everything to slot into it’s correct place, making any beneficial adjustments. Allow each muscle and bone to find its correct place and enjoy the sensation of knowing things are healing.
Imagine repairs starting to happen more rapidly than usual, and notice a continued sense of relief and letting go of old, lingering discomfort.
All the time, you enjoy this calming your mind, and allow yourself to continue with a satisfactory smile that tells you and your mind that you are benefiting from this process beautifully.
Let any last remnants of tension leave the body, let the hands continue until that happens and then let them disappear and spend some time basking in a sense of weightless, soothing, warming comfort.
Bask in that for as long as you feel you need to get the maximum healing and enhanced recovery.
Step Six: You can return here whenever you choose. Tell yourself that each time you come here and run through this process it works even better and the benefits increase.
Then you exit hypnosis by counting yourself up, wiggling your fingers and toes and go about your day feeling better and letting the feelings continue to be felt.
Enjoy that. You know what I am off to do now, don’t you?
I’ll be back next week with my Edinburgh race report… Then we’ll have a new possé regularly posting in coming weeks as the Jedi Mind Runners team starts to train for the Great South Run challenge and we’ll have more inspirational imagery… ENjoy the weekend and I hope you have as much sunshine as we have here currently.
