Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 15-minute guided practice, Ven Pende Hawter offers three core relaxation techniques for people navigating cancer treatment. He begins with slow, steady breathing—inhaling deeply into the lower lungs while silently saying “relax” on each exhale—to regulate both body and emotion. He then teaches progressive muscle relaxation through two methods: visualizing a warm wave of ease traveling down the body, or deliberately tensing and releasing specific areas prone to tension, such as the jaw, shoulders, and hands. Finally, he introduces mental imagery, in which you visualize a cherished place—a beach, forest, or meaningful memory—using all five senses to create a calming, absorptive mental space. Throughout, he emphasizes that these are learnable skills requiring daily practice, and encourages experimenting to find what works best. Suitable for anyone managing stress or sleep disturbance.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 Learning to relax – Living with cancer programme.mp3
UUID: ddb050d9-2597-46da-92fe-7d481a2707e4
Teacher: Ven Pende Hawter
Collection: Meditations (Ven Pende Hawter)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 15.1 minutes
Words: ~1,206
This relaxation tape is provided by the Queensland Cancer Fund and is intended to give you instruction and advice on relaxation techniques. For safety, do not listen to this tape while you are driving or operating machinery. Relaxation is the practice of simple techniques intended to manage a range of emotions, and can help you overcome sleeping problems. Relaxation is not magical. Like any other skill, for example driving a car, it needs to be learned and can become a quick and automatic process with regular practice and persistence.
There are a few helpful hints that can assist you when you are learning to relax. Relaxation will be of most benefit if you try to make it part of your daily routine. Try to put aside ten to twenty minutes every day. Try to practice in a quiet place, free from noise and interruptions. You may like to practise relaxation at the same time each day.
Early in the morning or in the evening when the house is quiet can be good times, or pick a time when you are alone. Avoid practising relaxation immediately after exercise or eating. Lastly, ensure that you are in a comfortable position, either lying on the floor or sitting in an armchair. Try not to use a bed unless you are using relaxation to help you sleep. Support your arms if sitting up.
Use pillows or blankets to make yourself more comfortable. Loosen tight clothing and remove your shoes. And use the bathroom before starting. There are three common forms of relaxation: slow breathing, muscle relaxation, and mental relaxation or imagery. Each of these techniques will be discussed, followed by a short practice exercise.
Once you have mastered these exercises, you will be able to use them as quick relaxation techniques during the day, or you can combine them for a longer relaxation exercise. The first technique, slow breathing, is an important part of all relaxation techniques. Learning to slow and steady your breathing is an effective way to relax because it helps to regulate your body’s physical and emotional reactions. Try this exercise to see how it works.
Begin by making yourself comfortable. Now gently close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing. Take a long slow breath in and let it out slowly and gently. Feel your whole body begin to relax. Take another slow breath in, taking the air down into the lower part of your lungs so that you feel your stomach gently rise.
Now breathe out slowly, letting the air slip away steadily rather than rush out all at once. Continue breathing in this manner. As you breathe in, allow your stomach to move, yet try to minimize the amount of movement in your upper chest. Each time you breathe out, say the word relax silently to yourself, and feel your whole body relax and let go. You feel completely at ease.
Your body is warm and relaxed. Enjoy this feeling as you continue breathing in a slow and steady manner. If at any time your breathing becomes uncomfortable, just relax and slow your breathing to the point where you do feel comfortable. Muscle relaxation. This can be done in a few ways, and all of them aim to help you reduce the tension that accumulates in the muscles as a result of daily activities.
Take a few slow, steady breaths. Feel your body starting to relax. Starting at the top of your head, imagine a warm, gentle wave of relaxation begin to travel down over you. As this wave passes over you, you feel the tension in your muscles easing away. This wave is moving slowly down your neck and then to your shoulders, arms, chest, hands, abdomen, letting go.
Relaxing and letting go. Every muscle in your body is now free of tension. Now, for the next few minutes, continue breathing slowly and steadily, enjoying this feeling of muscle relaxation. Now start to become more aware of your surroundings again. Another way to relax your muscles is to tense them gently and release them.
Let’s try this with your jaw, shoulders and hands. These areas are common places for tension to accumulate. As in the previous exercises, begin by focusing on your breathing. Take a long, slow breath in, and then let the air out slowly and gently. Feel your whole body relax.
Now focus your attention on the muscles in your face, particularly your jaw. Gently clench your teeth and feel your jaw tighten. Hold it a moment. Now let your lower jaw drop and hang loosely. Now focus your attention on your neck and shoulders.
Take a deep breath in and lift your shoulders up as if you were trying to touch your ears with your shoulders. As you breathe out, let your shoulders drop and allow your neck to relax. Continue to breathe slowly and evenly. Turn your attention to your hands. Clench your fists as you breathe in, and hold them for a moment.
Now breathe out slowly and let go. Feel your arms rest into a comfortable position. Tension is leaving you and you feel comfortable and relaxed. Enjoy this feeling for the next few minutes. Now gradually bring your attention back to where you are in the room.
With all these techniques, remember that everybody is different. If one type of relaxation doesn’t suit you, try another or modify the technique. If you are short for time, a stretch is another quick way of relieving muscle tension. The next relaxation is mental relaxation or imagery. This type of relaxation uses your concentration and imagination to visualize relaxing images.
It is like daydreaming, but is more deliberate. The aim is to use all your senses to create a captivating image that can help you feel calm and relaxed and allow your mind to take a mental holiday. The image you use could be of a beach, forest, or meadow, a holiday destination, or a pleasant memory. Make yourself comfortable. With eyes closed, picture yourself in a favorite place.
It might be on a beach, by a river, or in a forest. Notice the sights around you. See the scene in vivid color. Imagine the sounds you would hear. Notice the smells and aromas.
The image is clear and alive. Imagine how it would feel to be there. Let yourself relax. Now enjoy this place for a few moments. Now breathe in slowly and deeply.
Start to become aware of the room and surrounds, and slowly open your eyes. This type of relaxation can also be used as positive visualization, where you see yourself coping successfully. For example, picturing yourself in a situation feeling calm and confident. That completes side one. You now have a selection of short relaxation exercises that you can use at any time.
Practising these exercises will help you become better able to manage stress and tension. We hope you have found this first side helpful. Remember to experiment with different types of relaxation, until you find those that suit you. You can use different techniques, depending on how you feel and the situation you are in. On the next side of this tape, you will find an extended relaxation exercise.