Note - this is a lab course that should be taken/exercised in a quiet room such as your bedroom, study, or living room. It also should be done on the bed or on the floor.
I had some of the best swim coaches around when I was growing up. I honestly don't remember the first time I did this with one of my coaches, but I know it completely changed my athletic focus when it came to race preparation and calming the mind. I know I won't be able to recreate the exact series of steps to acheive the kind of relaxation and mental imagery that we experienced as young athletes, but I often employ a variation of this technique now as an adult to gain focus or to fall asleep when my mind and body are too active.
Step one - find a quiet place where nobody can disturb you. If you must be in the bed with your partner/child, try to wait until they are completely asleep so that you can focus without being disturbed.
Step two - calm the body. You will go through a series of contract-relax exercises with as many body parts as you can. Start lying on your back with your legs about hip width apart and your arms resting at your side, palms up. You are going to perform a series of exercises where you squeeze/contract most of the muscles in your body for 5-10 seconds at a great effort, then relax the muscle so that it feels heavy and sinks into the bed/floor. Ideally, you will squeeze-hold-relax each muscle twice during this process. These are all done one at a time, allowing enough time between body part to feel calm and 'heavy'.
Start with your right fist - squeeze hard, hold (5-10 seconds), relax the muscles, and feel your hand/arm relax into the floor. Let your hand feel heavy before repeating a second time or moving on to the next body part.
right bicep - squeeze, hold, relax
left fist - squeeze, hold, relax
left bicep - squeeze, hold, relax
shoulders - both shoulders shrug tightly, hold, relax
point both toes - squeeze, hold, relax
flex both feet - squeeze, hold, relax
butt and hamstrings - squeeze, hold, relax
press skull back into bed/floor - hold, relax
End with your face -
raise eyebrows - squeeze, hold, relax
squint eyes - squeeze, hold, relax
pucker lips - squeeze, hold, relax
clench jaw - squeeze, hold, relax
tongue - press to top of mouth - press hard, hold, relax
Once you have completed the exercise of getting your body to a complete relaxed state, you should feel very heavy and relaxed into your bed or floor. You should allow yourself to remain quiet and still for a few minutes.
Breath focus - after relaxing for a few minutes, begin to pay attention to how you are breathing. Breathe a few times slowly into only your upper chest, noticing how constricted it feels. Open up your lungs and diaphragm and begin to breathe more into your abdomen. First, slowly fill up the lower section of your lungs and then feel the rest of your air fill in the top of your lungs. Practice breathing this way through as many breaths as you need (I do this for several minutes).
Mental imagery - We used to focus on our swimming races. When I apply this to my running, I am imagining my race the same way. As you are visualizing, think about what it might sound like, what it smells like, what it feels like in your body.
When your mind is ready to transition from your breathing, begin to imagine your race start. If you already know what it is going to look like, try to create the image in your mind as real as possible. Picture the start line, picture the crowd, visualize what you look like. Imagine yourself calm and prepared. Imagine yourself crossing the start line. (In swimming, we used to visualize our start on the blocks.) Remember what it might sound like and what you might smell. Visualize yourself running at your marathon pace with a comfortable breath and relaxed muscles. If you are aware of the course, begin to picture the race as it passes by. Feel the temperature you would like it to be. Take your time, but visualize the course at all of the different mile markers. Visualize taking in water, gatorade, or gu, imagining the taste as well as the sounds of the cups hitting the ground. Visualize the crowds. As you go through the course, visualize yourself as strong and in control of your race. Imagine looking at your watch and feeling confident about your pace. (don't focus on any specific times at this point) Visualize the end of your race. See yourself running strong through the finish. See your goal time on the clock. See yourself getting your medal. Imagine the good feeling inside that you get when you accomplish a goal.
Hold on to that good feeling and relax into your breathing and quiet time. Remain in this quiet, calm state for as long as possible, trying to maintain a focused, calm mind.
Waking up - As you 'wake up' or need to come out of your visualization time, start to reenergize your body by wiggling your fingers and toes, rock your arms and legs side to side, roll your shoulders around, and turn your head side to side to regain conscious control of your extremities. Don't get up too fast. You have let yourself become calm and focused...try to remain that way even when you are 'awake'.
The technique I use seems kind of hokey, but it always works for me. I like to relax this way more than I actually end up doing it. The best part for me is getting the body calm...I have had many a sleepless night where it helped me to relax in the bed.
