Relaxation plays a healthy role in everyone's life, including those with hearing impairment. Relaxation helps refresh your mind and body, improve energy levels, reduces aches and pains, keeps stress levels in check, decreases your breathing rate, lowers blood pressure levels and helps protect you against developing chronic health ailments. Relaxation exercises can improve coping mechanisms in hearing-impaired individuals and make the condition more manageable. Check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen.
Traditional Yoga
Yoga can be a relaxation exercise for the hearing impaired. Yoga concentrates on breathing and slow, gentle movements to integrate the mind, body and soul. Postures enhance flexibility, balance, mental calm and strength throughout the body. Yoga for the hearing impaired combines the discipline's gentle movements with demonstrations, lip reading and sign language, Maryland yoga practice Simon Says Yoga advises.
Laughter Exercises
Laughter is a natural stress-reducer that can be used as a relaxation exercise for the hearing impaired. Laughter helps generate positive attitudes and increases coping mechanisms useful for dealing with conditions like hearing impairment. Combining laughter with yoga results in laughter yoga, a practice that's catching on in the Philippines, the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation reported in 2010. Laughter yoga releases endorphins, a natural feel-good chemical, that naturally relax the body while lowering pain levels. Laughter yoga for the hearing impaired combines traditional yoga with gentle exercises such as tai chi, laughter yoga professor Paolo Trinidad told the website. Warming up plays a role in loosening up usually constrained deaf individuals. Doing a variety of exercises that combine deep breathing with facial movements is also crucial. Making facial expressions that look ridiculous, such as taking a deep breath while making sourpuss faces, starts the process. When exhaling, open your mouth wide and make a loud "hah" sound. Other ways to stimulate laughter include humming and yawning. Try doing a hearty belly laugh exercise by laughing continuously for 10 minutes. Stop and feel the relaxation.
Imagery
Imagery can be used as a relaxation exercise for the hearing impaired. Find a quiet place without any distractions. Sit down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and image a favorable place, time, event or person. Think of something that calms your spirit and brings a smile to your face. Breathe normally as you focus your mind on your chosen topic. Keep your mind focused for five minutes. Slowly open your eyes and blink frequently to replenish your eye muscles. Go on with your daily tasks. Return to this imaginary spot throughout the day to relax and rejuvenate your mind and body.
Walking
Walking is among the easiest ways to become physically active and increase relaxation and fitness for all individuals, including the hearing impaired. As an aerobic activity that enhances blood circulation and cardiovascular function, walking provides a natural stress reliever, according to the American Heart Association. Walking at a moderately brisk rate for 30 or more minutes at least five times weekly can provide a workout that increases endurance, muscle strength and flexibility. If 30 minutes is too much at once, divide the time into 10-minute increments throughout the day. Remember to wear well-fitted, comfortable walking shoes to prevent injury. When walking outdoors, stay aware of your surroundings by noticing people, lights, traffic, flashing lights and dogs. If needed, walk with others.
