New Relaxation Mixing Board Launched

 Hi Everyone,

I haven't written for awhile. I've been busy making changes to the site.

Over the last few months, many visitors have had comments about how the relaxation mixing board could be improved. Many visitors were wanting a sound that wasn't on the board, and others complained about the sound quality. Well, with the help of Robin Metcalfe, both of these requests have been fulfilled. New sounds include a creek, a bonfire, and crickets. Some of the old sounds have been replaced by improved sounds, and the sound quality has been doubled from 64 kb/s to 128 kb/s. The vibraphone and drums have been moved into one tool, and an additional drum track has been added as well as a beautiful Native North American flute solo.

All of this has come at a cost of a longer loading time. On my highspeed connection it takes 15 seconds for the tool to load.

Please let me know what you think of the new tool. With the new format I can easily add new sounds, so let me know of sounds you'd like to hear. 

Changes To Relaxation Mixing Board

In the last few months I have been given much advice from my visitors on how to improve my "nature mixing board" tool. The number one suggestion has been to add more sounds. The most popular sound request has been a campfire, followed by a babbling brook, and then night sounds, like crickets or an owl. The next most popular suggestion has been to improve the sound quality of all the sounds. The sounds used in the tool are of a low quality to improve loading time.

I have been working on these improvements - working on "streaming" the sound to improve loading time and keep bandwidth lower, even with high quality sounds, and by trying to add a drop-down box to allow to choose from a greater number of sounds. But, alas, my flash programming skills are not quite as strong as I'd like them to be, and I've been unable to figure out how to get this all working. Therefore I have hired a very skilled flash programmer to help me with these changes. I am excited to see the results.

The new flash tool should be up and running in the next short while. 

Herbal Remedies

Herbalism offers many treatments for sleep and stress problems. Although herbal supplements aren't regulated to the extent that prescription medications are, it is a respected, time-tested science that is universally accepted.

Herbal remedies can come in many forms: teas, syrups, tablets, oils to rub into the skin, or even crystals to mix into a bath.

Find a good herbalist to offer advice that will work for you. Be careful, if your herbalist does not ask you about health conditions or allergies, they may not be a well trained professional. You may want to seek the advice of a physician before beginning any herbal regimen. 

Thanks to Digg.com Members

Last week this site was posted on the front page of Digg. This site received over 20 thousand of visitors, and got over 700 diggs. I'd like to say "Thanks" to all of the Digg members who came by. :)

De-Stress Your Body

 This is a popular relaxation technique that allows you to search for stress in your body, and use your mind to release the tension.



There are two ways to do this exercise.

1) Tense each area of your body and then allow it to relax fully
2) Mentally feel the tension flowing out of the muscles. Exhale the tension out of the muscles.

Breathe deeply throughout the excercise, regardless of which method you choose.



Lie down on your back and get yourself in a comfortable position.

First, feel your neck, shoulders, upper back, and lower back relax, melting into the floor.

Allow your arms, hips, legs, hands and feet to be completely at ease.

Now, begin to observe the tension in your toes. Let this tension slip away.

Search your feet and ankles, and let the tension escape with your exhale.

Move slowly up your legs. Do you feel tension in your calves, or thighs. Let this tension melt away. If there is any tension in your buttocks or abdomen, let it all go.
Release any stress or tension you feel in your lower, and then your upper back.

Repeat this exercise for your arms. Start at the tips of your fingers and slowly move up to your shoulders.

Now you will drain the tightness and tension out of your face. Feel release in your scalp, your ears, your eyes, cheeks, and mouth. Move down through your neck.

And that's all. Your body should be completely void of tension and stress.