First review by Sue Turner

If you need a little help to relax, something to concentrate on rather than getting fidgety, then these tapes might help. For someone not used to relaxation techniques, they settle you down fairly rapidly so be ready to get going once the tapes start. A low-toned man’s voice very slowly helps you relax each part of your body at an extremely slow pace with an accompaniment of unobtrusive indeterminate musical sounds at a slow speed. Did I say it was slow paced?

What works well is the very calming voice, but the muscle relaxing was difficult without any prompted breathing awareness. Once it had me relaxed, it was time to leave that state all too soon with a prompted refocus and movement, rather than a continued state of relaxation. Too soon for me. Overall a bit short (or perhaps I like to relax for more than other people) and the lower voice tones got a bit “growly” at times. I did find relaxing muscles difficult when they start going into spasms and concentrating on muscles only accentuated this.

Great if you need that extra bit of focus to stop you composing shopping lists, or looking at the dust and cobwebs uselessly. The very best thing about using this tape is that it signals to everyone else that it’s time for me to formally relax, not just doze in a chair, and they leave me alone. Bliss. 

Second review by Alison Prior

“Gentle on your mind comprises Yogarelaxa and Aromassage both designed to relax, calm and uplift you”: so says the introduction to the tape spoken by Steve Brisk with music by Peter Stone. What a shame that there could not have been a little more about how to sit, lie or otherwise.

When you have limited mobility as many of us who need to relax do, it would be nice to know what is expected before the tape actually starts. This is all the more surprising because both Steve and Peter have MS themselves.

If you have a hearing impairment and whereas music can be useful, when you are struggling to hear the spoken word, which is rather soft, then it makes life doubly difficult.

Yogarelaxa actually talks you through a traditional relaxing technique with musical accompaniment, sitting on a chair or lying down on your back. Aromassage simulates a massage on the beach, face down, with the spoken word and music. I personally found the first relaxing and the second I had to do on my back as I cannot turn on my front anywhere near a tape player.