De-Stress At Your Desk: 5-Min Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) has been shown to lower cortisol levels and improve attention. A recent study has reinforced the link between body, mind, and performance with a specific focus on knowledge workers operating in the digital realm. This guided meditation is designed to walk you through a 5-minute PMR reset to regain focus in between tasks.

Music: Observing with Love by Master Minded from Artlist (via Canva)

Transcript

Welcome to this short progressive muscle relaxation for you to come back into yourself at your desk.

Bring yourself into your body,

This is a space to return to yourself.

Before we settle we move,

So shake your shoulders,

Roll your neck,

Give yourself permission to fidget,

To squirm and let the body wake itself gently.

Come in stillness,

Place your feet firmly on the ground and let your hands be soft on your desk or in your lap.

Close your eyes or soften your gaze,

Whatever works best for you.

Then come to notice your breath,

Feel it rise and fall.

Ground yourself through your feet,

Press your feet gently towards the floor,

Squeeze your toes and release.

Come in through your legs,

Your calves,

Your thighs,

Tighten them gently and soften.

Rise up into your abdomen,

Draw your navel towards your back and let go at your belly.

Feel your belly expand as you breathe out.

Rising up to your shoulders,

Lift your shoulders to your ears,

Squeeze gently and soften them down towards the earth.

Let them melt as ice cascading down.

Relax your arms,

Become aware of your fingers,

Your forearms,

Your biceps.

Tighten both arms for 1,

2 and release.

Let your fingers unfurl like petals.

Moving up into the neck,

Tilt it to one side,

Feel the stretch and then tilt it to the other side,

Feeling that stretch and return to centre.

Use your jaw,

You might want to move your tongue across your teeth and purse your lips open a little.

Come into the space between your eyebrows,

Furrow your brow,

Clench your forehead and let both soften.

Let the space between your eyebrows open out to the sky.

If you can,

Visualise a light spreading across your forehead from the space between your brows.

Breathe in and sigh that out.

Once more,

Breathe in and inhale and sigh out.

Feel your body,

Feel your breath and feel your calm.

You can linger here for as long as you like.

You are home.