2nd Of 9 Tracks....Progressive Relaxation
This is the 1st technique to practice. It is the only technique that has a physical component to it. It is one of the most basic techniques to achieve a knowledge of how and where our bodies hold stress. It is the foundation of all other techniques. Practice this one technique for one week, at least once a day. It is approximately 26 min long. The music in the background is by David Bradstreet, a Canadian musician. It is used with his permission and my appreciation.
Transcript
Progressive relaxation is the foundation of all the other techniques.
Take off your shoes and your glasses or remove contact lenses,
And lie down on your back.
Just get comfortable.
Make sure your clothes aren't binding,
And if you require a pillow under your knees,
Put one there now.
Your legs should be uncrossed and slightly apart,
And your arms should be at your sides or over your stomach.
As you hear the instruction to take a deep breath,
Try to see the way a baby breathes.
They breathe from their bellies,
Not from their chest.
If you put your hands on your stomach,
With your fingertips just touching,
And take a deep breath in,
You'll feel your fingertips separate slightly.
As you breathe out,
Your fingertips will touch once more.
This is how your deep breath should be experienced in relaxation.
Practice this as we go through the exercise.
Now close your eyes,
Take a deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Let all your muscles relax completely.
Take another deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Allow your mind to become like a blank screen,
Peaceful and calm.
Now take another deep breath in,
Hold it for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Let your emotions quiet down.
Just allow them to relax.
Allow yourself to be quiet,
Calm,
And peaceful.
As we go through the exercise,
While you tighten one part of your body,
Try to leave every other part limp and loose.
Now take a deep breath in,
Tense every muscle in your body,
Starting at your head.
Tense the muscles of your forehead,
Eyes,
Cheeks,
Nose,
Jaws,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Hands,
Chest,
Back,
Stomach,
Buttocks,
Legs,
And feet.
Feel the tension all over your body.
Hold the tension for a moment,
And as you breathe out,
Say relax and let go.
Let your whole body relax.
Feel a wave of calm come over you as you stop tensing.
Feel the relief.
Take another deep breath in.
Study the tension as you hold your breath,
Then slowly breathe out and silently say relax and let go.
Feel the deepening relaxation.
Allow yourself to drift more and more with this relaxation.
As we continue,
You will exercise different parts of your body.
Become aware of your body and its tension and relaxation.
This will help you to become deeply relaxed on command.
Now keeping the rest of your body relaxed,
Wrinkle up your forehead.
Feel the tension in your forehead.
Your forehead is very tight.
Briefly pause and be aware of it.
Relax and let go.
Feel the tension slipping away.
Smooth out your forehead and take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
As you breathe out,
Silently say relax and let go.
Keep the rest of your body relaxed.
Briefly pause and feel the tension around your eyes.
Now relax and let go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Silently say relax and let go as you breathe out.
Now open your mouth as wide as you can and feel the tension in your jaw and your chin.
Briefly hold the tension.
Now let your mouth gently close and say silently relax and let go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
As you breathe out,
Say relax and let go.
Keeping your mouth closed,
Push your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
Study the tension in your mouth and chin.
Briefly hold the tension and relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Now silently say relax and let go as you breathe out.
Now let your tongue rest comfortably in your mouth and let your lips be slightly parted.
Keeping the rest of your body relaxed,
Clench your jaw tightly.
Feel the tension in your jaw muscles.
Feel the tension and relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
And silently say relax and let go as you breathe out.
Now think about the top of your head,
Your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your jaw and cheeks.
Make sure these muscles are relaxed.
Have you let go all of the tension?
Continue to let the tension slip away and feel the relaxation replace the tension.
Feel your face becoming very smooth and soft as all the tension slips away.
Your face is relaxed.
Your tongue is relaxed.
Your jaw is loose and limp.
All of your neck muscles are very,
Very relaxed.
All of the muscles of your face and head are relaxing more and more.
Your forehead feels as though it could roll from side to side and your face feels soft and smooth.
Allow your face to continue becoming more and more relaxed as we move to other areas of your body.
Now pull your shoulders up and try to touch your ears with your shoulders.
Feel the tension in your shoulders and your neck Now relax and let it go.
Feel your shoulders joining the relaxed parts of your body and take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Silently say relax and let go as you slowly breathe out.
Notice the difference,
How the tension is giving a way to relaxation.
Now pull your right shoulder up and try to touch your right ear.
Feel the tension in your right shoulder and along the right side of your neck and hold the tension.
Now relax and let it go.
Now pull your left shoulder up and try to touch your left ear.
Feel the tension in your left shoulder and along the left side of your neck and hold the tension.
Now relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Silently say relax and let go as you slowly breathe out.
Feel the relaxation seeping into your shoulders.
As you continue,
You will become loose and limp as relaxed as a ragdoll.
Now stretch your arms out in front of you at right angles to your body and make a fist with your hands and squeeze your fists hard.
Feel the tension in your hands and your forearms.
Hold the tension.
Now relax your arms and let the tension go.
Allow your arms to rest comfortably at your sides again.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Silently say relax and let go as you slowly breathe out.
Push your right hand down into the surface you're lying on.
Feel the tension in your arm and your shoulder and hold the tension.
Now relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Silently say relax and let go as you slowly breathe out.
Now push your left hand down into the surface you're lying on and again feel the tension in your arm and your shoulder.
Hold the tension.
Now relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Now bend your arms at the elbow towards your shoulders.
Double them up as you might show off your muscles and tighten the muscles.
Feel the tension.
Hold the tension.
Now relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Now move on to your chest muscles.
Begin by taking a deep breath in that totally fills your lungs.
As you hold your breath notice the tension.
Be aware of the tension around your ribs.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Feel the deepening and relaxation as you continue breathing easily,
Freely and gently.
Now take in another deep breath and tighten your chest muscles.
Hold it and again feel the contrast between tension and relaxation.
Hold the tension.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Feel the relief as you breathe out and continue to breathe gently,
Naturally and rhythmically.
Breathe as smoothly as you can.
You will become more and more relaxed with every breath.
Keeping your face,
Neck,
Arms and chest as relaxed as possible arch your back.
Arch it as if you had a pillow under the middle and low part of your back.
Briefly hold that position.
Now relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Let that relaxation spread up your back and into your shoulders.
Feel the slow relaxation developing and spreading all over.
Feel it going deeper and deeper.
Allow your entire body to relax.
Your face and head are relaxed.
Your neck is relaxed.
Shoulders and arms are relaxed.
Your chest is relaxed.
And your back is relaxed.
All these areas are relaxing more and more becoming more deeply relaxed than you thought possible.
Now,
Tighten up your stomach as you take a deep breath in.
Briefly hold the tension.
Then relax and let it go.
Feel the relief pour into your stomach.
All the tension is being replaced with relaxation and you feel the general well-being that comes with relaxation.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Now,
Experience a different type of tension in the stomach area.
Push your stomach out as far as you can and briefly hold the tension.
Now relax and let go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Now,
Pull your stomach in.
Try to touch your stomach to your backbone.
Hold it.
Now relax and let it go.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
You are becoming more and more relaxed.
Each time you breathe out feel the gentle relaxation in your lungs and your body.
As you continue to do these exercises your chest and stomach area will relax more and more.
Now,
Check the muscles of your face,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Arms,
Chest,
And stomach.
Make sure they are still relaxed.
If they aren't,
Tense and release them again.
Let them relax completely.
Soon you will be able to tell whenever you have tension in any part of your body.
Please relax and let go of the tension you find in that part of your body.
Now we'll move on to your hips and your legs.
Tighten your hips and legs by pressing down the heels of your feet into the surface you're lying on.
Tighten these muscles a little more.
Hold the tension.
Now relax and let it go.
Feel your legs float up.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Feel the difference between tension and relaxation.
Let the relaxation become deeper and deeper.
Enjoy the feeling of being relaxed.
Now,
Tighten your lower leg muscles.
Feel the tension.
Then relax and let it go.
Deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Now,
Curl your toes downward.
Curl them down and try to touch the bottom of your feet with your toes.
Hold them there.
Feel the tension.
Then relax and let it go.
Wiggle your toes gently as you let go of the tension.
And slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Now,
Bend your toes back the other way.
Bend your toes right up toward your knees.
Feel the tension.
Try to touch your knees with your toes.
Feel the tension.
Relax and let it go.
Feel all the tension slip right out.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold it.
Slowly breathe out as you silently say relax and let go.
Feel the tension leaving your body and the relaxation seeping in.
You have progressed through all the major muscles of your body.
Continue to feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed each time you breathe out.
Each time you breathe out,
Think about a muscle and silently say relax and let go.
Forehead relax.
Face relax.
Neck relax.
Shoulders relax.
Arms relax.
Hands relax.
Chest relax.
Back relax.
Stomach relax.
Hips relax.
Legs and feet relax.
Your whole body is becoming more and more relaxed with each breath.
Spend a few more minutes relaxing.
If during your day you find yourself getting upset about anything,
Remember the relaxation you are experiencing.
Before you allow yourself to become upset,
Take a deep breath in and hold it for a moment.
And as you breathe out,
Silently say relax and let go.
With practice,
You will be able to use this technique to relax whenever you begin to feel stress building.
Now,
Just lie there for a few minutes and enjoy the feeling of being totally relaxed.
Now,
We're going to count forward from 1 to 5.
As you take a deep breath,
Silently say each number.
And when you reach 5,
You'll open your eyes feeling relaxed and alert.
You'll find yourself back in the room that you left.
The environment will seem slower and calmer,
And you'll feel more relaxed and peaceful.
You will be relaxed,
Peaceful,
And calm.
Still deeply relaxed.
Feeling very relaxed.
Feeling more alert and aware of the sounds around you.
More and more alert but relaxed.
5.
Open your eyes.
You're alert and relaxed.
