This relaxation technique teaches you how to use the relaxation experience in real-life situations.
Lie down,
Get comfortable,
And 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.
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.
Now,
Focus all your attention on your breathing.
Imagine your breathing is like the waves on an ocean,
Rolling in and out.
In and out.
In and out.
Silently say to yourself,
My breathing is smooth and rhythmic.
Smooth and rhythmic.
Become fully aware of the air flowing in and out.
As you continue to breathe,
See the air moving through your body in massaging waves of relaxation.
Feel the waves go over your head,
Down your face,
Moving on down your neck,
Into your shoulders,
Through your chest,
Down your arms,
Through your upper back,
Your lower back,
Your stomach,
Your hips,
Your buttocks,
Your thighs,
Your calves.
With each wave,
Feel the growing heaviness and warmth in your legs and down to your feet and toes.
Now,
I'm going to count down from ten to zero.
As the numbers descend by one,
You'll feel more and more relaxed.
When I reach zero,
You'll feel more relaxed than you've ever felt.
Ten.
Moving down to nine,
Repeat to yourself,
I am calm.
Eight.
I am peaceful and content.
Seven.
More and more relaxed.
Six.
I am peaceful and calm.
Five.
Feeling warm and comfortable.
Four.
Feeling more and more relaxed.
Three.
Feeling very quiet.
Two.
My muscles feel loose and limp.
One.
Deeper and deeper.
Zero.
A deep feeling of relaxation.
You feel very,
Very relaxed and limp.
In your mind's eye,
See yourself lying back warm,
Comfortable,
Relaxed,
Totally relaxed,
Loose and limp.
Now,
Imagine that you are lying in a beautiful meadow.
The temperature is just right.
You're perfectly comfortable lying on the soft green grass.
Feel the warm sensation of relaxation all around your body.
You don't have a care in the world.
Just let go and allow yourself to feel that total relaxation.
Continue absorbing the safe,
Comfortable,
Peaceful feeling of your meadow.
Now,
Keep the feelings of peace and calm as we visualize or imagine some scenes that may be slightly stressful,
Either anxiety-producing or anger-provoking.
Imagine them as vividly as you can,
Knowing that at any time if you feel uncomfortable,
You can immediately return to the pleasant image of yourself lying in the peaceful meadow.
You are very much in control.
You're filled with confidence and you are the master of the image you are projecting.
See yourself successfully meeting the problems head-on.
Now,
Imagine a specific situation that you have found stressful in the past.
Really get into it.
Visualize the situation as if it were actually happening.
Hear the sounds.
Smell any odors.
Include your sense of touch and taste.
Perhaps you need to swallow.
See yourself as being in control.
You are the master of the image you are projecting.
You are the master of this situation.
For the next minute or so,
Resolving this situation is going to take your complete attention.
Focus on it.
Know that you're in control.
Practice being in control.
Now,
Leave that scene behind you and return to the peaceful,
Calming meadow.
Think to yourself,
Face,
Relax.
Neck,
Relax.
Shoulders,
Relax.
Chest and stomach,
Relax.
Upper back and lower back,
Relax.
Arms,
Hands and fingers,
Relax.
Hips,
Legs and feet,
Relax.
Let the relaxation you have experienced flood your awareness.
Relax and feel it all over again.
You are safe and secure.
Calm,
Comfortable and very peaceful.
Say to yourself,
I am calm and peaceful.
Peaceful and calm.
Once again,
Go back to the same scene.
Picture yourself in total control of the situation.
I'll pause for a minute so you can do that.
Now,
Return to the meadow.
You're very comfortable and very much at peace.
Each time you breathe out,
Silently say,
I am calm.
You are alert and awake,
But fully at ease.
Now,
Focus on your body.
Focus on the feelings of deep,
Deep relaxation.
You feel good.
You feel refreshed.
I am at peace.
Feel the peace and calm throughout your body.
Now,
Once again,
Imagine the scene you are working on.
See it very clearly.
This is your time to master that situation to your perfect acceptance of it.
You are in control.
I'll pause for a minute while you imagine that scene again.
Now,
Leave the scene and return to your peaceful,
Calm meadow.
The temperature is just right.
You feel very deeply relaxed.
Concentrate on the waves of relaxation flowing through your body.
Every part of your body is being washed with feelings of relaxation from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
If you notice any tension,
Focus on that part of your body and let the tension flow out.
Remain mentally alert.
You need to be alert to visualize these scenes completely.
If you're ready,
Try another scene.
See it clearly and stay in control of it.
Remember,
If you feel uncomfortable at any time,
Bring your awareness back to the peaceful,
Calming meadow and know that you are perfectly calm,
Perfectly serene and perfectly in control.
I'll pause for a minute to let you really get into the scene.
Now,
Return to your meadow and relax.
Your practice is over for now,
But spend a few more minutes being as relaxed as possible.
When you practice thinking of stressful real-life situations,
Remember to visualize that you are in control and you are relaxed.
You will be able to face real-life stressful situations with more confidence and power.
You will control these situations rather than allowing them to control you.
You will have learned how to imagine yourself in your relaxing place and you will be able to do this quickly and easily,
Getting control of yourself and then facing the challenges presented to you.
Relax.
Now,
See yourself safe and secure.
Become aware of the room that you're in.
Remove yourself from your meadow.
We'll count forward now from 1 to 5.
As you take a deep breath,
Silently say each number.
When you reach 5,
You will open your eyes feeling relaxed and alert.
You will find yourself back in the room you left.
The environment will seem slower and calmer and you will feel more relaxed and peaceful.
You will be relaxed,
Peaceful and calm.
2.
Feeling very relaxed.
3.
Feeling more alert and aware of the sounds around you.
4.
More and more alert but relaxed.
5.
Open your eyes.
You're alert and refreshed.
