Release & Relax: A Full Body Tension Reliever

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is based on the principle that mental relaxation can be achieved through physical relaxation. This meditation guides you through a sequence of tensing and releasing each muscle group, helping you release physical tension and stress that you have accumulated throughout your day. By taking a moment to reconnect with your body, you'll feel more balanced and rejuvenated, allowing you to approach your life with a calmer, more present mindset.

Transcript

Today you will have the opportunity to release any tension held within your body through this progressive muscle relaxation technique where you'll guide your awareness through your body and intentionally engage various muscles alternating between tension and relaxation allowing any stress being held within your body to unwind encouraging a sense of ease in your body so bringing yourself down onto the floor lying on your back and settling yourself into a comfortable position just ensuring your spine is straight and allowing your hands to rest gently by your sides palms facing up letting your feet relax and fall out to the sides and really feeling that support of the floor beneath your body giving yourself a few moments now to settle into a comfortable position inviting you now to gently release any worries any concerns any stresses to leave behind all that has happened before this moment and allowing yourself to take this time out just for you bringing your focus to your breathing no need to control it just allowing it to flow in its own natural rhythm and noticing how your belly rises with each inhale and how it falls with your exhale feeling the subtle movements of your body as you breathe you might even notice the air against your nose the cool air against the tip as you breathe in and the warmth as you breathe out and just making one of these your anchor for today for this meditation if you find that your mind wanders just bring yourself back back to your breath back to your belly or to the sensations against the tip of your nose now bringing your attention to your face and scrunching up your face as tightly as you can sprinkling your nose your mouth squeezing your eyes shut clenching your jaw your jaw just holding this tension here for a few breaths you're now releasing allowing all of your facial muscles to relax and to soften the space between your eyebrows your cheeks your mouth and dropping your jaw just releasing all the tension that was held in your face and shifting your focus now to your neck and gently tilting your head to the left holding this position for a moment for a moment feeling that stretch down along your neck taking a few breaths here and then returning your head to the center and repeating this on the other side tilting your head to the right and stretching on the opposite side of your neck feeling all of those muscles the tendons feeling them stretch and then bringing your head back to the center just allowing your neck to relax completely into the surface beneath you and then returning your head back to the center moving now to your shoulders noticing what you're feeling here any tightness any tension you may be holding and then your next breath in just lifting your shoulders right up to your ears and holding here for just a moment and as you breathe out releasing your shoulders dropping them down away from your ears noticing how your neck lengthens and just allowing any tension to roll away off the sides of your shoulders noticing how your shoulders have softened how they've dropped and how they've let everything go moving now to your arms and making fists with your hands and pulsing here for a few moments feeling all those muscles in your arms feeling all those muscles in your arms your biceps your triceps feeling them tighten and then loosen as you pump your fists and now holding that fist tight now feeling all the muscles in your arms engage and then releasing and relaxing your arms your fists your hands feeling a sense of heaviness in your arms and just noticing any sensations of warmth or tingling as the blood flows back into your hands and shifting your focus now to your belly your belly that holds stress that stores emotions and taking a deep breath in and squeezing your stomach muscles like you're trying to touch your belly to your spine and hold in here for a few moments and now releasing releasing all the emotions all the stress all the tension that was being held here feeling your abdomen release feeling it soften just feeling any stress wash away off the sides of your belly and as you take your next breath in tightening all of your leg muscles your glute muscles holding here holding that tension and as you breathe out letting it all go relaxing every muscle every tendon in your legs just letting all that tension melt away as you allow your feet and legs to relax completely allowing them to fall and sink into the surface beneath you and now pointing your feet to the sky and now pointing your feet down lengthening your lower legs feeling that stretch down across your shins stretching tightening holding here and as you breathe out just releasing letting your feet fall off to the sides and now flexing your feet up towards the sky feeling all the muscles in your calves stretch and holding this position here feeling that tension through the back of your legs and allowing your feet to release to relax and just taking a moment now to wiggle your toes stretching your toes rolling your ankles slowly curling your toes down and tightening all the muscles in your toes and your feet holding this tension here and now slowly releasing just noticing the contrast between tension and relaxation as you let go of all the tightness in your feet allowing your feet to become completely relaxed letting your feet fall gently off to the sides and taking a moment now to scan your entire body from head to toe breathing in through your nose and with each exhale releasing your entire body and breathing in through your nose and with each exhale releasing any remaining tension allowing your body to sink further and deeper into the ground and allowing any remaining tension to roll off the sides of your body of your body releasing and relaxing and winding letting go and now you might like to give a little stretch now that the practice is over and just allowing your body to respond however it needs to any rolling of your shoulders rolling your neck whatever your body needs right now just coming back into your space and just checking in with your body and just noticing how your body is now feeling after your practice today