Hi,
My name is Asa.
Welcome to this full body relaxation.
This beginner-friendly meditation involves contracting and relaxing various muscle groups throughout the body.
If you would like to use this meditation for sleep,
Get nice and cozy,
Laying on your back on your bed.
If you're using this for general relaxation and would prefer to stay awake,
You might consider laying on a mat on the floor.
Either way,
Take your time getting comfortable and when you're ready,
Gently close your eyes.
Slowly begin to deepen your breath,
Making each breath a little fuller than the last.
Bring one or both hands to your belly and feel your belly rise and fall when you breathe in and out.
Breathe deeply and slowly at your own pace.
Allow any thoughts in your mind to float to the background as you keep your attention focused on your breath,
Bringing your full awareness to your body breathing.
Continue belly breathing and gently release your arms down by your sides.
We'll begin our progressive muscle relaxation with the feet and toes.
Notice how your feet and toes feel.
Become aware of any sensations such as warmth,
Coolness,
Tingling,
Or pulsing.
On your next inhale,
Scrunch and squeeze your toes and feet as you breathe in.
Hold that tension for the full duration of the inhale and then whenever you're ready to exhale,
Quickly release the tension along with the exhale.
Notice any differences in how your feet and toes feel now.
Draw your awareness up to your calf muscles on the back of the lower legs.
Notice how they feel.
When you're ready,
Engage your calves and both legs as you take a deep breath in,
Squeezing the muscles tightly and holding the tension throughout the entire inhale and then quickly release the muscles as you breathe out.
Notice how your calves feel now.
From your calves,
Move your awareness up to your thighs and notice how they feel right now.
When you're ready,
Breathe in and squeeze your thighs as tight as you can for the full inhale and then quickly release on the exhale.
Notice any differences in how your thighs feel now.
Notice how your glutes feel.
And when you're ready,
Tighten your glutes,
Squeezing them as you breathe in and holding that tension and then quickly release and notice.
Become aware of your belly and abdominal muscles.
Notice how they feel.
When you're ready,
Engage your abs on your next inhale,
Squeezing them as if you were doing a sit-up and then exhale and quickly release your abs,
Letting go of all the tension and then notice how your belly feels now.
Draw your attention to your back muscles,
Noticing how they feel right now.
Squeeze the muscles in your back as you take a deep breath in and then release the tension on the exhale and then notice.
From your back,
Move your awareness to your shoulders and notice how they feel.
On your next inhale,
Squeeze your shoulders,
Perhaps imagining those muscles tightly hugging in towards the bones and then release.
Notice how your shoulders feel now.
Bring your focus to your biceps and any sensations you feel in this part of the arms.
When you're ready,
Take a deep inhale and engage your biceps as if you were lifting heavy weights,
Hold the tension for the full inhale and then release on the exhale.
Notice any differences in your biceps now.
Become aware of your forearms and wrists.
On an inhale,
Squeeze your forearms and wrists as you breathe in and then quickly release the tension as you breathe out.
Notice how your forearms and wrists feel now.
Draw your attention down to your hands and fingers,
Perhaps noticing feelings of warmth,
Tingling,
Or pulsing.
On an inhale,
Curl your fingers into your palms making two fists and squeeze them as tightly as you can and then release with the exhale.
Let all of the tension go and notice how your hands and fingers feel now.
When you're ready,
Bring your awareness up to your neck.
And with your next inhale,
Contract the muscles on the front,
Back,
And sides of the neck.
Hold the tension until you reach the top of your inhale and then release it all as you breathe out.
Notice how your neck feels now.
Bring your attention to your face.
Feel your forehead,
Eyes,
Nose,
Jaw,
And lips.
On your next inhale,
Scrunch your forehead and nose,
Squeeze your eyes and lips closed,
Clench your jaw and hold.
And then exhale and quickly release all of the tension from your face.
Notice how your face feels now.
Finally,
Let's tighten and relax the whole body at once.
Take a deep inhale and squeeze all of the muscles from your feet up your legs including your glutes,
Abs,
Back,
Arms,
Hands,
Neck,
And face.
Squeeze every muscle in your body and hold and then quickly release it all on the exhale.
One more time,
Engage every muscle in your body as you take your deepest breath yet and then release it all.
Feel your body fully relax,
All tension released,
Warm,
Gently supported,
Calm,
And deeply relaxed.
Your breath is slow and smooth.
You're welcome to stay here,
Focusing on your breath and the sensations of your relaxed muscles until you drift off to sleep.
If you'd like to transition out of the meditation,
Slowly expand your awareness outward,
Becoming aware of the sounds and the space around you.
When you're ready,
Take a deep breath in and on your exhale,
Blink open your eyes,
Perhaps gently stretching your arms up and overhead.
Thank you for practicing this full body relaxation.
I wish you a wonderful rest of your day.
