Hi and thank you for joining me in this progressive muscle relaxation practice for athletes.
This practice is designed to help you relax and let go of stress and tension.
If you have never done this before,
Let your curious mind on board this journey of deep guided relaxation.
Let's begin by sitting or laying down in a comfortable posture,
Loosening any tight clothing so there are no restrictions and you can be as comfortable as possible.
Now give yourself full permission to relax and start to slow down your breathing,
Calming your mind one breath at a time.
Simply focus on breathing in deeply and exhaling fully.
You can imagine as if you're trying to empty out the air of a sleeping bag that you're trying to roll up slowly and steadily.
One of the body's reactions to stress and anxiety is muscle tension.
This can make you feel tense and in some cases can even cause muscle aches and pains.
Sometimes we don't even notice how our muscles become tense but perhaps you clench your jaw slightly or maybe your shoulders and neck become stiff.
One great way of reducing muscle tension is through a technique called progressive muscle relaxation,
PMR.
In progressive muscle relaxation exercises you tense up a particular muscle and then relax them.
Okay let's continue our practice.
Connect your feet mindfully to the surface beneath you by gently pressing all four corners of the foot into the ground.
See if you can really feel the sensations in your feet.
Now as you are feeling this grounded connection to the earth beneath you,
Take a few deep breaths and allow yourself to release any tension from your muscles.
Beginning from the soles of your feet,
Gently clench your feet muscles and relax.
Moving your awareness to your calves,
Gently squeeze and release.
Bring your awareness up to your belly,
Gently tense and release.
Now move your awareness to the face and gently remove any tension,
Softening the muscles of the forehead and releasing any tension from the area between the eyebrows.
Release your tongue from the upper palate and unclench your jaw.
Now allow yourself to sink deep into this feeling of relaxation.
I'm going to leave you on your own for a few moments so that you can absorb these feelings of deep relaxation.
Simply allow yourself to absorb every bit of it.
When you hear the meditation bell,
You know it is time to come out of meditation.
Now go ahead and relax and when you are ready,
Start to bring your awareness back to this present moment.
Hearing sounds around you,
Gently wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes and open your eyes.
I hope you enjoy this guided relaxation practice.
Have a wonderful day.
