I'd like to lead you through a progressive muscle relaxation.
This can be helpful to reduce stress.
This can be helpful to do before bed or really bringing it into your day at any point when you want to help to reset your nervous system,
Help teaching your nervous system to find its way to calm and safety.
What we're doing as we go through this is we're going to progressively tense up or contract different muscle groups,
Starting with the feet and working our way up into the head and face area.
And I'm going to instruct you to hold that tension for a few seconds and then to release it.
So we're really teaching the brain and the body to notice the difference between tension and relaxation and to be able to help you find your way to that relaxation response more easily.
I'd like to invite you to begin by just finding a comfortable posture.
You could be seated,
You could be lying down.
And we'll just start with a moment or two of grounding.
And settling the body.
So wherever you are.
To bring some awareness to the contact points where your body's making contact with the surface that's supporting you.
And just noticing the feeling the sensation.
At those contact points.
Maybe there's warmth or firmness or softness or gentle pressure.
Or something else.
Just noticing what it feels like to be supported in this moment.
You might bring some awareness to the flow of your breath as it comes in.
And as it goes out.
I'm just being aware of the natural expansion.
Around your heart and lung area.
And your belly expanding as you breathe in.
And then noticing that natural letting go,
Softening and melting as you breathe out,
Melting of tension.
We're going to be using our breath to help direct it to these different parts in our body.
To help.
Release any unnecessary holding.
So now let's begin by bringing awareness all the way down to the soles of your feet.
And you can begin to tighten,
Scrunch up.
Contract those muscles.
So scratching up your toes.
Squeezing the soles of your feet.
I was holding the tension.
In your feet for a moment.
I'm just bringing some Curiosity.
Of noticing what that sensation feels like there.
And then inviting you with your next exhalation.
Let all of that tension go from your feet.
And just noticing the difference between tense.
And relax.
And beginning to then bring some awareness up the legs to the lower legs,
You might.
Focus on the curves.
Shins.
Front and the back of your lower legs.
And begin to tighten and squeeze those muscles in any position that allows you to do that.
Just holding that tension,
You might feel the feet now engaged as well.
Squeezing,
Tightening,
Holding,
Just to the point where you really feel some sensation,
Not so that it's at all painful.
And just bringing awareness to that tension.
And then with the next exhalation.
Letting all of that tension soften.
You might think of a word.
Like soften or ease or melt.
I'm just taking some breath and directing some breath down into the.
.
.
Lower legs into the feet.
Just feeling what it's like.
To bring awareness there.
And then bringing your attention to the upper part of your legs.
Your quads,
Your hamstrings.
And just beginning to squeeze and tighten the upper part of the legs.
Again,
You may feel those lower legs engaging as well.
And just hold that for a moment.
Hold that tension,
Squeeze,
Tighten.
Enough so that you feel that.
Sense of when those muscles are contracting.
And on your next exhalation.
Letting all of that tension go.
Maybe even imagining a beautiful.
Warm or healing light.
Spreading down through the muscles of your legs.
From the tops of your legs down through your lower legs.
Into your feet.
And that this light softens and brings ease.
Letting all of that tension go and just noticing.
How it feels to Let your legs again feel supported by whatever surface you're resting on.
Maybe taking a more intentional breath or two as we move up through the body here.
And so now bringing your awareness.
To the hips,
The buttocks,
The lower back.
And the abdomen.
And just take a moment and begin to contract and squeeze and tighten.
Just to the point,
Again,
Not so that it's at all painful or super uncomfortable,
But enough so that you feel that habitual clenching that we can often engage in in the course of our practice.
Day without realizing it.
And so just tightening.
Holding.
Noticing what happens to the breath as those muscles tense.
And then just erecting.
The next exhalation.
Allowing a few deeper breaths to come in.
I'm really sending that breath down.
Through that lower torso down into the hips.
With the next inhalation and exhalation,
Sending that down through the hips into the legs,
Down into the feet.
Feeling of.
Softening and thinking of whatever that word is that may help your nervous system.
Find its way to.
.
.
More safety,
Relaxation,
Ease,
Whatever that is.
And now bringing awareness to the upper torso.
So the chest,
The back.
You might include the shoulders in here as well and just begin to tighten and squeeze and tense up this whole upper torso.
Again,
Noticing what happens to the breath.
Holding that.
Feeling that tension for a moment,
Really noticing the way that we can hold tension.
And we're bringing awareness to it often we're not so aware.
And then on the next exhalation.
Letting all of that tension melt away.
Thinking of that warm,
Soothing light spreading down.
The tops of your shoulders down your back.
And your chest into your lower abdomen,
Lower back.
Feeling that warm,
Soothing light spreading down your legs.
Bringing ease,
Bringing softening.
All the way down into your feet.
Just taking a moment again,
A nice deep breath to direct some of that breath to any parts of your body.
That feel like they could use.
A little care right now.
And then let's bring some awareness.
We'll include the whole,
We'll kind of go through the whole arm here.
So the hand,
The forearm and the upper arm,
And just begin to tighten and squeeze intense.
And you'll probably notice again,
The shoulders engaging too.
Just holding that tension,
You might clench your fists.
Just feel that contraction,
Feeling that tightening.
And feeling the way the breath probably becomes more constricted and shallow.
And just holding that for a second and then nice deep breath.
Letting all of that tension go,
Letting your hands open and rest by your sides.
Letting your arms relax and picturing,
Again,
Perhaps a beautiful,
Warm,
Healing light spreading down.
Through the tops of your shoulders,
Down your hands,
Down your arms,
Into your hands.
Feeling that relaxation spreading down through your body like a beautiful wave.
All the way to the soles of your feet.
And now we're going to bring some awareness finally to the neck.
We'll include all the muscles in the face.
Around the jaw,
The eyes,
The forehead.
And so you could just.
Really tighten,
Squeeze,
And clench.
Just hold that tension.
All of these muscles in the upper body here.
And just feel that contraction,
Feel that tightening.
Hold it,
Just becoming aware of how that sensation lands in your body.
And then nice deep breath.
Long exhalation letting all of that tension melt away.
I'm taking a few deeper breaths here and long sighs.
Letting your shoulders drop.
Thinking of that softening that ease that wave of relaxation and that beautiful light spreading down.
From the top of your head.
It wash over the muscles in your forehead,
Behind your eyes,
Your jaw.
Feeling that beautiful light spreading down through your neck and shoulders.
Down your arms into your hands and fingertips.
Feeling the warmth and soothing and healing nature of that light taking it down through your torso.
Through your chest and upper back.
Your abdomen and lower back.
Down through your hips,
The tops of your legs.
Into your lower legs.
All the way into the soles of your feet.
And then just.
Feeling the breath moving through your body.
Really helping.
Teaching your body in this exercise the difference between tension,
And relaxation.
The difference between.
Holding clenching and letting go.
And you might just scan through your body from head to toe.
See if there's any places in your body that you may want to send some extra.
Long Slow breaths,
Deep exhalations.
Sending that softening.
Ease down through your body from head to toe.
Really taking a moment to just appreciate that you took the time.
To help take care of yourself,
To help take care of your nervous system.
To give yourself this reset.
Before you go forward into your day or evening.
Take good care.
