Welcome to this guided progressive muscle relaxation exercise.
Progressive muscle relaxation is a mindfulness skill to help you feel more connected to your body when you're feeling anxious,
Overwhelmed,
Or detached.
In this somatic exercise,
We will isolate intense muscle groups for 5 to 10 seconds and then release.
This letting go motion can help ease tension in your body.
Shifting your energy from your brain to your body can also invite mental calmness.
If there are any areas in your body that are prone to pain or injury,
Such as your back or your neck,
You can apply this tension or leave this area out altogether.
During this exercise,
You may find your mind wandering to worries or your daily to-do list.
If this is completely normal,
Simply notice when this happens and then refocus your attention on the sound of my voice and this exercise.
Body scans can be completed while lying down,
Sitting,
Standing,
Or walking.
Just practice in a way that feels best for you.
Give yourself some time to settle into this practice today,
Reminding yourself that it takes time for your mind and body to transition from one activity to another.
And when you're ready,
You may close your eyes or soften your gaze looking down and forward.
And as you start to settle in here,
Bring your attention to your breath.
There's no need to change anything yet.
Just simply notice the quality of your inhales and your exhales.
And through the nose,
Take a slow,
Deep breath and hold it at the top for just a moment.
And exhale,
Slowly release.
Notice any relaxation that begins to develop.
Again,
Take another slow,
Deep breath in through the nose and hold.
Exhale,
Sigh it out.
With every breath,
Allow yourself to become more and more relaxed.
Let's begin.
Tense your forehead by raising your eyebrows as high as you can and hold at the top.
Notice the tension in your forehead.
And then relax.
Notice how it feels to have the muscles soften,
Giving way to relaxation.
Close your eyes tightly and wrinkle your nose.
Becoming aware of the tension in your nose,
Your eyes,
And the upper parts of your cheeks.
And relax.
Notice the discomfort fade away.
You're placed by a calm,
Relaxed feeling.
Shifting your attention to your mouth and your jaw.
Put your mouth into a forced smile,
Clenching your teeth together.
And relax.
Soften your jaw,
Your tongue,
And your lips.
Now relax your face a little bit more.
Taking a breath in,
Hold.
And breathe out.
Relax and let go.
Tense the muscles of the neck and shoulders by shrugging your shoulders up to your ears.
Feel the tension in your shoulders and your neck.
And release,
Letting your shoulders fall heavy away from your ears.
Feel the release as tension gives way to relaxation.
Press the palms of your hands together in a prayer position and push your palms into one another.
Feel the tension in your arms and your shoulders.
And now let go.
Let all the tension flow out of your forearms and out of your hands.
And let your hands rest comfortably by your side,
Completely at ease.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and hold.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Feel a sense of relief in your chest as you breathe.
Again,
Breathing in through the nose,
Hold at the top.
Notice the feeling,
Any discomfort here.
Exhale,
Release.
Now moving down your body,
Keeping your face,
Back,
Arms and chest as relaxed as you can.
Begin to arch your back by bringing your elbows behind you and drawing your shoulder blades together.
And hold this position.
And release.
Let the relaxation spread into the muscles of your back.
With every breath,
Allow the relaxation to go deeper.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Begin to draw your belly button into your spine like you're trying to deflate a balloon.
And hold.
And now relax,
Softening your belly.
Imagining all the tension being placed with relaxation.
Tighten your glutes,
Your hips and your legs by pressing down the heels of your feet into the ground.
Squeezing your knees together,
Tighten all of these muscles.
And feel the tension in your glutes,
Your thighs and your calves.
And now release.
Notice the tension.
Leave your glutes,
Leave your thighs and leave your calves.
Letting the relaxation spread deeper and deeper.
And curl your toes,
Tighten the muscles of your feet.
Feel the tension in your feet and your toes.
And now release.
Feel the sense of relief as the tension is replaced by relaxation.
Enjoy this feeling,
Allowing yourself to become heavier and heavier.
Begin to scan your entire body and allow your awareness to focus on each part,
Allowing any remnants of tension to drain away.
Relax and soften your forehead,
The space between your eyebrows.
Relax your jaw,
Your tongue and your lips.
Soften your neck and allow your shoulders to feel heavy and fall away from your ears.
And let that heaviness sink into your arms and your hands.
Soften the chest and belly as you allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Relax your glutes,
Your thighs,
Your calves.
And allow yourself to sit a little heavier in your seat.
Just feeling the support of the ground beneath you.
And imagine a wave of relaxation,
Starting at the top of your head,
Flowing all the way down your body to your feet.
Allow any remaining tension to flow down your body,
Down your feet and out of your toes.
Relax and let go.
Feel yourself more and more deeply relaxed.
Take a moment to sit in this space,
This heaviness,
This relaxation.
You're calm,
Secure.
Gently start to dive away.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Feel the ground beneath you.
Notice the sounds around you.
Begin to reorient yourself back to the room.
And when you're ready,
You can gently blink the eyes open.
And thank you for practicing with me today.
May you carry this sense of ease and relaxation with you throughout the rest of your day.
