Welcome to progressive muscle relaxation for chronic dizziness.
Today we're going
To focus on a series of tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in your
Body to help with nervous system regulation and overall well-being.
This
Type of meditation is best for those who prefer a more active form of
Mindfulness meditation,
A more active way of being in the present moment.
It's
Great for people who maybe struggle with just sitting still,
Maybe it's hard to
Calm your mind,
You prefer to listen to someone who tell you kind of exactly
What to do throughout,
So this is a great place to start.
So before we start I want
To let you know when I ask you to tense each muscle I want you to tense it fully
Unless you have some sort of injury and what tense it fully means is create
Tension to your full capacity.
So if I ask you to take make a fist for example
You'd want to do that as tight as you can and when I ask you to release I want
You to release it all at once not slowly.
So we want to create the biggest
Contrast between tension and relaxation because that's how our brains can best
Interpret that type of input.
So we're going to start with your dominant hand
And I'm going to throw out say dominant versus non-dominant so if you're
Right-handed that would be your right you would start with your right hand if
You're left-handed you would start with your left and so on.
The tension is going
To last about five to seven seconds and relaxation will be longer it will be
More like 20 to 30 seconds so just follow along with my voice if you find
Your mind wandering that is perfectly okay just gently bring it back.
So let's
Get started.
Find yourself in a comfortable seated position or lying
Down whichever is more comfortable for you although I do prefer that you stay
Awake for this meditation so we can learn to be awake and relaxed rather
Than either being in fight-or-flight or being asleep if that makes sense.
If you
Can close your eyes go ahead and do so now if you're not at that place if you
Still are struggling with visual dependence maybe closing your eyes makes
You feel a more off-balance more sway then just let your eyes soften the focus
Of your eyes soften.
So I want you to focus all of your attention on the
Muscles of your right hand and lower arm.
To tense these muscles in your right
Hand and right lower arm I want you to make a tight fist now so you'll feel the
Tension across your knuckles and over the back of your hand and release all of
It now.
So just let the muscles go notice the difference between tension and
Relaxation focus on the feelings in that muscle group as they become
Increasingly relaxed remember to breathe I don't want you holding your breath
Throughout this so we're going to move up the arm so now I want you to focus
All of your attention on the muscles of your right bicep to tense these muscles
If you have an arm on your chair you're either going to push your elbow into
That arm to create tension in your bicep or you can do more of a bicep curl
Meaning taking your lower arm and hand up towards your shoulder to create
Tension in your bicep so go ahead and do that now so you're going to feel that
Tension in your bicep and your upper arm tense it fully and release let your
Arm feel heavy on the chair or on your lap just let the muscles go notice the
Difference between how it felt to be tense versus how it now feels to be
Relaxed notice any change in sensation you might notice warmth tingling pins
And needles maybe just focus on that with curiosity we don't need to have any
Narrative around it just noticing any new sensations now we're going to focus
All of your attention on the muscles of your left hand sorry you're now I want
You to focus all of your attention on the muscles of your non-dominant hand
And lower arm so to tense the muscles of your non-dominant hand and lower arm
You're going to do the same thing as you did on the other side so go ahead and
Make a tight fist now feel that tension across your knuckles over the back of
Your hand and fully release now remember to breathe keep all of your attention on
Those muscles that they become increasingly relaxed if you find your
Mind wandering it's perfectly okay perfectly normal just bring it back
To the muscle group we are working on right now which is the non-dominant hand
And lower arm so now we're going to move up the arm to the non-dominant bicep so
Again do a mirror image of what you did on the other side you can either tense
This by putting your elbow into the arm of a chair or you can do a bicep curl go
Ahead and do that now so feel that tension in your bicep in the upper part
Of your arm and fully release now so just let those muscles go notice any new
Sensations and temperature maybe some tingling make sure you're continuing to
Breathe just notice how it felt for the muscles to be tense versus how they feel
Relaxed now I want you to focus your attention on the upper muscles of the
Face so to tense the upper part of your face you're going to lift your eyebrows
As high as you can go ahead and do that now you'll feel the tension in your
Forehead across your scalp and release so just let the muscles go let your
Forehead relax if you feel any tension in the sockets of your eyes let that
Relax let your jaw relax and just focus on the feelings of this muscle group as
It becomes increasingly relaxed now we're going to focus on the central part
Of the face so to tense these muscles I want you to squint your eyes tightly and
At the same time wrinkle up your nose go ahead and do that now so you'll feel
That tension in your eyes and your nose maybe in your upper lip and release let
Those muscles go make sure you're continuing to breathe noticing any new
Sensations of how it feels to be relaxed you're training your brain this is what
Muscle relaxation feels like if your mind is wandering just bring it back and
We're going to move down to the muscles in the lower part of the face so to
Tense these muscles you're going to bite your teeth together and pull the corners
Of your mouth back I will say if you have any jaw issues go lightly with this
One so bite teeth together pull the corners of your mouth back go ahead and
Do that now so you'll feel tension across your jaw maybe a little bit in
Your neck and release let your jaw relax let your eyes relax notice any difference
Between tension and relaxation and make sure you're continuing to breathe into
This muscle group as it becomes increasingly relaxed now you're going to
Focus your attention on your neck and throat so to create tension here I'm
Going to ask you to pull your chin down towards your chest at the same time
You're going to try to prevent it from actually touching your chest so you'll
Feel some tension in the front stretch in the back so chin towards your chest
To prevent it from actually touching your chest go ahead and do that now so
Feel that tension in the front part of your neck that stretch in the back and
Release so let your head rest back on perhaps the bed or the couch or the
Floor and just focus all of your attention on the feelings in this muscle
Group as it becomes increasingly relaxed now we're going to combine a few
Muscle groups we're going to combine the chest shoulders and upper back so to
Tense these you're going to take a deep breath hold it and at the same time pull
Your shoulder blades together in the back as if you're trying to make them
Touch so deep breath hold it shoulder blades together in the back go ahead and
Do that now so you'll feel that tension in your back you'll feel a stretch in
The chest and release so let your back feel heavy against the chair let those
Muscles go make sure you're continuing to breathe and focusing on the
Difference between tension and relaxation moving down to the abdominal
Area so I want you to focus all of your attention on your abs so to create
Tension here I want you to flex your abdominal muscles as if you were
Preparing for someone to hit you in the stomach so go ahead and do that now I
Feel that tension in the mid region of your body and release so again let the
Chair or bed completely hold you up let those muscles go notice the difference
Between tension and relaxation and notice any new sensations that have come
With the sense of relaxation now I want you to focus all of your attention on
The dominant upper leg the dominant thigh quadricep so you're going to tense
The muscles by either pushing your heel into the ground to create tension in
Your thigh or you can lift your leg up off the ground so it's parallel to the
Ground to create muscle tension that way so go ahead and do that now now
You're going to focus all of your attention on your dominant upper leg
Your dominant thigh so you can do this two ways you can either tense the muscle
By pushing your heel into the ground and creating tension in your quadriceps that
Way or if you're sitting up you can lift your foot off the ground so that your
Leg is parallel to the ground like a leg lift so go ahead and do that now so
You'll feel the tension in your dominant thigh and your quads and release make
Sure you're continuing to breathe just let the muscles go let your leg sink
Into the chair or into the bed if you're lying down let your foot sink into the
Ground if you're sitting and just continue to notice the difference
Between tension and relaxation now we're going to move down to the calf the
Dominant calf or lower leg so to do this two options so you can either push your
Heel into the ground and pull your toe up towards the sky that would create
More of a stretch or you can go on the ball of your foot and create tension
That way so go ahead and choose what you think would be best for you and do
That now feel that tension through the calf and release so let your foot feel
Heavy let your leg completely sink and relax notice any new sensations since
You've engaged this relaxation remember we're teaching our brains how it feels
For our muscles to be relaxed and make sure you continue to breathe if your
Mind is wandering just bring it back
Now we're going to focus all of your attention on the muscles of your dominant
Foot so this one you want to go a little bit lightly I don't want you to get a
Cramp in the arch of your foot but to tense your dominant foot you're going to
Point your toe turn your foot inward towards your other foot and at the same
Time you're going to curl your toes so point turn inward and curl go ahead and
Do that now you'll feel the tension in your ankle and your foot and release let
Your foot feel heavy notice any new sensations that have come up since you
Felt the difference now between tension and relaxation and just focus on the
Feelings in the muscle group as they become increasingly relaxed now let's
Take your attention back up to the non-dominant leg so whatever you did on
The dominant leg go ahead and mirror image to create muscles in that quadricep
Go ahead and do that now so you'll feel that tension in the upper thigh and
Release so just let those muscles go let your leg feel heavy and completely
Supported by the chair by the bed by the ground keep all of your attention on that
Muscle group that non-dominant thigh and make sure you're continuing to breathe
We're going to move down now to the non-dominant calf again you can either
Pull your toes up towards the sky or go up on the ball of your foot to create
Tension in that calf go ahead and do that now and release so let those
Muscles go notice the difference between tension and relaxation and focus all of
Your attention on the feelings in that muscle group as they become increasingly
Relaxed now we're going to move down to the non-dominant foot so again go a bit
Easy on this one point your toe turn your foot inward at the same time curl
Your toes go ahead and do that now and release so just let those muscles go let
Your foot feel completely heavy relaxed notice any new sensations that have come
Up make sure you're continuing to breathe if your mind has wandered that
Is okay just bring it back to the exercise now I'm going to give you about
Two minutes to sit quietly so I want you to just kind of scan up and down your
Body and notice any sensations of tension that have come back and breathe
Into them so you might focus on muscle sensations you might change to focus on
Your breath at times so I'll be back with you in a few minutes to walk you
Out of this exercise so to come out of this exercise I'm going to ask you to
Orient yourself in the room so first gently move your fingers gently move
Your toes next stretch your neck your back you might wiggle your arms and legs
And finally if your eyes had been closed gently open your eyes so I hope you
Enjoyed progressive muscle relaxation today and know you can come back to this
Anytime you need to work on retraining your body your brain to become more
Familiar with muscle relaxation
