Progressive relaxation is a technique to bring total relaxation to the physical body and get rid of muscular tension and stress.
You can practice in any comfortable seated position or lying down on your back in Shavasana,
Corpse pose.
If you are lying in Shavasana,
Let the head,
Neck and spine be aligned.
Separate the feet a couple inches apart so the toes can flop out to either side naturally.
Separate the arms away from the body,
Creating a natural space in the armpit with your palms facing up towards the sky.
This technique begins with the feet and works up towards the head.
As each body part is named,
Bring total awareness to that body part,
Visualize it and breathe into that area.
You can also mentally repeat the name of that body part.
Take a few deep abdominal breaths to begin.
Let the breath be soft and relaxed throughout this technique.
Relax the feet and the soles of the feet.
Relax the top of the feet and feel the breath flowing into each and every toe.
Relax the heels.
Relax the ankle joints.
Completely relax the calf muscles and feel them softening as you direct your breath there.
Relax the knee joints and the synovial fluid circulating around the knees.
Relax the thighs.
Release any tension you are holding onto in the hamstrings and the quads.
Relax the gluteal muscles.
Relax the hips.
Relax the pelvic cavity and feel the breath flowing into all the pelvic organs.
Relax the waist.
See if you feel a difference between the lower half of the body that is completely relaxed versus the upper half of the body.
Moving upwards,
Relax the abdomen and feel all the abdominal muscles softening.
Relax the navel.
Feel the breath moving into all the abdominal organs one by one,
Completely relaxing them.
Relax the large intestine.
Relax the small intestine.
Relax the bladder and the kidneys.
Relax the pancreas that sits between the kidneys.
Relax the adrenal glands that sit on top of the kidneys.
Relax the spleen and stomach organs on the left side of the abdomen.
Relax the liver and gallbladder on the right side of the abdomen.
Feel a sense of lightness filling the entire abdomen.
Relax the diaphragm,
Relax the rib cage,
Relax the lungs,
Allowing the breath to fill the lobes of the lungs completely.
Breathe into the lower lungs,
Allowing the breath to fill the abdomen.
Relax the chest and feel the muscles in the chest softening.
Release any tightness there with the breath.
Feel the exhilarating expansion of the chest.
Relax the heart muscle and the network of arteries and capillaries and veins pumping blood throughout the entire system.
Let the heart muscle completely relax.
Relax the heart center and feel a sense of complete surrender.
Relax the shoulders and release any tension you are holding onto there.
Feel the breath moving down the arms softly,
Relaxing the upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms,
The wrists and hands.
Feel the breath flowing into each and every fingertip,
Bringing total relaxation.
From the fingertips,
Let the breath go back up the arms to the shoulders.
And now relax the muscles in the upper back,
The shoulder blades,
The mid back and the low back.
Bring the awareness to the tip of the tailbone and relax the sacrum.
Relax the spine one vertebrae at a time,
Letting the breath slowly rise up the spine.
Relax each vertebrae and the spinal nerves coming off of the vertebrae.
Slowly go up the low back,
The mid back and the upper back.
Relax the muscles at the back of the neck and release any deep seated tension there.
Relax the sides of the neck and the front of the neck.
Completely relax the throat.
Relax the chin and release any tension in the jaw.
Relax the mouth and the lips,
The teeth and the tongue.
Relax the cheeks,
Relax the ears,
Relax the nose and the nostrils,
Relax the eyes and the eyelids.
Relax the eyebrows,
Relax the forehead.
Relax the third eye at the center of the forehead.
Relax all the facial muscles.
Relax the top of the head,
Relax the scalp.
Relax the brain and feel the breath going into all the lobes of the brain,
Bringing total relaxation.
Now completely relax the mind.
Feel a wave of relaxation moving from the top of the head down to the toes,
Relaxing the entire body.
Let this wave move through your entire being,
Complete relaxation.
Feel that every part of the body is completely relaxed and at ease.
Every organ and system in the body is relaxed.
Every muscle,
Tissue and fiber in the body is relaxed.
Even to the cellular level,
Every cell in the body is completely relaxed.
Each cell in the body is absorbing this feeling of deep relaxation.
Completely let go.
Let go everywhere.
Feel that there is no tension anywhere in the body or in the mind.
Repeat to yourself mentally,
I am deeply relaxed.
I am deeply relaxed.
With each inhale,
Repeat I am and with each exhale,
Repeat deeply relaxed.
Allow yourself to go deeper and deeper into the state of complete relaxation.
The entire physical body is relaxed.
The mind is relaxed.
Continue to repeat with each breath.
I am deeply relaxed.
I am deeply relaxed.
That deep state of relaxation.
Know that you have created a deep imprint in the mind and a deep cellular memory of this feeling of total relaxation.
You can come back to this state of deep relaxation at any time.
This is your divine nature.
Enjoy the deep state of relaxation you have created within yourself today.
God Bless!
