Thank you for joining me this evening to release the energy from your day and ease into a deep restorative sleep.
Progressive muscle relaxation has been shown to improve sleep quality and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.
This technique is often used while lying down on your back,
But you can decide what position is right for you.
This is a good time to settle into your resting place,
Allowing your body to be supported,
And taking a few moments to breathe deeply and easily.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
And breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
And on your next exhale,
Imagine breathing out through the soles of your feet,
Feeling any tension flowing down and into the core of the earth.
Tonight we will be tensing and releasing specific muscle groups in the body,
One by one,
Allowing you to release any lingering tension and deeply relax for a restful night of sleep.
There is no need to exert yourself,
Just gently engage each muscle group for one slow inhale,
And then release with the exhale,
Noticing any sensations you can detect,
Being gentle with yourself.
And if you have any areas of injury or pain,
Simply skip those muscle groups.
Let's begin by tensing all the muscles in your feet,
Curling your toes like you're burying them in the sand,
Pulling your feet up towards your shins,
Activating all those little muscles and holding for one deep inhale,
And then release with the exhale,
Feeling all those little muscles relax,
Feeling the tension melt away.
And as you continue breathing easily and naturally,
Just noticing the difference between tension and relaxation,
Taking a moment to thank your feet for all they do for you,
And now moving up to the lower legs,
Tightening the calf muscles as if standing on your toes,
Holding that tension for one deep inhale,
And then release and relax,
Allowing the tension to drain away and melt into the ground.
And notice the experience of relaxation in your lower legs,
The difference between tension and relaxation,
Continuing to breathe easily and naturally as you observe your calf muscle.
And moving on to the front of your upper thighs,
Quadriceps,
Tensing and tightening those muscles along the fronts of your thighs.
If you're lying on your back,
Feel your legs float up off the bed,
Holding that for one slow deep inhale,
And then release and relax,
Letting any tightness or stress melt away,
And noticing the difference you feel.
Breathing with that experience,
Continuing to breathe slowly and deeply,
Moving around to the backs of your upper legs,
The hamstrings,
Engaging the gluteal muscles,
Tensing and tightening and holding that tension for one slow deep inhale,
And then exhale,
Letting it all go,
Release and relax,
Letting any tightness melt away,
And enjoying that sense of relaxation.
And just saying goodnight to the legs and the feet.
Moving up to the stomach area,
Tightening those muscles,
Pulling your belly button in towards your back for one slow deep inhale,
And then release and relax,
Noticing how it feels to let your muscles just rest and soften completely.
And moving around to the lower back,
Tightening those muscles and gently arching the back just enough to create some tension there,
And holding for one slow deep inhale,
And exhale,
Release and relax,
Feeling the back muscles and the spine just melt into the bed,
Softening a little more with each exhale,
Noticing the sensations of relaxation,
And saying goodnight to the stomach,
Back,
And torso.
And now moving up to the shoulders,
Tightening those shoulder muscles,
Lifting the shoulders up towards the ears,
And holding for one slow deep inhale,
And then release and exhale,
And relax,
Letting it all go,
Letting the tension melt away,
Noticing again how it feels to allow your muscles to rest and soften and relax a little more with each exhale.
Moving down to the arms,
Tightening those bicep muscles,
Pulling your arms in as tight as you can close to your body,
Holding all that tension for one slow deep inhale,
And then exhale,
Release and relax,
Breathe it out,
Letting those muscles soften and the tension melt away,
Just feel and experience that sense of relaxation.
And doing the same with the triceps,
The muscles along the back of the upper arm,
Just straightening the arms,
Tensing up those muscles for one slow deep inhale,
And exhale,
Release all that tension,
Let it dissolve away,
And breathe into those arm muscles,
Give them some love,
Some gratitude for all they do for you,
And then gently moving your awareness to the hands,
Tightening your fingers,
Making little fists,
Squeezing as tight as you comfortably can for one slow deep inhale,
And then exhale,
Release and relax completely,
Softening your grip all the way,
Letting any tension flow out through your fingertips,
Down into the earth,
And really taking time to experience that tension melting away,
There's nothing left for you to do except relax,
And saying goodnight to the arms and the hands.
Now gently bringing your focus up to the neck,
Noticing any tension present in the neck muscles,
And we won't tense these muscles,
But just releasing any tension that you find,
And feeling the neck all the way down through the spine,
Just melting into the bed,
And then up to the face,
Noticing all those tiny little muscles in the face,
The forehead,
The cheeks,
All around the eyes,
And the mouth,
And the jaw,
And gently being very kind to yourself,
Starting to feel all those little muscles just melting one by one,
The forehead,
The eyes,
The nose,
And the jaw,
And even around to the back of the head,
With each breath releasing more and more tension,
And then one last slow deep inhale,
And ahhh exhale,
And now just a gentle scan of the body,
Seeing if there are any remaining areas of tension or discomfort,
And if there are,
Gently breathing into those areas,
Imagining oxygen going directly to those spaces with tension,
Bringing openness and relief and relaxation,
And with each exhale allowing the tension to flow all the way down,
Traveling down through the torso,
Through the legs,
Out the soles of the feet,
And down into the earth,
And if it feels right,
You're welcome to receive these gentle affirmations to support you in drifting into sleep.
Today,
I did my best.
Today,
You did your best.
I embrace the new learnings from today.
You embrace the new learnings from today.
I receive new insight through my dreams.
You receive new insight through your dreams.
While I sleep,
My spirit is refreshed.
While you sleep,
Your spirit is refreshed.
While I sleep,
My body is healed.
While you sleep,
Your body is healed.
While I sleep,
My mind is learning.
While you sleep,
Your mind is learning.
I receive powerful messages from my highest self.
You receive powerful messages from your highest self.
I am grateful for the abundance in my life.
You are grateful for the abundance in your life.
I release this day with love.
You release this day with love.
I trust in the divine flow of life.
You trust in the divine flow of life.
I love myself exactly as I am.
You love yourself exactly as you are.
I accept myself and others.
You accept yourself and others.
My mind knows what to keep.
Your mind knows what to keep.
My mind knows what to release.
Your mind knows what to release.
I am ready for a peaceful night of sleep.
You are ready for a peaceful night of sleep.
May I be happy,
Peaceful,
And free.
May you be happy,
Peaceful,
And free.
All is well.
All is well.
All is well.
