Welcome to this guided progressive body relaxation practice.
Start by becoming comfortable lying or seated.
If you're lying down on your back have your arms out comfortably by your sides and legs slightly apart.
If you are seated place your feet on the floor and have your hands resting comfortably.
Gently close your eyes or find a static point to relax your gaze upon and gently defocus your eyes.
You are about to start a guided progressive body relaxation.
If you experience any discomfort with tensing your muscles just adjust the level of tension or skip the contraction of that body part.
Now take a deep breath in and as you breathe out let the focus and any other thinking from the day just float away.
Do this twice more.
We will now move from body part to body part and you will tense that part and then let it release and then relax.
We begin with your feet.
Curl your toes tightly on both feet as though you were trying to pick up a pencil with them.
Hold the tension tightly in the whole foot in both feet.
Release let your feet relax.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in both of your feet.
Now totally relaxed.
Now tense the muscles in your calves by flexing your feet and your toes towards your head.
Feel the tension and hold.
Release.
Notice the sensation of relaxation spreading through your calves and your lower legs.
Completely relaxed.
Next tense the muscles in your thighs by squeezing your thigh muscles tightly.
Hold this and release and notice the sensation of relaxation in your thighs.
Complete relaxation of both legs.
Next tense the muscles in your buttocks by squeezing the muscles tightly and hold the tension.
Release and notice any and all tension just melt away from your lower body.
Your abdomen.
Tighten your stomach muscles by sucking your belly button in towards your spine.
Hold this and release.
Notice the difference between that tension and release now in your abdominal area.
Feel deep relaxation of the abdomen.
Next tense the muscles in your chest and back by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Feel the tension in your upper body and hold and release.
Allowing your chest and back to relax.
Check that your entire torso is completely relaxed.
Chest and abdomen totally relaxed.
Moving now to your hands.
Clench your fists tightly and hold this.
As you release now notice the feeling of relaxation here.
Complete relaxation of your hands.
Tighten your forearms by bending your hands back at the wrists.
Holding the tension.
Now let your arms and hands relax.
Notice how heavy they feel.
Feel all tension disappear from your hands and your arms.
Moving up now to your shoulders.
Bring your shoulders up towards your ears to create tension in your neck and shoulders and hold.
Now release.
Notice the tension dissolve from your neck and shoulders.
If you are comfortable to do so scrunch up your face for a few seconds by squeezing your eyes shut and clenching your jaw.
Otherwise just tense the muscles in your face.
Hold the tension and release and feel your facial muscles completely relax.
Check that you are totally relaxed.
Your forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyes,
Ears,
Nose,
Teeth,
Tongue,
Jaw,
Chin,
Throat,
All totally and completely relaxed.
Notice your whole head relaxed.
Your whole body relaxed.
Your entire body completely relaxed.
Allow yourself to take a deep breath in and notice how this feels in your body.
Bring awareness to the space you are in.
Notice the sounds around you.
Gently move your fingers and toes.
Gently stretch and bring awareness to your body.
When you're ready open your eyes or gently blink your eyes a few times if you have them open.
This progressive body relaxation is now complete.
