Hello,
I'm Jessie Galvin.
Welcome to this progressive relaxation meditation to help you relieve the stress of your day.
In this meditation,
We will use progressive relaxation to release the stress that builds up in the body during the working day.
By tensing and relaxing each muscle group,
You can cultivate a deep sense of calm and physical relaxation.
So take a few moments to find a comfortable position,
Either sitting in a chair or lying down.
If it feels okay to do so,
Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly release through your mouth.
Allow your body to settle here and sense the support underneath you from the surface that you sit on.
Take a few more moments here to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth,
Allowing yourself to arrive into your body and into this gentle experience of relaxation.
As we move through the body,
You will tense different muscle groups.
Hold that tension for a few moments and then release it,
Letting go of all tension and stress as best you can.
There is no right or wrong here,
Simply an experience of tuning into your body,
Moving in a certain way and allowing yourself the time and space to release and let go.
So gently guide your awareness to your feet.
Curl your toes tightly,
Squeezing all of the muscles in your feet.
Hold that tension just for a moment and then gently release.
Feel the relaxation spreading through your feet and up into your ankles.
Now bring your awareness to your calves.
Flex your feet by bringing your toes towards you,
Feeling the muscles in your lower legs tense.
Hold this tension for a moment and now release,
Allowing the warmth of relaxation to spread up into your knees.
Now bring your awareness to your thighs.
Squeeze the muscles in your thighs,
Holding them tight.
Hold here for a moment and now release.
Feel the tension melt away from your legs entirely.
Now bring your awareness to the back of your body,
To your sitting bones and your glutes.
Squeeze the muscles of your glutes,
Squeeze the muscles of your glutes,
Holding them.
And now gently release,
Feeling a relaxation all the way down the backs of your legs.
Now bring your awareness to your abdomen,
To your belly.
Tighten your stomach muscles,
Pulling your belly button in towards your spine.
Hold that tension for a moment and then let it go.
Notice how your abdomen softens,
Notice how your abdomen softens.
And we'll pause here to notice how the breath moves in the body,
Perhaps a little more easily now.
So bring your awareness to your breath and notice the gentle movement of your belly,
Your ribs and your chest as you breathe in and out through your nose.
Notice if there is any tension in your abdomen.
And perhaps repeating that exercise,
Tightening your stomach muscles,
Drawing your belly button towards your spine,
Holding the tension and then letting go.
Notice how your body responds to this process.
And if this tightening and releasing creates a little more space for your breath to flow with ease to the belly,
To the ribs and to the chest.
Now bring your awareness to your chest and your back.
Take a deep breath in,
Tighten the muscles across your chest,
Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Hold here for a moment and then release.
Repeat this one more time.
Take a deep breath in,
Tighten the muscles across your chest,
Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Hold for a moment and then release.
As you let go,
Perhaps you can sense an openness across your chest and a release in your back.
Now bring your awareness to the top of your shoulders and the base of your neck.
As you inhale,
Lift your shoulders up towards your ears.
Hold here for a moment.
And as you exhale,
Allow your shoulders to drop down towards the floor.
Repeat that two more times.
So inhale,
Lift your shoulders up towards your ears.
As you exhale,
Release the shoulders down towards the floor and release the breath through your mouth.
Inhale through the nose,
Lift your shoulders up towards your ears.
Exhale through your mouth and release your shoulders down towards the floor.
Now bring your awareness to your hands and arms.
Clench your fists tightly and squeeze the muscles in your arms.
Hold for a moment and let go.
Feel the relaxation in your hands and arms.
Let the relaxation move through your hands,
Your wrists and your forearms.
Now bring your awareness to your face.
Squeeze your eyes shut tight and scrunch your face,
Creating tension across your forehead,
Cheeks and jaw.
Hold the tension for a moment here and now release.
Allow your face to soften,
The jaw to unclench and the space in between your eyebrows to relax.
Now gently scan your entire body.
From the tips of your toes to the top of your head.
Notice any areas of tension that remain.
Breathe into those areas and with each exhale,
Release any lingering tightness.
Feel your body completely at ease,
Fully relaxed and free of stress in this moment right now.
Take a few moments to rest here,
Enjoying the sense of calm that flows through you.
Enjoying the sense of calm that flows through you.
When you're ready,
Slowly bring yourself back into the present moment by taking a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Invite you to carry this deep sense of relaxation with you as you return to your day.
I'm Jessie Galvin.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Have a beautiful day.
Namaste.
