Hello and welcome.
To begin your meditation,
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down where you won't be disturbed for the next few minutes.
It's called progressive muscle relaxation and it teaches your body how to clench and then relax each muscle group.
We'll go through all the muscle groups and then we'll end at a beautiful scene at the beach.
So to begin,
Take three deep abdominal breaths,
Exhaling slowly each time.
As you exhale,
Imagine that tension throughout your body begins to flow away.
Breathe in slowly and slowly exhale out.
To start,
I'd like you to clench your fists and hold them for seven to ten seconds.
And then release for seven to ten seconds.
We'll use the same time interval for all the muscle groups.
Next I'd like you to tighten your biceps by drawing your forearms up towards your shoulders and making a muscle with both arms.
Hold and then relax.
Tighten your triceps,
The muscles on the undersides of your upper arm by extending your arms out straight and locking your elbow.
Hold and then relax.
Now I'd like you to tense the muscles in your forehead by raising your eyebrows as far as you can.
Hold and then relax.
Imagine your forehead muscles becoming smooth and limp as they relax.
Release the muscles around your eyes by clenching your eyelids tightly shut.
Hold and then relax.
Imagine sensations of deep relaxation spreading all around the areas of your eyes.
Next,
I'd like you to tighten your jaw by opening your mouth so widely that you stretch the muscles around the hinges of your jaw.
Hold and then relax.
Let your lips part and allow your jaw to hang loose.
Tighten the muscles in the back of your neck by pulling your head way back as if you were going to touch your head to your back.
Focus on only tensing the muscles in your neck and hold and then relax.
Take a few deep breaths and tune into the weight of your head sinking into whatever surface it's resting on.
Tighten your shoulders by raising them up as if you were going to touch them to your ears.
Hold and then relax.
Tighten the muscles around your shoulder blades by pushing your shoulder blades back as if you were going to touch them together.
Hold the tension in your shoulder blades and then relax.
Since this is an area that often gets especially tense,
You might repeat the tense and relax sequence twice with this area.
Next I'd like you to tighten the muscles of your chest by taking in a deep breath and holding it for up to 10 seconds.
And then release slowly.
Imagine any excess tension in your chest blowing away with the exhalation.
Tighten your stomach muscles by sucking in your stomach.
Hold and then release.
Imagine a wave of relaxation spreading through your abdomen.
Tighten your lower back by arching it up.
Hold and then relax.
Tighten your buttocks by pulling them together.
Hold and then relax.
Imagine the muscles in your hips going loose and limp.
Squeeze the muscles in your thighs all the way down to your knees.
You'll probably have to tighten your hips along with your thighs since the thigh muscles attach at the pelvis.
Hold and then relax.
Feel your thigh muscles smoothing out and relaxing completely.
Tighten your calf muscles by pulling your toes toward you.
Hold and then relax.
Tighten your feet by curling your toes downward.
Hold and then relax.
Now I'd like you to just mentally scan your body for any residual tension.
If a particular area remains tense,
Repeat one or two tense and relaxed cycles for that group of muscles.
Now I'd like you to just imagine that wave of relaxation slowly spreading through your body,
Starting at your head and gradually penetrating every muscle group all the way down to your toes.
I'd like you to imagine that you're walking along a beautiful deserted beach.
You're a barefoot and you can feel the firm white sand beneath your feet as you walk along the margin of the sea.
You can hear the sound of the surf as the waves ebb and flow.
The sound is hypnotic,
Relaxing you more and more.
The water is a beautiful turquoise blue flecked with white caps far out where the waves are cresting.
Near the horizon,
You can see a small sailboat gliding along smoothly.
The sound of the waves breaking on the shore lulls you deeper and deeper into relaxation.
You draw in the fresh salty smell of the air with each breath.
Your skin glows with the warmth of the sun.
You can feel a gentle breeze against your cheek and ruffling your hair.
Taking in the whole scene,
You feel very calm and at ease.
On your next exhale,
Imagine releasing any remaining tension from your body,
Your mind or your thoughts.
Just let any stress go.
Whenever you are ready,
You can start to wiggle your toes and open your eyes and come back to this present moment refreshed and ready.
