Hello and welcome to this meditation on progressive muscle relaxation.
This meditation will start with a brief overview of the technique.
Then you'll hear a bell which will signify the beginning of this practice,
Followed by guided meditation,
And a bell which will signify the end of this practice.
In this meditation,
Our focus will be on relaxing the muscles one by one.
And we're often not aware of how much tension is stored within the body.
So by doing this practice,
We can uncover where we are holding on to past tensions in our body.
We will work with contrast to actively contract our muscles and then relax into it.
So contrast can really help us see where we're holding on to tension and allow us to relax into it appropriately.
Practicing this technique can help us release stored tension in the body,
Relax the body,
Calm the mind.
It can also serve as good preparation for other mindfulness-based practices,
Such as a body scan practice.
The technique of this muscle relaxation meditation is quite simple.
Find a comfortable seat in an upright posture,
Preferably with your feet planted on the floor.
We will start by first focusing on deep diaphragmatic breathing to promote a feeling of calm.
Then we will focus on tensing certain muscle groups that are the easiest to notice,
Such as the hands and feet.
And then we will do a full sweep from head to toe,
Allowing ourselves to relax in the moment,
Second by second.
So let's get started.
Begin to focus on your breath.
Take a few moments to practice slow,
Deep,
And diaphragmatic breathing.
As you breathe slowly in and out,
Notice your abdomen start to balloon out.
Then the ribs come out to the sides.
And then the chest and back expand like an accordion,
In that order.
And on your exhale,
You will notice your chest and back come in first.
Then the ribs start to come in.
And then the abdomen come in last.
As you continue to observe the breath,
Begin to make your exhalations longer than your inhalations,
Promoting a feeling of relaxation in the body.
Your breath will be the anchor point of your practice today.
So as we go through the muscle relaxation technique,
Have part of your attention on the breath,
Which will promote a feeling of calm.
Yet at the same time,
Put part of your attention on the specific muscle to notice its gradual relaxation process.
Now bring some of your attention to your hands.
Tense the muscles in your hands by briefly clenching your hands into fists.
See if you can squeeze your hands into fists even more.
Now let go of the grip in your hands and completely try to relax your hands,
Including each finger.
If your hands are raised up,
Start to feel gravity pull your hands down.
Drop your hands gently into your lap.
As you soften your hands more,
Notice the fingers begin to unfurl.
You may need to wiggle your fingers just a bit to notice the fingers start to relax.
Now focus your attention on your forearms.
Integrate tension by making fists with your hands once again.
This time also begin to tighten your forearm muscles briefly.
Then start to drop your hands into your lap once more,
Allowing the muscles in your hands and forearms to completely relax.
With this relaxation of the muscles,
Begin to notice if your mind has also started to relax in this process.
Start to bring your attention now to the upper arms.
Pulling your hands and your forearms towards your upper arms,
Begin to flex your biceps and allow your arms to slowly relax and loosen.
Feel gravity start to bring your arms down by your sides.
Feel how the weight of your relaxed arms and hands begins to lengthen your biceps into a relaxed state.
Making small movements such as shaking your arms may help release any remaining tension in your arms.
Turn your attention now to the feet.
Begin to tense them by curling your toes.
Relax into this tension by softening into the feet and wiggling or stretching your toes.
Start to work up your legs in the same manner.
Tense your calves by lifting your heels off the ground.
Flex your feet and toes upwards.
Slowly start to stretch your feet out and bring the heels down.
Feel the lightness in your feet.
Begin to tense your thighs by pushing your feet into the ground.
Slowly release and focus on the sensations of relaxation.
Before starting to scan the body from head to toe,
Notice if you've lost your connection to your breath.
Slowly start to bring back a slow and deep diaphragmatic breath.
And as you do this,
Observe the body start to settle and relax more.
Start to bring your attention to the forehead.
Begin to tense the muscles in your forehead by frowning.
Scrunch up the area between your eyebrows,
Muscles in your eyes,
And even your nose.
Begin to relax and lift your eyebrows.
Allow them to slowly relax into a comfortable position.
Observe that gravity slowly melts away any tension in this area down the body.
Bring your attention now to the jaw,
The tongue,
And begin to clench your teeth firmly together.
Pushing your tongue against your teeth and pushing your lips together.
Release the tension in your mouth by slowly opening your mouth and keep your lips and tongue relaxed.
Make sure to continue breathing through the nostrils.
You may close the mouth and start to bring your attention down to the neck.
Start to tense the neck by tipping your head back.
Feel the stretch in the front of the neck.
Gently tip your head to one side and then the other.
Slowly bring the tip of your chin towards your chest.
Bring your chin back to neutral.
Tense your shoulders by bringing them up towards your ears.
Slowly relax completely.
Allowing the weight of your hands and the weight of your arms to slowly pull your shoulders down.
As you go down,
Notice if there is any tension in the chest.
Begin to squeeze into the pectoral muscles by bringing your hands together and pressing your palms against each other.
Slowly bring your hands apart and your hands down to your lap once more.
Allow the chest to slowly relax further.
As you bring your attention down to the abdomen,
Begin to tighten the muscles in your abdomen.
Slowly relax completely,
Allowing your stomach muscles to be loose and soft.
A common area where many hold onto tension is the lower abdomen.
See if you can place extra attention to soften into this area.
As you bring your attention back down to the legs,
Notice if there has been any additional tightness that you've noticed in this area.
Once again,
Soften into it by flexing those muscles and then slowly relaxing into them.
Bring your attention back down to the feet.
Imagine that gravity is beginning to pull down all the stored tension away from your body and into the ground beneath you.
Take a moment to now observe the overall state of your body and mind.
Begin to observe how you feel now in this present moment compared to the beginning of this meditation.
Bring your hands to heart center and thank yourself for practicing meditation and honoring your body today.
Thank you.
