Welcome,
This is Linda G.
Robert.
I'm so glad that you're taking this time for yourself today.
This meditation will guide you through a gentle process called progressive muscle relaxation.
It's a way of bringing awareness to your body,
Releasing tension,
And allowing yourself to settle into a deep state of calm.
Now,
Before we begin,
Just a small note.
If you have any sore or injured muscles,
You don't need to tense them.
Instead,
Simply imagine those muscles tightening and then relaxing.
Your mind will guide the release just as effectively.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable position.
You may lie down on your back with your arms resting by your sides,
Palms facing up,
Or sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
And close your eyes if you wish.
Allow yourself to feel supported by whatever surface you're on.
And just take a moment to simply be here,
To simply arrive.
Now we're going to start with some breathing awareness.
Please take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And gently exhale through your mouth.
Feel the air filling your lungs,
Expanding your chest and belly.
And then notice the release as you breathe out.
All right,
One more time.
Take another deep breath in,
And slowly let it go.
With each breath,
Allow yourself to become more present.
Breathing in calm,
And breathing out tension.
Breathing in peace,
And breathing out release.
Now continue breathing gently,
Letting your breath be your anchor throughout this meditation.
Now we'll move slowly through different areas of your body.
We'll gently tense the muscles as you breathe in,
Hold for a few seconds,
And then release as you breathe out.
The idea is to notice the contrast between tension and relaxation.
So let's begin with your head and your face.
Now if you're lying down and have a comfortable surface behind your head,
Very gently press the back of your head into the surface,
And feel the muscles along your scalp and forehead.
Engage just slightly,
And hold for a few seconds,
And then release.
Notice the difference as the muscles soften.
Now if you don't have support behind your head,
You can do this in another way.
Lift your eyebrows up as high as they can go,
Stretching the forehead,
And hold for a few seconds,
And let it go.
Now gently squeeze your eyes shut tight,
And notice the tension around your eyes,
And then relax,
Letting that tension melt away.
Finally,
Clench your jaw lightly,
Bringing awareness to those muscles.
Just for a few seconds,
And then release.
Allow your jaw to hang loose and soft.
Take a slow breath in,
And as you breathe out,
Feel your entire face and head relax even more deeply.
Now bring your attention to your neck and shoulders,
And on your next inhale,
Gently lift your shoulders up toward your ears,
And hold the tension for a few seconds,
And as you exhale,
Let them drop back down,
Softening completely.
Notice the space that opens in your neck,
The lightness that begins to spread across your shoulders.
Now let's move into your arms and your hands,
And on your next inhale,
Make fists with both hands,
Squeezing gently for just a few seconds.
Feel the tension travel through your hands,
Your forearms,
And your biceps,
And hold for a few seconds,
And then release.
And when you're holding,
You could count one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Whatever you're comfortable with,
And then let it go,
Letting your fingers uncurl,
And your arms become heavy and relaxed.
And notice the warmth and the softness flowing through your arms,
And every time you'll tense a muscle group,
You can count one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
And you can go up as high as you want,
And then let it go.
So let's move on to your chest and your stomach.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in,
And as you do,
Tighten your stomach and muscles gently,
And hold one,
Two,
And you can go longer if you wish,
Or you can exhale,
Letting your stomach soften completely.
Feel your breath flowing more freely,
Your chest and belly rising and falling with ease.
And now to your back,
And if you're lying down,
Gently press your shoulder blades onto the surface beneath you,
Creating a light tension across your back,
And hold for a few seconds,
And release,
Letting your back sink deeper into the surface,
Supported and at ease.
And if you're sitting,
You can imagine gently drawing your shoulders back,
Straightening the spine for a few moments,
And then allowing everything to relax.
And in between muscle groups,
Simply put your attention back on your breath.
And now let's shift our attention to our legs.
So when your next breath in,
Tighten your thighs,
Squeezing gently,
And hold for a moment,
And release,
Letting them grow heavy and warm.
And now flex your feet,
Pulling your toes toward you to engage your calves,
And hold,
And exhale,
Letting go,
Your legs relaxing fully.
And finally,
Your feet,
Curl your toes under,
Creating gentle tension in your feet,
And hold for a few seconds,
And release,
Letting your feet soften completely.
Now notice the sensation of heaviness and ease spreading down through your legs,
And into your feet.
Now we'll bring awareness to the entire body.
So on your next inhale,
Gently tighten all the muscles of your body at once,
Your face,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your stomach,
Your legs and feet,
And hold briefly.
And as you exhale,
Let everything go,
Melting deeply into the surface beneath you.
Feel the contrast,
The release,
The deep relaxation flowing through your entire body.
Let's do that one more time.
On the count of three,
We will tense our entire body for a few seconds,
And then release.
One,
Two,
Three.
Tense your entire body,
Including your face,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your stomach,
Your legs and feet,
And let it go,
Let it go,
Let it go,
As you exhale.
All right,
I'm going to be in silence now for about a minute,
And I'd like you to simply put your attention on your breath while we are in silence.
Breathing in calm,
And breathing out tension.
Breathing in peace,
And breathing out release.
Notice how your body feels right now.
Heavier,
Softer,
And more at ease.
Allow yourself to rest here for a few moments in stillness.
If you notice your mind wandering,
Just bring it back to your breath.
30 more seconds.
All right,
Good.
Now,
When you're ready,
Gently bring your awareness back to the room around you.
Notice the surface beneath you,
The air on your skin.
Are there any sounds nearby?
Now,
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Gently stretch your body if that feels good to you,
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and take a deep,
Refreshing breath in and let it go.
You've given yourself the gift of relaxation,
And I do encourage you to return to this practice daily,
Perhaps for 21 days,
To experience its deeper benefits.
I'll see you next time.
