Hello friends and welcome to this guided progressive muscle relaxation for sleep and anxiety.
My name is Joanne and tonight I'm going to guide you through a gentle progressive muscle relaxation accompanied by soothing rain sounds designed to help you release tension,
Stress and anxiety,
And to help you drift softly into a long and restful sleep.
Now before we begin,
Take a moment to settle into a comfy position.
If you're in bed,
Let your body sink down into the mattress beneath you by softening just a little,
And if you're sitting,
Let yourself settle comfortably into the chair or your seat.
In a moment,
I will guide you slowly through each group of muscles in the body,
From the soles of your feet all the way up to your face and the crown of your head.
As we go,
I'll invite you to gently tighten and then release each area.
With each release,
Your body will grow a little heavier,
A little calmer,
A little more relaxed.
If your mind wanders,
Just bring your attention gently back as soon as you notice that you've wandered off,
And know that this can happen,
And that it's perfectly ok,
And if you begin to drift off before we reach the end,
That's perfectly ok too.
After the muscle relaxation,
I'll guide you through a gentle imagery exercise to help deepen your rest even further,
And then soft,
Soothing sounds will carry you quietly through the night,
So that if you have fallen asleep,
You won't be startled awake.
So,
When you're ready,
Let's begin.
Gently close your eyes,
If they aren't already closed.
Take a slow,
Easy breath in through your nose,
And let it out slowly through your mouth.
Let your body soften just a little.
Let your arms rest wherever they feel most comfortable,
By your sides,
Or gently resting on your body,
And let your legs fall naturally a little apart.
Take another slow breath in,
And release,
Letting your belly and chest drop gently.
From this point on,
You don't need to direct your breathing,
Just allow it to flow at its own natural rhythm.
Notice the weight of your body,
Feel the surface beneath you supporting you completely.
You don't have to hold yourself up,
You can let go.
Right now,
You can let the surface beneath you hold all of your weight,
And as you breathe in and out,
In and out,
Allow yourself to sink just a little deeper down into that support.
Take one more long,
Full breath in now,
Filling your chest,
Filling your belly,
And let it go,
All the way out,
Releasing anything left over from the day.
Good,
You're doing beautifully.
Now,
Let's begin.
Bring your awareness gently down to your feet,
All the way down to the very tips of your toes.
In a moment,
I'll ask you to gently curl your toes downward toward the soles of your feet,
Not forcefully,
Just a soft,
Easy squeeze,
As though you're curling your toes around something very gentle.
Ready?
Gently curl your toes down now,
Hold,
And release.
Let them go completely.
Gently,
Let your feet spread apart naturally and soften.
Notice the difference.
Your toes and the balls of your feet may feel a little warmer now,
A little tingly.
Let that sense of release spread across the whole of each foot,
Across the arch,
Through the heel,
All the way to the tip of each toe.
Let your feet grow heavier and heavier,
Warm and relaxed.
Now bring your attention up to your calves,
The backs of your lower legs.
In a moment,
I will ask you to gently flex your feet by drawing your toes back toward your shins,
Just a soft stretch along the calf,
Nothing forceful,
Nothing strained.
Gently flex your feet now,
Hold,
And let go.
That's it.
Let your feet fall back to their natural resting position.
Feel the relaxation flowing through the backs of your lower legs,
A soft,
Melting sensation.
Your calves growing heavy,
Soft,
Completely relaxed.
Now bring your awareness to your shins and ankles.
Gently point your toes away from you,
Just a soft,
Easy press,
And release.
Feel the fronts of your lower legs softening,
Your ankles releasing,
Any holding or tightness there gently dissolving,
Your feet,
Your ankles,
Your calves,
Feel heavy,
Warm,
Relaxed.
Now let your awareness drift up through your knees and into your thighs,
And very gently press the backs of your thighs downward,
As though softly pressing them into the surface beneath you.
That's it.
Just a light,
Easy engagement.
And release.
Good.
Let them soften completely.
Feel those large muscles melting and releasing.
Now gently squeeze the front of your thighs,
Just lightly.
Your thighs are softening and sinking more and more into the support beneath you.
Now bring your awareness to your hips and the muscles of your bottom.
Gently squeeze the muscles of your glutes together,
Just softly,
And release.
Let them soften and spread.
Notice any holding in your hips,
Any tightness in the hip flexors,
And just allow that entire area to let go.
There's nothing to hold.
Nothing to brace against.
Your glutes and your hips grow softer and softer,
Sinking down,
Heavy,
Warm,
And relaxed.
Your toes,
Feet,
Knees,
Hips,
And glutes feel so heavy,
Warm,
And relaxed.
You're doing beautifully.
Now let your awareness rest on your lower belly.
This is an area where we hold so much tension,
Especially when we're stressed or anxious.
So let's give it some special attention.
So take a slow,
Easy breath in,
And let your belly rise gently with the breath.
Don't force it.
Just allow it to rise naturally.
And breathe out,
Letting your belly fall,
Letting it soften.
Now this time,
Gently draw your lower belly in,
Just a very light,
Easy contraction.
And release.
That's it.
Let your belly go completely soft.
Feel the skin of your belly soften,
The muscles inside releasing.
Any tension or holding,
Gently unwinding.
Breathe in,
Letting your belly rise,
And breathe out,
Letting it fall.
Completely soft,
Completely at ease.
Now,
Bring your attention to your lower back.
The lower back carries so much.
The physical strain of the day,
The weight of stress and worry.
So we'll just take a moment here to release all of that.
So very gently,
Press your lower back into the surface beneath you.
Again,
Just a soft engagement.
That's it.
Let your lower back soften and settle.
Now just take a moment to notice any areas of tightness or discomfort in your lower back.
Don't try to fix or change anything.
Just notice.
And breathe gently into that area.
And imagine a gentle,
Spreading warmth moving through your lower back.
Like a soft,
Perfect heat,
Melting the muscles.
Just softening and letting go.
Now,
Take a slow breath in,
Letting your belly and the sides of your ribcage expand.
And breathe out.
Feel your lower back settle a little deeper into the surface.
Now,
Let your awareness travel slowly up your spine,
Through the middle back,
All the way up to the space between the shoulder blades.
Very gently,
Draw your shoulder blades toward each other.
That's it.
Just a slight,
Soft squeeze.
As if you're holding something very delicate between them.
Hold.
And release.
That's it.
Let your shoulder blades drift apart and relax.
Feel the muscles along your spine softening.
Each vertebra settling.
Your whole back released from any effort or holding.
Your back is completely at rest.
Completely supported.
Completely relaxed.
Now,
Bring your awareness to your chest.
Take a slow,
Full breath in,
Letting your chest rise and expand.
Hold.
And breathe out slowly.
That's it.
Feeling your chest soften.
Full breath in.
Fall and release.
Feel your heart beating gently and steadily.
Notice the warmth there.
Let your chest be completely at ease.
No holding.
No bracing.
Just soft,
Open,
Relaxed.
Your entire torso.
Your belly.
Your back.
Your chest.
Completely soft now.
Completely at rest.
Now,
Let your awareness travel all the way down your arms,
And into your hands and fingers.
And in a moment,
I will ask you to very gently make a soft fist with both hands.
Just a gentle,
Easy squeeze.
Not tight,
Not strained.
Ready?
Gently squeeze your hands now.
And open them.
That's it.
Let your fingers spread wide.
And then allow them to curl naturally back into a loose,
Easy,
Resting position.
Feel the palms of your hands soften.
A warm,
Tingling sensation spreading through your hands.
Your hands are heavy now.
Warm.
Completely relaxed.
Let that heaviness and warmth spread all the way to the tip of each finger.
Now,
Bring your awareness up to your forearms and wrists.
Gently draw your fingertips back toward your face.
Just a soft,
Easy stretch through the forearms.
Let your hands fall back to their natural resting position.
Feel the muscles of your forearms releasing.
Any tightness from the day's work just melting away.
Now,
Let your awareness drift up to your upper arms.
Gently engage those muscles.
Just a light flexing,
As if you're about to lift something very light.
And now release.
That's it.
Let them go completely soft.
Let your elbows soften.
We often hold tension there without realizing it.
Just let them rest.
Let them be.
Now,
Your attention moves to your shoulders.
This is where so many of us carry our stress.
The weight of responsibilities,
The tension of the day.
So,
Let's give your shoulders some special care.
Very gently,
Draw your shoulders up towards your ears.
Just a gentle shrug,
Hold,
And now let them drop.
That's it.
Just let them fall.
Feel them drop down.
All the way down.
Further than they were before.
Now,
Let's do that one more time.
Gently lift your shoulders.
And now let them fall.
Completely.
Notice the space and the openness there now.
Your shoulders are completely free.
Imagine any remaining tension draining down slowly through your arms,
Through your hands,
And simply falling away.
Your arms from your shoulders all the way down to your fingertips.
Feel loose and limp.
Heavy,
Warm.
You're doing wonderful.
Now,
Let your awareness drift from your shoulders up to your neck.
And very gently,
Bring your chin down just slightly towards your chest,
Creating a soft,
Easy stretch along the back of the neck.
And just hold that for a moment.
And now return your head to a comfortable,
Neutral resting position.
That's it.
Feel the muscles at the back of your neck softening.
The sides of your neck releasing.
And the front of your throat completely at ease.
And if it feels comfortable,
Just allow your head to find its own perfect resting position.
Nothing forced.
Just letting gravity and gravity alone determine where it settles.
Now breathe in gently.
Hold briefly.
And breathe out slowly.
And as you exhale,
Your neck grows softer and softer.
More and more relaxed.
Now bring your awareness to your jaw.
Let your teeth part slightly.
Just a small,
Easy gap between your upper and lower teeth.
Let your lips rest lightly together or gently apart.
Whichever feels more comfortable.
Notice if you've been holding any tension in your jaw.
And just let it go.
That's it.
Let your jaw hang heavy and loose.
Now very gently press your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
And just hold it.
And now release it.
Let your tongue rest softly on the floor of your mouth.
Heavy,
Relaxed.
And let that softness spread through your chin,
Your cheeks,
The corners of your mouth.
Now let your awareness drift to the areas around your eyes.
Allow your eyelids to feel heavy.
Gently resting.
Not pressed shut.
Just draped closed.
Like the softest velvet curtain drawn across the light.
Let your muscles around your eyes soften.
And your eyelids relax.
Now bring your attention to your forehead.
Notice if there are any lines of tension there.
Any gripping or holding.
Allow them to soften.
Imagine your forehead becoming smooth.
Completely calm.
Let the skin of your forehead release.
Let the muscles beneath it relax.
Feel your temples soften.
That area just beside your eyes,
Releasing any last tension.
Your whole face is smooth,
Soft.
And finally,
Let your awareness drift all the way to your forehead.
All the way up over the top of your head to your scalp.
Feel a warm,
Gentle heaviness settling at the very crown.
And this warmth allows the skin across your scalp to soften and spread.
And your head feels very heavy and relaxed.
And now,
Let's turn our attention inward.
And comb through the body and see if you can let go of any lasting traces of tension.
From the top of your head.
Down through your face.
Across your shoulders.
Down your arms.
Down through your hands.
All the way down through the fingers.
And now down your chest.
Your belly.
The length of your back.
Down the thighs.
The calves.
And all the way down to the very tips of your toes.
And if there's any tension in any of these areas,
Feel free to give it one more gentle squeeze.
And then holding briefly.
And then letting it go.
Just take a few moments now to do that for yourself.
Your entire body,
From head to toe,
Feels heavy,
Warm,
And peacefully relaxed.
Well done,
My friend.
You have done this beautifully.
Take a moment now to enjoy this wonderful,
Relaxing moment.
This wonderful feeling of deep relaxation and calm within yourself.
You deserve it.
I'd like to invite you to come somewhere with me.
Somewhere beautiful.
Somewhere completely safe.
Somewhere where the only thing asked of you is to simply let go.
Imagine that you're lying down in the most comfortable,
Peaceful place you've ever known.
Perhaps it's a wide cushioned window seat.
With soft pillows all around you,
And a warm,
Light blanket draped gently across your body.
Perhaps it's a cozy bed,
Tucked beneath the eaves of an old cottage,
With low ceilings and warm,
Wooden beams above you.
So whatever feels most comforting to you,
Let that be your place.
It is evening,
And outside it has begun to rain.
Not a storm,
Nothing fierce or unsettling.
Just the most beautiful,
Gentle,
Steady rain.
You can hear it.
The soft,
Rhythmic patter of raindrops on the window glass beside you.
The quiet drumming on the roof above.
Steady and even,
And deeply,
Deeply soothing.
The gentle,
Rushing sound as the rain finds the leaves of the trees outside,
Moving through them like a whisper.
And beneath it all,
There's a low,
Continuous sound of rain.
A continuous,
Beautiful hush.
Like the whole world has grown quiet beneath the rain.
Like the whole world is resting.
Completely,
Perfectly warm.
And this rain cannot touch you here.
Yet,
You feel entirely a part of it.
Held within its sound.
Cradled within its rhythm.
And as you relax here,
Breathing in and breathing out,
With every breath,
Imagine that you're releasing something.
Something you no longer need to carry.
Perhaps it is the tension from your body.
Perhaps it is the weight of the day.
Perhaps it is the conversations replaying in your mind.
Whatever it is,
Just let the sound of the rain carry it away.
Breathing in.
Just listen to the rain.
Feel the rain move through you like a warm,
Cleansing wave.
Washing through your chest,
Through your belly,
Down through your arms and your legs.
And all the way to the tips of your fingers and the soles of your feet.
Rinsing away any lasting trace of tension.
Any last fragment of stress or worry or wakefulness.
Carrying it all gently,
Softly.
Your body is so heavy now.
So wonderfully heavy.
As though the rain has gently weighted every part of you.
Your arms,
Your legs,
Even your eyelids,
Into the deepest,
Most blissful stillness.
There is nothing to do.
Nowhere to go.
No problems to solve.
No thoughts that need your attention right now.
Just the rain.
Just the warmth.
Just this beautiful,
Endless,
Steady sound holding you.
The rain continues to fall.
Steadily.
Softly.
Rhythmically.
Like a lullaby.
Just sound.
Just rhythm.
Carrying you gently towards sleep.
A constant,
Gentle companion through the night.
It will be here as you drift.
It will be here as you sleep.
Feel yourself sinking down.
Deeper into the warmth.
Deeper into the comfort.
Deeper into the soft,
Steady sound of the rain.
Deeper and deeper still.
Like a leaf.
Settling slowly and gently down.
Through still,
Clear water.
Coming to rest at last on the softest bed below.
There is no effort here.
No trying.
Just falling naturally into sleep.
Let the rain carry you now.
Let it wash over you.
And through you.
And all around you.
Carrying you softly.
Tenderly.
All the way into the deepest,
Most peaceful sleep.
You are safe.
And you are already drifting.
Drifting deeper and deeper still into the softest,
Most blissful sleep.
