During this muscle relaxation exercise,
You will be asked to tense your muscles and then release.
Muscle relaxation always leads to mental calmness,
So this exercise will not only help relax your body,
But it will also help quiet your mind.
If there are any areas in your body that are prone to pain or injury,
Like your neck or your back,
You can apply less tension or you can leave these areas out altogether.
During this relaxation exercise,
You may also find your mind wandering into thoughts or worries.
This is normal.
When this happens,
Release these thoughts and relax back to the sound of my voice and focus on the exercise.
Just try to relax and follow the instructions as best as you can.
So take a moment now to settle into a comfortable position.
Go ahead and shift around until your body feels comfortable and at ease.
When you're ready,
You may close your eyes.
Now through your nose,
Take a slow deep breath in.
Hold it for a moment.
And now slowly exhale.
Notice that a feeling of relaxation can begin to develop as you breathe out.
Take another slow deep breath.
Hold.
And now let go.
With every breath,
You can allow yourself to become more relaxed.
Now one last time,
Breathe in.
Hold.
And breathe out.
Now tense your forehead by raising your eyebrows as high as you can.
As you hold this tension,
Notice where your forehead feels tense.
And now relax your forehead.
Notice how it feels to have the muscles soften to give way to relaxation.
Let all the tension drain from your forehead.
And now for your eyes and nose.
Close your eyes very tightly and wrinkle your nose.
Become aware of the tension in your eyes,
Your nose,
And the upper parts of your cheeks.
And now relax.
Notice the discomfort fade away,
Replaced by a calm and relaxed feeling.
And now your mouth and jaw.
Put your mouth into a forced smile and clench your teeth very tightly.
Your lips,
Cheeks,
And jaw should feel very tense.
And now relax those muscles.
Relax your face.
Notice the feeling as the muscles loosen.
Your teeth part slightly,
Your face and jaw become more and more relaxed.
Breathe in deeply.
Hold.
And breathe out.
Relax and let go.
Now tense the muscles of the neck and shoulders by shrugging your shoulders.
Try to touch your ears with your shoulders.
Feel the tension in your shoulders and your neck.
And now let go.
Feel your shoulders becoming much more comfortable.
Feel the relief as tension gives way to relaxation.
Now moving on to your arms.
Place the palms of your hands together and push them together.
Feel the tension in your hands,
Your arms,
And your shoulders.
Hold this position.
And now let go.
Let all the tension flow out of your forearms,
Out of your hands.
Let your hands rest comfortably at your sides,
Completely at ease.
Relax your hands,
Relax your arms,
Relax your shoulders.
Now focus on your breathing and your chest muscles.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Hold.
And now breathe out.
Feel the sense of relief in your chest as you exhale.
Again,
Breathe in deeply in through your nose.
Hold it.
Notice the tightness in your chest.
And now breathe out.
Now moving down your body.
While keeping your face,
Back,
Arms,
And chest as relaxed as you can,
Arch your back as though you have a pillow under the middle and lower parts of your back.
At the same time,
Draw your shoulder blades together as though you want them to touch your spine.
Now hold this position.
Squeeze tight.
And now let go.
Let the relaxation spread and flow deeply into the muscles of your back.
With each breath out,
Allow the relaxation to go deeper.
And now for your abdomen.
Tighten your abdomen by drawing your belly button down towards your spine.
Hold this position.
And now relax.
Soften your belly.
Feel your belly becoming more and more relaxed.
All the tension being replaced with relaxation.
Now let's begin the relaxation of your hips and legs.
Tighten your buttocks,
Your hips and legs by pressing down the heels of your feet against the surface that they're resting on.
Squeeze all these muscles.
Squeeze tight.
Feel the tension in your buttocks,
Your thighs,
Your calves.
And now release.
Feel the tension leave your buttocks,
Leave your thighs and leave your calves.
Let the relaxation spread deeper and deeper.
Now curl your toes and tighten the muscles of your feet.
Feel the tension in your feet and in your toes.
And now release.
Feel the sense of relief as tension is replaced by relaxation.
Feel yourself becoming heavier and heavier.
Now scan your entire body.
Allow your awareness to focus on each part and allow any remnants of tension to drain away.
Scan your forehead.
Relax and soften.
Around your eyes and nose,
Release and let go.
Your mouth and your jaw.
Your whole face can relax as you continue to scan your awareness down the rest of your body.
Your neck.
Relax and let go.
Your shoulders.
Your arms.
And now your chest.
Relax and soften.
Your belly.
Your hips.
Your buttocks.
Your hips.
Your back.
Your legs.
And your feet.
And now release.
Allow any remaining tension to flow down your body.
Down your legs.
Down your feet.
And now through your toes.
Relax and let go.
Feel yourself becoming more and more deeply relaxed.
You feel calm,
Secure,
At peace.
