Progressive muscle relaxation.
Get comfortable.
Allow yourself to relax.
You can either sit or stand for this practice.
Becoming self-aware.
One way of doing this is to notice how you are holding your body in this moment.
As you do this,
Maybe get a sense of gratitude for this body that has been with you from the very first day you were born.
All of the experiences that it's been through,
The tough times and the triumphs.
You may like to say thank you in your mind.
Now we're ready for progressive muscle relaxation.
Start by curling your toes under and tensing your feet and your calves.
Curling your toes under.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
Now flex your feet by pulling your toes upwards towards you.
Feel the tension in your calves.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
Now tighten your left thigh by straightening your left leg and pointing your toes so that your left thigh muscle feels stiff.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
Now tighten your right thigh by straightening your right leg and pointing your toes so that your right thigh muscle feels stiff.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
And now in this relaxed state,
Appreciating what it feels like with your legs,
Your feet,
Nice and relaxed in this moment.
And continuing.
Now tightening your buttocks.
Feel the tension in your hips.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
Feel your hips relax.
Now gently arch your lower back.
Feel the muscles in your spine tighten.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
Feeling that relaxation and the tension dissolve.
Now tightening the muscles of the stomach by sucking your stomach in towards your spine.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release the tension.
And now tightening your chest.
Do this by taking a very deep breath in and hold this breath.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release.
Now tense your upper back.
Do this by pulling your shoulder blades back.
Try to make your shoulder blades touch together.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release.
Now lift your shoulders up as high as they can go as though they are touching your ears.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Let your shoulders drop.
Release the tension nice and loose,
Nice and heavy.
Now tighten your triceps,
The back of your arms by extending your arms out and locking your elbows.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release.
Now flex your upper arms,
The biceps,
Both together.
Ready?
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Relax,
Appreciating relaxation in your arms in this moment.
Now tightly clench both fists.
Ready?
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release.
Connecting to your out-breath,
Beautiful.
Seeing what it feels like,
Any sensations in your arms,
Appreciating the relaxation in your back,
Your chest,
Your belly.
Nice and soft,
Nice and relaxed.
Okay now gently pull your head back as far as comfortable,
Looking up to the ceiling.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and feel the weight of your head and neck as you relax.
Now tighten your eye muscles by squinting your eyelids tight.
Ready?
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release.
Now smile as wide as you can.
It's okay,
No one can see you.
Ready?
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Feel the softness in your face.
And now raise your eyebrows as high as you can.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five and release.
Relax around your forehead,
Your face,
Nice and relaxed.
Gently recalling that sense of why you came to this practice.
As I asked you at the beginning,
You care about something.
What do you care about in this moment?
And now getting a sense of the fact that in practicing this,
This was an act of self-care.
