A Simple Practice - Tense & Release

This technique utilises progressive muscle relaxation, tensing and releasing particular parts of the body. This is very helpful when you are feeling stressed and reactive (sympathetic state) to help you release some tension, making you feel more in control and relaxed.

If you enjoyed this technique, you might also find these helpful:
A Simple Practice - Finger Taps
A Simple Practice - Figure Of 8

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Transcript

Hello, Welcome, Thank you for joining me for this simple technique. I hope you find it supportive today. So, Getting yourself into a comfortable position, You can do this sitting, Standing or lying down, The choice is yours. You can adapt it to whatever environment you're in, Don't overthink it. And I just want you to gently, Quite strongly, Clench your hands into fists. Just clench and clench and clench and clench, Just hold and hold and then release. Just allow your hands to completely release and drop down. Notice the sensations in your hand, Your fingers, Is there any pulsing or moving? There's no right or wrong, I just want you to notice. We're going to do that again, So clench your fingers and hands into fists. Hold and release and just let them drop. Let them drop down, Notice any sensations. Now, If it feels good to, I want you to do the same with your feet. I want you to clench your toes and your feet up into a tight ball, As tight as you can. Yes, Perfect, Tight, Tight, Tight and release. And again, Tight, Tight, Tight, Tight, Tight, Tensing your feet, Feet, Feet and release. That's beautiful, Well done. Just notice any sensations, Notice how it feels. And then a bit of a cheeky one, I want you to do the same with your hips and your bum. Right, So clench and tighten your hip area and your bum as tight as you can, Just really, Really clench, Clench, Clench. We have a lot of emotion and tension in this area, So just really pull it in, Pull it in and release. And when you're ready, I want you to do that again, But take your time. Tensing when you're ready, Just bringing in that tension. Tight, Tight, Tight, Tight, Tight and release. Just letting your body relax, Allowing your bum and your hips to release completely. You might want to wiggle them out or something, Just allow your body to do what feels good for it in this moment. And then if you want to, You can join me by finishing by scrunching up your face. You may have already been doing this without thinking about it, As you tighten the other areas. And of course, If you're somewhere public and don't want to, You can skip this part. But if you're with me, I want you to scrunch up your face. I want you to pull your eyebrows down into a frown and clench your jaw and teeth and just clench, Clench, Clench, Clench and let go and let it release down. And then finally, I want you just to clench your whole body in any way that feels good. So that could be up the arms, The legs, The chest, The torso, The face again, The abdomen and of course your bum and hips. Just allow your whole body to tense in a way. Holding, Just keeping that tension and releasing. Allow your whole body to relax. Well done. Just allow your body to just feel the shift in the energy. Allow yourself a couple of deep breaths, Just to notice the sensations that that tensing and releasing has caused. Beautiful. Thank you so much for joining me for a session of tense and release. I look forward to having you back here again soon. Have a beautiful day.

Reviews

Love the process of tense and release. I wish there had been a conclusion that explained a little about the intentions of the practice. Thank you. I’m enjoying all of your Simple practices I’ve tried.