Introduction To Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Dr. Tanya Gilbert will guide you in a step-by-step progressive muscle relaxation. The techniques shared here will teach you how to evaluate the tenson in your body starting from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet focuing on each muscle group to create complete relaxation.

Transcript

Now we're gonna try a new technique,

Progressive muscle relaxation is great for reducing stress with a method of using stress intention to reduce stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation is another effective and widely used strategy to relieve stress.

It involves two step process in which you are systematically tensing your muscles and relaxing a different muscle group in your body at the same time while you're continuing to focus on your deep breathing.

Progressive muscle relaxation has a sequence to it.

So we're gonna have a sequence where I'm gonna start from your feet and we're gonna work up to the top of your head.

Now let's get comfortable.

Make sure you're in a nice,

Stable,

Steady chair,

Bed.

You can lie down or sit with this.

I don't recommend standing.

After all,

You're gonna be causing a lot of tension to your muscles and then releasing them and letting go a lot of stress at the same time,

Which may cause you to lose your balance.

Now we're gonna take a few minutes to relax,

Breathing in and out,

Slowly and deeply.

As you did with your deep breathing exercise.

And if you did not practice the deep breathing technique,

With each of your relaxation techniques,

It involves deep,

Steady breaths.

When you are relaxed and ready to start,

I'm gonna have you to shift your attention to your right foot.

Now this may take a moment to focus and help you focus on how you feel.

You're gonna slowly tense the muscle in your right foot,

Squeezing as tightly as you can,

And then you'll hold it for the count of 10.

You'll relax your right foot and focus on the attention flowing away and the way your foot feels as it becomes limp and loose.

You will stay in this relaxed state for a moment,

Breathing deeply and slowly and steady.

Remember,

No jerking.

When you're ready to shift your attention to your left foot,

You're gonna follow the same muscle tension and release pattern.

We're gonna move slowly up through your body with your legs,

Your abdomen,

Your back,

Your neck,

Your face,

Contracting and relaxing the muscle groups as you go.

Now take a moment and get settled.

And let's begin by focusing on your breathing.

We're gonna take a deep breath and hold it for a second.

We're gonna now exhale fully and then completely and then do it again.

Full deep breaths in and out.

Let your lungs feel and your chest rise,

And then you will release and exhale slowly and then do it again.

We're only gonna do this three times.

Let's start.

Focus on your breathing.

Just take a deep breath and hold it for a second.

Now exhale.

Again,

Take a deep breath,

Feel your lungs and chest.

Now release,

Exhale.

Slowly and completely.

Let's do it one more time.

Again,

Inhale slowly,

Hold and release.

Now continue to breathe deeply and fully while you bring your awareness to your right foot.

Remember,

Breathe deeply and fully.

Now take a deep breath and hold it for a second.

Remember,

You're gonna slowly tense the muscles in your right foot,

Squeezing as tight as you can and hold it for the count of 10.

10,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Relax your right foot.

Focus on the tension flowing away and the way your foot feels as it becomes limp and loose.

Stay in this relaxed state for a moment,

Breathing deeply and slowly.

Now shift your attention to your left foot.

Slowly tense the muscles in your left foot.

Squeeze,

Squeeze,

Tight as you can.

Hold it for the count of 10.

The count of 10,

10,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Now relax your foot and feel the tension as it flows away and it becomes limp.

Now move in the same muscle tension and release sequence to your right calf.

Squeeze it tight,

Tight,

Tight.

Hold it to the count of 10,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Feel the tension as it leaves your right calf.

Keep breathing deeply and steady.

Focus to your left calf.

Squeezing those muscles tight,

Tight,

Tight,

Tight.

There you go,

You got it.

Ten,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Your right thigh is waiting.

Let's squeeze the muscles in that right thigh.

These are big muscles.

Squeeze them tight,

Tight,

Tight.

If you need to stretch your leg out to assist you in tightening your muscles,

Please feel free to do so.

Just stay safe.

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Now your left thigh,

Same sequence.

Squeeze,

Squeeze.

Oh,

That feels so good to tighten that muscle.

Tight,

Tight.

Yes,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Oh,

Here goes the big one.

Let's squeeze those hips and our buttocks at the same time.

Go for it.

Tight,

Tight,

Tight.

Yes,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Ah,

Yes,

Release.

Feel the tension as it flows into your chair,

Into your bed,

Wherever you're resting,

Your buttocks and your hips.

Feel the tension just leave your body.

Oh,

Let's keep breathing deeply and slowly and tighten up that muscle in the stomach.

Oh,

It makes for good abs with lots of practice.

Hold it,

Squeeze it,

Squeeze,

Squeeze.

Okay.

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Oh,

Release it.

Keep breathing.

Keep breathing and feel the tension as it leaves your body.

Let's squeeze our chest.

Squeeze the chest muscles tight,

Tight,

Tight.

Yes,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Just release it and feel your chest muscles just relax,

Expand as you squeeze your back.

Squeeze your back muscles,

Tighten your back muscles.

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

And relax,

Relax the back muscles.

Those are large muscles and we carry a lot of tension in our back.

Now let's focus on our right arm and hand.

Let's start and ball our fists.

Make a tight,

Tight,

Tight fist.

Squeeze it,

Squeeze your fist.

As you squeeze in your fist,

I want you to curl your arm up like you're making a muscle.

Keep breathing,

Keep breathing so you can wash away the remaining tension.

Ah,

Yes.

Six,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Now we're going to go to the next arm and hand.

But remember to keep breathing and to release those muscles slowly and steady and feel that tension as you release your clenched fist that you've held very tightly.

Now that you relax your fist and let your fingers unfold,

Letting your hand completely relax.

Again,

Clench your fist on your right arm and your left hand and curl up tight,

Tight,

Tight.

Clench tight and hold for 10 seconds.

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Now relax that fist,

Letting your fingers unfold,

Letting your arm uncurl.

Oh,

Notice,

Imagine all of the tension leaving your hands down through your fingers.

Notice the difference between the tension on the complete relaxation.

Now we're going to move into the neck and shoulders at the same time.

Remember to continue to breathe.

You have to breathe.

Breathe now as you raise your shoulders towards your ears.

Really tense your shoulders.

Hold that tension for a second.

Now gently drop your shoulders and release all that tension.

Again,

Lift those shoulders,

Hold that tension and release that tension.

Lift your shoulders again.

Hold them tight,

Tight,

Tight.

Release and let the tension flow from your shoulders all the way down through your arms,

Your fingers.

Now notice how different your muscles are feeling.

Bring your awareness to your neck.

No,

We didn't forget your neck.

Bring your awareness to your neck and to your face.

Okay,

Now squeeze really,

Really,

Really,

Really tense all of the muscles that's in your neck.

All of the muscles by making a face in your face.

Tense your neck,

Your jaw,

Your forehead.

Hold the tension,

Hold the tension.

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Release.

Let the muscles of your neck and your jaw relax.

Relax all of the lines in your forehead.

Okay,

Let's do that one more time.

Let's tense all of the muscles in your neck,

In your face and hold them.

Let's do it tight.

Oh,

Make a face.

Make the most beautiful face you can,

Squeezing all the muscles in your neck,

Your face,

Your forehead.

Hold them.

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Now release them.

Become aware of the muscles relaxing at the top of your head and around your eyes.

Let your eyes relax in their sockets,

Almost as if you were sinking or they were sinking into the back of your head.

Relax your jaw,

Your throat.

Relax all the muscles around your ears.

Feel all of the tension in your neck muscles release.

Now I want you to just sit for a few moments and scan your body for any tension that needs to be released.

Notice how your body feels when your muscles were completely relaxed.

Keep scanning your body.

Did you notice any new sensation?

How does your body feel now?

How about your state of mind?

Do you notice anything different now from when you started?

Now,

Once you go back to focusing on your breathing,

Continue to keep your eyes closed.

Let's take in three deep breaths.

Inhale.

And exhale.

Inhale.

Hold it.

And exhale.

Slowly and smoothly.

One more time.

Inhale deep.

Feel your chest rise,

Your lungs expand.

Hold it.

Now exhale.

And when you're ready,

Take your time.

You don't want to mess up and undo what you've just accomplished.

This relaxed state.

When you're ready,

You can open your eyes.

It may take a little bit to refocus on things around you.

Just be patient with yourself.

Exercise some compassion for yourself.

And carry this relaxed state on with you for the rest of your day and to your night.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation technique should be practiced often so you can develop your own rhythm.

Remember,

Practice,

Practice,

Practice until you find relaxing to be your natural state.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that can be used to help you to get to the point where you're not feeling well.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that can help you to get to the point where you're not feeling well.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that can help you to get to the point where you're not feeling well.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that can help you to get to the point where you're not feeling well.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that can help you to get to the point where you're not feeling well.

This exercise of progressive muscle relaxation is a practice that can help you to get to the point where you're not feeling well.

Reviews

Fantastic. I liked the longer holds and one side of the body at a time. Will definitely use this again. Thank you.