Hello and welcome to this radically open DBT-based skill of tensing and releasing muscles.
We will practice intentionally tightening muscle groups for a few seconds,
Releasing the tension and noting the relaxation.
To begin,
Sit in a comfortable position,
Legs and arms uncrossed,
With no body part supporting the weight of another.
Now,
Bringing into focus your toes and feet.
We will start by curling our toes in towards our heels.
Hold.
And now release.
Taking a breath.
Next is our lower legs and calves.
With the balls of your feet on the ground,
Lift your heels up,
Noticing the tension created in our calf muscles.
And now release.
Take a breath.
Moving to our upper legs,
Squeeze your knees together,
Noticing tension in your legs.
You can choose to lift your legs up a bit to tense more of the upper leg.
And now release.
Take another breath.
Now for our glutes.
Squeeze your glutes together,
Tuck your tailbone.
Note the tension created.
And now release the tension.
Taking a big deep breath in,
And releasing the breath.
Next is our belly.
Flex your abdominal muscles,
Imagining them wrapping from your waist in towards your belly button.
Hold for a moment.
And release.
Taking another deep breath here.
Bring your attention to your upper body.
Hold the back of your shoulder blades together,
Creating space in the front of your chest.
Now take a breath in this position,
Holding the breath and creating more tension in your chest.
Release the breath.
Roll out the shoulders.
Moving to our arms,
Flexing both arms.
Hold this position for a moment.
And now release.
Take a breath.
We will now move to our facial area,
Beginning with our jaw.
Beginning with our jaw,
Tilt your head up and push out your bottom jaw.
And now smile,
Pulling your lips and cheeks upward.
Release and take a breath.
Next,
Open your mouth as wide as you can.
Hold.
And now release.
Take a breath.
Now scrunch your face together,
Wrinkling everything in towards the center of your face.
Release and take a breath.
Lastly,
Lift your eyebrows in a surprised expression.
Hold for a moment.
And release.
Take a deep breath here.
If you find it helpful,
Stretch or wiggle out any muscles that you noticed are still carrying tension.
Thank you for joining and completing this muscle relaxation exercise.
