Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Finding yourself a comfortable place to relax,

A place where you feel safe and are least likely to be disturbed by the sounds or presence of others.

This is your time,

A time to find or to seek relaxation.

Settle yourself into a comfortable body position.

You can choose to lie down on your back,

Maybe with your arms by your side,

Perhaps with a small space between your feet.

Or perhaps you're more comfortable seated in a chair,

With your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting in your lap.

Give yourself permission to slow down and be present for the duration of this meditation.

Maybe if it feels right,

You might choose to close your eyes.

During this progressive muscle relaxation,

I will invite you to tense various muscles throughout your body.

It's important to listen to your body signals.

If you notice pain or discomfort,

Adjust the tension to what feels most helpful.

Aim to create tension through the body without straining.

There's no need to exert yourself.

Contract each muscle firmly but gently as you breathe in.

If you feel uncomfortable at any time,

Know that you can soften,

Rest in the body and breathe as you need to.

You might become aware of your breath.

Perhaps notice how your abdomen rises and falls with each movement.

I invite you to take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in through your nose.

All the way down into your stomach and hold for just a moment and then exhale through your mouth.

Allow your breath to carry all stress and tension as the air floods out of your lungs.

Taking breath as you need to,

Slowly in through the nose,

Filling your lungs completely,

Holding for a moment and releasing through your mouth.

Taking a third deep breath in,

Holding for that moment and then letting it go.

You might notice that your body has already undergone a change.

Perhaps the tension in your body has begun to loosen and subside.

Let your breathing return to its natural rhythm and soften again through the body.

Again,

Remembering as we move through the body,

You have choice.

You do not need to strain yourself,

You do not need to exert yourself.

Inviting you to contract each muscle firmly but gently as you breathe in.

Remembering you are in control and you can change your engagement at any time.

If you begin to feel uncomfortable,

Work on softening the body into the surface you are resting on,

Generating that feeling of heaviness with each out-breath.

Invite you now to bring your awareness to your feet and toes.

Breathing in through your nose and as you do so,

Gradually curl your toes up and down.

And tense the muscles in the bottom of your feet.

Holding your breath for a few seconds and then release the muscles as you breathe out.

Perhaps noticing the tension in your feet wash away as you exhale.

And noticing how different your feet feel when tensed and when they are relaxed.

Take another deep breath in,

Tensing the muscles in the soles of your feet,

Holding this position for as long as feels helpful.

And then softening,

Releasing.

Feel yourself relaxing more and more with each breath.

Your whole body feeling heavier,

Softer,

Perhaps more relaxed as each moment passes.

Take a deep breath in and tense the muscles in your thighs,

Hold for just a moment and then soften,

Release.

As you do so,

Notice how warmth perhaps changes through the body,

Perhaps a feeling of tingly.

And notice the difference in your body between tension and relaxation.

Breathe in deeply and tighten through your thighs,

Hold for a moment and soften.

Focus on letting your legs feel heavy,

Perhaps limp or loose.

You might like to take both legs,

Both feet,

Squeeze them or press your heels down into the floor or the bed.

Hold for a moment and soften,

Letting the breath leave the body,

Letting the body feel relaxed and heavy.

You might now move towards the hips,

The buttocks.

Draw in a nice deep breath and gradually tighten the muscles in your buttocks.

Hold this contraction for a few seconds and then release your breath,

Soften through the body and feel the tension leaving your muscles.

Feel them soften completely.

One more time if you choose,

Breathing in deeply,

Tightening the muscles in your buttocks,

Holding for a moment,

Softening and releasing.

You might feel your body becoming more relaxed,

Softer,

Heavier in this moment.

Choosing perhaps to take another breath,

And at this time,

Gradually tightening all of the muscles in your legs,

From your feet to your buttocks.

Do this in whichever way feels natural and comfortable for you.

Hold it and then soften.

Enjoy the sensation of release as the legs feel soft,

Heavy,

Relaxed.

You might bring your awareness now inwards towards your stomach.

Maybe draw a nice deep breath into the belly and then tighten through these muscles.

Imagine you're trying to bring your belly button down to your spine.

Release your breath,

Let your body soften.

Notice the sensation of relief that comes from letting go.

Once again,

If you choose,

Drawing in a deep breath,

Tightening through the muscles of the stomach,

Holding for a few moments,

And then letting them relax as you exhale and release the tension.

Let your breath return to its natural rhythm,

And take a moment to check in.

Where is tension sitting in the body at this moment?

You might choose to bring your awareness to the muscles in your back.

As you slowly breathe in,

You might like to imagine lengthening through your spine,

Maybe arching your back slightly,

Maybe drawing your shoulder blades down your back,

And then allow your breath to release,

Your body to soften.

Perhaps again,

Drawing in that deep breath,

Exploring tightening the muscles in your back,

Holding for a few seconds,

And then releasing and relaxing.

Allowing your attention now to move to your shoulders and the muscles in your neck.

You might slowly draw in a nice deep breath,

Pulling your shoulders up towards your ears and squeezing these muscles firmly.

Allow the breath to soften completely,

Allow these muscles,

These shoulders to drop away from the ears,

Become heavy,

Loose and limp.

One more time,

If you choose,

Pulling your shoulders up towards your ears and squeezing them firmly,

And then soften,

Breathe out,

Let the tension subside as you relax.

You might notice the feeling of heaviness in your body now,

Enjoying the feeling,

Allowing yourself to become heavier and heavier,

Feeling your body becoming more and more relaxed.

You are calm,

You are safe in this space,

You are secure,

And perhaps your body is resting.

You might like to take some time to explore tension in your arms and in your hands.

As you breathe in,

You might lift your wrists towards your shoulders,

Tighten the muscles in your upper arms,

Maybe imagine squeezing them together,

Holding the breath,

That contraction for a moment,

And then gently lowering your arms,

Breathe all the way out.

You might feel a warmth,

A tingling sensation in your muscles,

When you tighten them,

And that's okay.

Notice perhaps how relaxing it is to release that tightness,

And let the breath move the tension through the body.

Inviting you now to clench your fists,

Squeezing tight,

And then soften,

Notice the feeling of relaxation here.

Allowing your arms to rest by your sides,

Maybe noticing how heavy they feel,

Sense the tension melting away from your hands and your arms.

Finally,

Scrunching up your face for a few seconds,

Breathing in,

Squeezing your eyes shut,

Scrunching your nose,

Bringing a frown into the forehead,

And then soften,

Release.

Feel your facial muscles completely relax,

Maybe notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your face.

Perhaps now clenching in your jaw,

Breathing,

And then allow your face to soften.

You might bring a small gentle smile to the face,

And take a moment to notice the difference between tension and softening in your jaw,

Through your cheeks,

Across your forehead.

Take a moment to expand your awareness through your whole body.

If it feels right at this moment,

You might like to explore a whole body squeeze,

Generating tension through the legs,

The arms,

The torso,

Shoulders,

And face,

Tensing and squeezing,

Holding for a moment,

And then soften,

Breathing.

Allow the body to rest.

As you feel ready,

You might gently expand your awareness just into the space outside of the body,

Letting your body rest comfortably and safely in this space.

When you feel a sense of readiness,

You might like to explore bringing your awareness back into the room,

Perhaps taking a gentle stretch.

When you feel ready,

Opening your eyes.