Welcome to this progressive muscle relaxation session.
This meditation will help you relax your entire body.
We will focus on a muscle group at one time and you will tense this area and then relax it.
I will guide you.
First get very relaxed,
Preferably lying down if you can.
Having your head resting softly on a pillow,
Laying on your back,
Take a deep breath in to center yourself in the moment,
Listening to the air coming in and the air going out.
Breathe in through your nose and hear the sound of the oxygen entering your lungs.
Breathing out and just relaxing,
Fully present in the moment.
When you focus on your breath you can't help but be in the moment.
If you haven't already,
Close your eyes and just become aware of your body.
Bringing attention to your arms,
The right arm and the left arm.
Bringing your focus now to the legs,
Your right leg,
Your left leg.
Allow for your attention to go to the belly and now the chest.
Feel your back pressing against the surface below.
Your head is heavy on the pillow.
Good.
Now we will begin our progressive muscle relaxation technique.
It will consist of three rounds of tension and release.
I will guide you through different areas of your body and all you need to do is tense and release the muscles.
Every time you make tension with purpose you know that you are going to release which takes away even more tension.
Let's begin by tensing our right hand into a fist.
Make a fist with your right hand and squeeze it.
Squeeze as hard as feels good for you and now open the hand and let the muscles relax.
Now tense your hand again by making a fist,
Holding,
Tensing and now open the fingers and let the hand completely relax.
One more time tense your right hand,
Holding your fingers tight together and then let it go.
Opening the hand.
Do you notice a difference with how the right hand feels compared to your left hand?
Let's do the same thing with our left hand now.
Make a fist and hold it tight.
Tense,
Tense and open and relax.
Limp and loose.
Again,
Clench your fist,
Tensing,
Tensing and open the hand.
Now let it relax.
One more time make a fist and hold it tight with your left hand.
Relaxing the muscles now.
Let your hand become open and loose.
Wonderful!
Notice how both hands are feeling right now.
Let's continue this technique with the legs now.
Take your right leg and begin to tense it,
Curling the toes,
Squeezing the quad.
Tense your leg.
Make all of your muscles become tight and then just let them go.
Stretching your leg back out,
Letting your toes be loose and again tense your leg.
Activate all of the muscles in your right leg.
Squeeze that tension.
Hold it hard for a few seconds and then let all of that tension go.
One last time,
Tense the muscles in your right leg only,
Curling the toes,
Flexing the foot,
Squeezing your hamstrings and let go of that tension.
Feel as softness comes in the place of where tension was.
Very good!
Over to the left leg now.
Tense all the muscles in your left toes,
Flexing your left foot and squeezing the leg muscles.
Hold that tension and now let it go.
Good!
Again,
Begin to tense all of the muscles in your left leg,
Squeezing your muscles to activate and then let go.
One last time,
Tense all of the muscles in your left leg.
Hold the tension and then let it go.
Notice how your legs feel right now.
Does the left one feel any different than the right?
Now we will take this same method to the abdomen.
Squeeze your belly,
Tensing all of the muscles here in your abdomen.
Imagine that you are pulling the belly button down towards the spine.
Hold this tension for a few moments and then relax your belly.
This action is bringing blood flow into your digestive system.
Go ahead and squeeze all of the muscles here,
Making your abdomen tight and firm and loose and limp now.
One last time,
Squeeze your abdomen,
Feel it pulling in tight,
Holding that tension.
Squeeze and now release.
How did this exercise affect you?
Notice any differences you feel.
Wonderful!
You are experiencing the benefits of progressive muscle relaxation.
Let's finish your meditation with one more region,
Your face.
Begin to tense the muscles in your face in whatever way you can,
Squinching the eyes together tightly,
Pursing your lips.
Tense your face and hold the tension for a few moments and then relax.
Let all of your muscles in the face become loose,
Soft,
And again tense the muscles in your face.
Squeeze all of the tiny muscles around your eyes,
Feel tension even in your jaw,
And now let go of that tension.
Opening the jaw slightly,
Softening the eyes,
And once again tense your face,
Holding the tension,
And then release.
All of the muscles in your face feel so relaxed.
Well done!
Open your eyes now and continue on your day feeling much more relaxed.
