Hello self-care warriors!
Today we have a deep muscle relaxation called progressive muscle relaxation.
This is a valuable adjunct to your self-care and while it's not a substitute for medical care,
It is a complementary approach to working with your doctor and learning how to get more comfortable and aware of your body.
It was initially designed by a South African doctor who basically talked about the distinction between rest and relaxing and if you have difficulty with tense muscles or stress,
Learning how to consciously relax your body can be very helpful.
Now as you progress through this,
If you have an injury,
When you get to that part of the progressive muscle relaxation,
Just acknowledge that part of your body,
Say hello,
I know you're healing,
We'll come back to you later,
And then just move on to another muscle group.
So basically this is an exercise that relaxes your mind and your body by progressively tensing and relaxing muscle groups throughout your entire body.
You'll tense each muscle group vigorously but without straining.
Just find that appropriate line for you.
If you have any pain or discomfort in any of the muscle groups,
Just feel free to omit that step or decrease the pressure or as I mentioned earlier,
Just say hello and acknowledge it.
Throughout this exercise,
You may visualize the muscles tensing and a wave of relaxation flowing over them as you release that tension.
Now it is important that you keep breathing as you do this.
It's easy to kind of hold it in so it's a practice,
It's a practice that we get better at.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable position either sitting or lying down in a location where you won't be interrupted.
And as you settle in,
Just take a few deep breaths and allow your attention to focus on your body.
If you begin to notice your mind wandering,
Just bring it back to that muscle group that you're working on.
We know minds wander.
Now let's take a deep breath through your abdomen.
Just hold for a second and exhale slowly.
As you breathe,
Just notice your stomach rising and your lungs filling with air.
As you exhale,
Imagine the tension in your body being released and flowing out of your body.
Again,
Inhale and exhale.
Feel your body already beginning to relax.
As you go through each step,
Remember to keep breathing.
Now let's begin.
Tighten the muscles in your forehead by raising your eyebrows as high as you can and just hold that for about five seconds and abruptly release that feeling.
Let that tension fall away.
And let's just pause.
Now smiling widely,
Feel your mouth and your cheeks tense.
We're going to hold that for about five seconds and then release,
Just letting that tension fall away and appreciating the softness in your face.
Next,
Tighten your eye muscles by squinting your eyelids tightly shut.
Next,
Tighten your eye muscles by squinting your eyelids tightly shut.
Just hold that and then release.
Gently pull your head back as though you're looking at the ceiling and let's just hold it there for a moment.
And then release it back to your natural posture,
Feeling the tension melting away.
Now feel the weight of your relaxed head and neck just sink down and breathe in and out,
In and out.
Let go of all the stress melting away,
In and out.
Now tightly,
But without straining,
Clench your fist and hold this position until I say stop.
And release.
Let the tension drip out of your fingers.
Now flex your biceps,
That muscle between your elbow and your shoulder.
Feel a buildup of tension.
You can even visualize that muscle tightening.
Just hold that and release.
Just enjoy that feeling of limpness,
That relaxation.
Breathe in.
Breathe in.
Now tighten your triceps by extending your arms out and locking your elbows.
Now lift your shoulders up as if they can touch your ears.
And release,
Feeling their heaviness and then their lightness.
And just breathe,
Just naturally.
Now we're going to tense your upper back by pulling your shoulders back and trying to make your shoulder blades touch.
We'll just hold that position and release.
Just breathe naturally.
On your next inhale,
We're going to tighten your chest by taking a deep breath in.
Just breathe in and hold.
Breathe in and hold.
Let go and relax and just breathe naturally.
Now tighten the muscles in your stomach by sucking in.
Just hold and release,
Feeling the gentle relaxation and just breathe naturally.
Now arch your lower back.
So if you're lying down,
That means pulling your stomach up towards the ceiling.
And if you're sitting,
That means moving it towards a wall.
And if you're sitting,
That means moving it towards a wall.
So just hold that arch and relax.
Breathe in and out just naturally.
Now we're going to tighten our bum.
Just hold that for about five seconds and release.
Just feel the tension dripping away.
Now we're going to tighten our thighs between our bum and our knees.
And we're going to press those knees together to do that,
Just as though you're holding a penny between them.
And release.
Now we're going to flex our toes.
This will flex our feet and we'll pull our toes upward and feel the tension in our calves.
Hold and relax.
And then feel that weight of your legs sinking down,
Dripping towards the floor.
And now we're going to curl your toes under,
Tensing your feet,
But not too hard.
And just hold that and release.
Just breathe naturally.
Now imagine a wave of relaxation slowly spreading through your body,
Beginning at your head and going all the way down to your feet.
And just feel that calm heaviness of your relaxed body.
Your body does so much for you,
Carrying you wherever you want to go.
And just breathe in and out.
And when you're ready,
Just slowly come back to your day.
