Progressive Relaxation Process
How to reduce tension - This popular exercise can be a great tool for you to
use to control tension and enhance relaxation in both your mind and body.
Step by Step Instructions
It will probably be most useful to you if you or a friend would tape record
the following exercise and listen to it rather than to just try to read and
remember the various parts of the exercise. Or better yet have someone read it
to you. One of the main activities suggested in this exercise involves
alternatively tensing and relaxing muscle groups. Put enough tension into the
muscles to make them tense, but not enough to cause pain. Feeling pain means
that you are tensing too much.
Before we begin, note how you feel. Any areas of stiffness or
tightness, any aches or pains? Do you feel tense or keyed up? These feeling will
give you a point of reference to contrast with feeling at the conclusion of the
relaxation process.
A Progressive Relaxation exercise
Settle back, lay down if the situation allows
and get as comfortable as you possibly can. Close your eyes gently. Start with a
Focused Breathing routine. Tune in to your breathing. (Pause)
Notice it's pace and rhythm. (Pause)
Take another breath, a deep breath fully expanding your lungs this time,
exhale slowly letting yourself feel completely calm, peaceful, comfortable and
relaxed. (Pause)
Now slowly one finger at a time starting with your little finger clench one
hand into a fist. Clench it tighter and tighter and study the tension.
Keep it clenched and feel the tension in your fingers, hand, and forearm. Count
slowly to ten (Short Pause)
Now let your hand relax and go limp, allowing your fingers to become loose.
Notice the contrast between the feeling of tension and now the feeling of
relaxation. (Short Pause)
Now the other hand, slowly one finger at a time starting with your little
finger clench your hand. Clench it tighter and tighter and study the
tension. Keep it clenched and feel the tension in your fingers, hand, and
forearm. Count slowly to ten (Short Pause)
Now let your hand relax and go limp, allowing your fingers to become loose.
Your fingers Notice the contrast between the feeling of tension and now the
feeling of relaxation. (Short Pause)
Let your whole body go and relax even more completely. (Short Pause)
Now bend both of your elbows and tense your biceps. Tense them hard until
they almost quiver. Hold them tight and count slowly to ten, notice each area of
tension, your forearm, the biceps, feel the areas of tension.
Now slowly.... let your arms straighten out and drop gently to your sides.
go limp, your arms feel heavy and warm. Feel the tension leave your muscles, and
experience relaxation that replaces the tension. Let the feeling flow and spread
into the rest of your body so that you feel peaceful and calm. Feel the
heaviness of your fingers and arms (Pause)
Now we will release the stored stress in your face muscle, forehead and Jaw.
Raise your eyebrows up a far as you can and hold the tension, count to five. Now
slowly relax the forehead by lowering your eyebrows while exhaling.
For your eyes, squeeze the eyelids tightly together. Hold the tension. Now
relax.
Tighten your jaw muscles, bite down and hold your teeth together tightly.
Feel the tension along the jaw and into the neck. Count to 5 Exhale slowly and
relax. Your face feels relaxed and heavy.
Focus all your attention on your neck, your shoulders, and your upper back.
Move your head to one side and tense your neck muscle slowly count to 5, Relax
and move your head to the other side and tense your neck muscle slowly count to
5, Relax
Raise your shoulders as high as you can and feel the tension in your
neck, your shoulders, your upper back.Hold that and count slowly to 10 and
exhale slowing and drop your shoulders with your breath. Hold that
tension, count slowly to ten.
Take a deep breath and hold it while at the same time trying to touch your
shoulder blades together by pulling your arms back when you need to breathe
exhale slowly and relax with your breath.
Now tighten your stomach muscle pull in as if trying to touch your backbone
with stomach. Slowly Count to 10 exhale and relax your stomach.
Now arch your back feel tension along the spine. Hold for a count of 10,
slowly lower your back exhale and relax.
Now raise your leg up an inch or two in the air hold it till you feel a
slight tremor. Your thigh is getting tired, Now exhale and lower the leg. Now do
the same thing with the left leg and relax.
Now point your toes stretch them as level with your body as you can visualize
that you are on your tiptoes, feel the tension spread up the back of the legs.
Now relax them and let them lay naturally.
Last bend your toes up as if pointing towards your head, feel the
tension around the feet and ankles. Once again, relax
Think about your fingers on one hand, they feel heavy, your arm it is relaxed
and heavy try to lift it. Relax it. Continue to your other arm, Your head, it
too is heavy your neck relax try to lift is slightly and then exhale and relax
it even deeper. Slowly Continue down your body, your shoulders feel their
weight think about their weight, and your back.
Now with one leg see how heavy it feels try to lift it slightly now relax it.
Now the other leg notice how heavy it feels now relax it.
Now if you want to sleep let your self mind and body drift off, you can also
mentally go though the process without moving to assist the drifting off
process.
Arouse yourself and end the process Take a deep quick breath, wiggle your
toes and open your eyes. when you do so you will feel refreshed and calm.
Combine this exercise with one of our herbal heat pillows for an extremely
deep sense of comfort...
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