Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Here is a nice script for a Progressive Muscle Relaxation Meditation.  Until you learn it, this is nice to have someone read to you as you relax on your back.  Feet wide, arms about a foot from your sides, palms upward. Lift your chest and tuck your shoulder blades under using the floor to pin them open slightly.  Adjust the back of your neck, lengthening the back of your neck toward the floor.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Take a deep breath in through your nose… pause for a few seconds…and exhale through your mouth with a sigh, sticking your tongue out and turning your eyes upward.

Take another deep breath through your nose and exhale relax.  Pay attention to your body and how it feels…. Start with your feet… pull your toes back (some like to curl their toes briefly, then pull your toes back again), stretch them wide apart, and hold… now relax and exhale…let your feet go limp…feel the tension flow out of your feet like water.

Move on to your lower leg, Take a nice big inhale as you pull the top of your feet toward your shin pushing through your heels, now exhale and relax.

Now your entire leg — Inhale pull your toes back, pull your foot back and hug your thighs muscles tight to your bones as you push through your heels and toes … exhale and relax it all

Tune in a moment and notice the difference between the tension and relaxation in your legs and then in your body.

Moving on to your hands; make a fist as you inhale, exhale and release, give your hands a little shake.

Using your whole arm make like a bicep curl and pull your forearm toward your shoulder with a big inhale, squeeze it like you are showing off a big muscle for a second … now relax with your exhale

Glutei, push your heels down into the floor lifting your hips up slightly, squeeze and tighten your buttocks with an inhale, exhale and relax

Inhaling, pull your shoulder blades toward your spine, trying to almost touch them together, so that your chest is pushed forward … Exhale and relax allow your shoulder blades to fall to their anatomical position using the floor to keep them slightly pinned open.

Relax and take a big belly breath and a drawn out exhale. 

Again take a deep inhale and expand your abdomen in all directions — sip in a little more air… and now as you exhale this time keep a little tension and exhale all the way into your uddiyana bandha-pulling your navel to your spine, exhale and hold a second … relax and breathe allowing your stomach to rise and fall easily.

Take another deep inhale and fill your chest and ribs with your breath, Inhale a little more! … hold and feel your rib cage expand in all directions especially feeling expansion in your back ribs …. now relax with a big exhale.

Neck and shoulders, here be careful not to add tension — inhale and shrug your shoulders up toward your ears, exhale and push them down low, pause and keep pushing down … Relax.  Find a comfortable position for your shoulder blades and neck.

Inhale and open your mouth wide (the inhale might come through your mouth with this -its ok just once 😉 stretching the hinges of your jaw, stick out your tongue … exhale and relax keeping teeth parted and tongue resting gently on the roof of your mouth.

Squeeze your eyes, pucker your face, make kissy lips, relax with a big inhale and a little smile.

Raise your eyebrows as high as you can … exhale and relax allowing your eyebrows to slide apart. Relax your jaw,  Relax your tongue, let it recede a little.

Feel the body’s physical structure – the bones and muscles.  How do they feel?  Are they evenly spaced and balanced.  Are your hip bones pressing into the floor in a similar way.  How about your heel bones?  Are you fairly symmetrical?

Perform a little body scan. 

Are you clenching anywhere? Do your eyes hurt from staring at electronic devices all day? Is there aching anywhere? Throbbing? Tightness?

If you feel tightness or bruising or discomfort anywhere focus on that area.  Inhale deeply, send your breath to that part of your body expanding it with an inhale, send your breath as a healing balm searching out the subtle tensions, with your exhale send the tensions and tightness out of your body.

Now withdraw from the world, feel your bones, your body sink deeper.  As you relax your bones will feel heavy and sink into the floor.  Imagine yourself swimming peacefully, underwater just beneath the surface of the water, its is very calm.  You can see turbulence on the the surface of the water, but it does not disturb you.  

Fill your entire body with relaxation.  

Bring your attention to your heart and inhale, filling it peace, centeredness, and calm.

 

Comments are closed.