Progressive Muscle Relaxation
When you’re driving your life too fast for long periods of time, your StressOmeter Needle will constantly be in the orange/red zone of high stress.
However, each time you practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation you’ll become more aware of where you are on the StressOmeter. This awareness will enable you to hit the pause button, relax, enter silence and find the green zone of peace.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Simple Version
Lie in Savasana or sit in Easy Posture.
Tense and release muscles in this order…
- Forehead
- Eyes
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Abs
- Right arm
- Left arm
- Right leg
- Left leg
- Right foot
- Left foot
- Whole body
Finish by focusing on belly breathing.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Long Version
First, tense all of the muscles of the face, including forehead, cheeks, mouth, and upper neck. Then release with full awareness.
You will notice the relaxation.
Gently roll the head from side to side, with awareness of the tightening muscles, and the feeling of release.
Tighten the shoulders, pulling them upwards and forwards. Then release.
Tense the entire right arm, from the shoulder down through the fingers. Do this without making a fist or lifting your arm off of the floor. Allow your attention to be deep inside the arm, not just on the surface. Then release slowly, with awareness.
Tense the left arm in the same way, and observe the release.
Gently tense the muscles of the chest and the abdomen, while continuing to breathe without holding the breath. Then release.
Tense and release the right hips and the buttocks.
Tense and release the right leg, down through the feet and toes in the same way that the right arm was tensed and released.
Tense and release the left hips and buttocks.
Tense and release the left leg.
While no longer tensing any muscles, allow your attention to drift back up through the legs, through the abdomen and chest, through the arms, and back to the face.
Modifications
Cover yourself with a blanket.
Sit in a chair.
Lie on a bolster.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFwCKKa–18
