PMR is a great technique for reducing overall body tension. As you practice
tensing and relaxing all the muscle groups in your body, you can move to
a shortened procedure, Deep Muscle Relaxation where you rapidly relax
your whole body. As you reduce the tension you carry in your body, your
whole being will feel less stress and you will enjoy increased physical
and emotional health. Here’s how to get started
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 Minutes
Here's How:
After finding a quiet place and
several free minutes to practice progressive muscle relaxation, sit
or lie down and make yourself comfortable.
Begin by tensing all the muscles
in your face. Make a tight grimace, close your eyes as tightly as
possible, clench your teeth, even move your ears up if you can. Hold
this for the count of eight as you inhale.
Now exhale and relax completely.
Let your face go completely lax, as though you were sleeping. Feel
the tension seep from your facial muscles, and enjoy the feeling.
Next, completely tense your neck
and shoulders, again inhaling and counting to eight. Then exhale and
relax.
Continue down your body,
repeating the procedure with the following muscle groups:
chest
abdomen
entire right arm
right forearm and hand
(making a fist)
right hand
entire left arm
left forearm and hand (again,
making a fist)
left hand
buttocks
entire right leg
lower right leg and foot
right foot
entire left leg
lower left leg and foot
left foot
for the shortened version, which
includes just four main muscle groups:
face
neck, shoulders and arms
abdomen and chest
buttocks, legs and feet
Quickly focusing on each group
one after the other, with practice you can relax your body like
‘liquid relaxation’ poured on your head and it flowed down and
completely covered you. You can use progressive muscle relaxation to
quickly de-stress any time.
