Progressive muscle relaxation is a systematic technique developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s to be able to manage stress, reaching a very deep state of relaxation. Stretching and then relaxing the different muscle groups allows you to reach a state of tranquility, while bringing numerous health benefits. For example, it promotes a better quality of sleep, reduces the pains of childbirth, fights anxiety and depression, relieves headaches, stomach pain and the feeling of fatigue. This powerful technique is also able to help stop smoking as it reduces the "cravings"! To reap the maximum possible benefits, it is advisable to practice a form of progressive muscle relaxation that includes deep breathing exercises and guided visualization.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Prepare to Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Step 1. Choose a time of day when you don't feel sleepy
While it is useful for inducing sleep, the goal of this technique is to teach you to relax while awake. For this reason you won't have to doze off in the middle of the practice.
Step 2. Put on comfortable clothes and take off your shoes
Soft clothing is the best choice; don't wear anything too tight to restrict your movement. Also remember to take off your shoes to be able to stretch and relax your entire foot correctly.
Step 3. Keep a blanket handy
Often, when you enter a phase of deep relaxation, you tend to feel cold. Having a blanket next to it will allow you to cover yourself in case of need. The heat will cause the muscles to relax even more.
Step 4. Choose a quiet place
Look for a place where you can be sure you won't be disturbed or interrupted during the session. A quiet and tidy corner of the house is ideal. If possible, dim the lights to create a restful atmosphere.
Step 5. Make sure no one interrupts you
A full session will last around 10-15 minutes. Turn off your cell phone or pager. If you have a landline, temporarily mute the ringer. Ask family members and tenants not to interrupt you during the practice.
Step 6. Get into a comfortable position
You can practice progressive muscle relaxation while standing, sitting or lying down. Sitting in a recliner is ideal as it allows you to relax more deeply than standing, while decreasing the chances of you falling asleep - which could easily happen lying down. Once in position close your eyes, fully extend your legs next to each other and gently place your hands on the sides of the body or on the belly.
Step 7. Finish the preparation phase by taking five deep breaths
Research has shown that diaphragmatic breathing activates the body's natural relaxation reaction, characterized by a lowering of blood pressure and an immediate feeling of greater tranquility and well-being. Inhale deeply, hold your breath for four seconds, then relax as you exhale. Focus on the abdomen, which swells and deflates with each breath. After taking five deep breaths, you will be ready to go.
Method 2 of 4: Basic Techniques
Step 1. Inhale as you put tension on your muscles
Work on one part of the body at a time. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose while tensing your muscles for 5 seconds. The goal is to subject the muscle group you are focusing on to as much tension as possible, but be careful not to get injured.
Step 2. Relax your muscles as you exhale
Slowly expel the air through your mouth as you immediately relax the previously tensioned muscles. Focus attention on the sensations coming from that part of the body, now those muscles should be soft and relaxed.
Step 3. Stay relaxed for 10 seconds before moving on to the next muscle group
Continue without too much haste. Maintaining a slow and spontaneous pace, with pauses between one tension / relaxation phase and the next, will help the body relax. While you remain relaxed waiting to continue, breathe slowly and steadily.
Step 4. Use your imagination
Heat is associated with relaxation. You can help your body relax even more deeply by imagining that the part you are focusing on is being hit by the warm rays of the sun. In addition, you can visualize that your face has a calm and relaxed expression, before or after the start of the practice session (see the "Guided Visualization Exercises" section of the article).
Step 5. Repeat these steps until the whole body is relaxed
You can start with the muscles of the skull and gradually move downwards or from the muscles of the feet and then slowly move upwards.
- If after having contracted and relaxed a part of the body, you continue to feel some tension, you can decide to repeat the tension / relaxation cycle before continuing with the following muscle group.
- Some people find it helpful to contract one side of the body first and then the other. If you are short on time, however, you can put both sides under tension at the same time.
Method 3 of 4: Relax from the toes to the scalp
Step 1. Start with the feet and their toes
Inhale deeply through your nose as you curl your toes down, straining the soles of your feet as well. Hold the contraction for five seconds, then relax the part. Feel the tension coming out of your feet, paying particular attention to the difference in the sensations perceived in one and the other phase. Relax your whole body for ten seconds before moving on to the leg muscles.
Step 2. Contract your leg muscles
Stretch and relax them, first focusing on one muscle group at a time, then on each one at the same time. Don't forget to inhale through your nose as you tension your muscles, then exhale through your mouth as you relax them. Proceed according to the sequence described here:
- Calf muscles: Curl the toes upwards towards the knees.
- Thighs (middle and inner): If you are sitting or standing, push your heels against the floor. If you are lying down, straighten your legs as much as you can.
- Thighs (outer part): Press one knee against the other as if you were holding onto a sheet of paper.
- Glutes: Tense your muscles by squeezing one buttock against the other.
- Whole legs: Contract all the leg muscles at the same time.
Step 3. Relax your core muscles
Keep breathing at a steady pace even as you contract and relax your stomach and back. Remember to pause for ten seconds between each tension / relaxation cycle.
- Stomach: Imagine that you want to bring the navel as close to the spine as possible.
- Lower back: Arch your back while contracting the muscles just above your buttocks.
Step 4. Focus on your chest and upper back
At this point in the practice, you should already feel very relaxed. The pace of your breathing should be slow and even. Remember to keep the muscles contracted for 5 seconds before relaxing them.
- Chest: Take a deep breath, then hold your breath to keep your pectoral muscles tensed.
- Upper back: Push your shoulder blades back and bring them as close together as possible.
Step 5. Focus on the shoulder and neck muscles
Lift your shoulders as if you want to bring them in contact with your ears. At the same time, tilt your head back slightly to increase the contraction of the neck muscles. Tensions that build up in the neck and shoulders are a frequent cause of headaches and neck pain. Note that it may take two or three consecutive cycles to be able to fully relax the shoulder and neck muscles.
Step 6. Continue with the arm muscles
As the different parts of the body relax it should be easier and easier to be able to enter a state of stillness. Even as you progressively relax the different muscle groups in the arms, remember to continue inhaling through the nose during the contraction phase, then exhaling through the mouth as you release any tension.
- Triceps: Fully extend your arms by locking your elbows.
- Biceps: Bend your arms to flex your biceps.
- Forearms: Curve your fingers down, as if you want to touch your elbows.
- Hands: Contract your wrists.
Step 7. Finish the session by relaxing the muscles of the face
People are used to accumulating multiple tensions in the face, particularly in the jaw muscles. Stretching these muscles will also allow you to complete the practice. You should be feeling totally relaxed soon.
- Eyes and Lips: Contract your face in an expression of pain, squinting as you push one lip against the other.
- Jaw: Open your mouth as wide as you can.
- Cheeks: Smile broadly.
- Forehead: Raise your eyebrows as much as possible.
Step 8. Relax
Now that you have completed the progressive muscle relaxation practice, abandon yourself to the new state of tranquility for a few more minutes. You may want to do some visualization exercises to enjoy the soothing sense of calm even more fully. Alternatively, if you have the chance, you may want to go to sleep.
Method 4 of 4: Guided Visualization Exercises
Step 1. Do visualization exercises to increase the benefits of progressive muscle relaxation
Contracting and relaxing your muscles helps you to let tension flow out of your body. Using guided visualization techniques, you can also relax your mind, further intensifying the benefits of the practice. These exercises have been shown to improve mood, while also reducing anxiety and fatigue.
- Before starting, use your imagination coupled with diaphragmatic breathing to enter a state of stillness.
- Alternatively, wait until you feel relaxed, then visualize yourself in a calm and safe place to increase the feeling of well-being.
Step 2. Choose your special place
Focus your thoughts on a real or imaginary place that is able to make you feel safe, calm, and happy. There is no "wrong" place; the only advice is to stick to your choice after making it, as habit will help you to enter a state of relaxation more easily. You can choose for example between:
- A beach;
- A wood;
- The top of a mountain;
- A sunny park;
- A place you visited during the holidays;
- Your favorite space in your current or past home.
Step 3. Display yourself in your special place
Feel the feeling of calm that comes as you imagine the details. Use all your senses instead of just seeing. For example, if the place that makes you feel safe and secure is a sunny lawn, you can focus on:
- The colors: the green of the grass, the intense blue of the sky.
- The sounds: the buzz of bees, the song of birds, the rustle of the wind in the leaves.
- The sensations: the breeze on your skin, the warmth of the sun on your face, the grass in contact with your bare arms.
- The smells: the purity of the air in which the aromas of grass and flowers stand out.
Step 4. Embrace the state of stillness to ward off all thoughts
When a thought comes to your mind, don't try to counter it. Just go back to focusing on the details of your special place.
- If you're having a hard time dismissing a thought, imagine turning it into an image and displaying it on a large TV screen, then viewing it as you pick up its remote and turn it off.
- Alternatively, view it as you put it away in a drawer, then close it.
Step 5. Enjoy the state of tranquility
You are completely relaxed, you don't want to be anywhere else or do anything else. Your mind and body are perfectly at ease.
