Relaxation techniques such as Progressive Relaxation can do wonders for your health -- physical, mental, emotional, and energetic.

Relaxation feels great and allows our bodies' natural self-healing and restoration processes to work like they're supposed to.

Progressive Relaxation is an extremely effective technique for relaxing the tension that gets lodged in our muscles. Often we don't even know that we are holding tension in various parts of our body.

The physical relaxation induces psychological relaxation as well. Your breathing slows down, and your brain stops whirring.

Progressive Relaxation is a two-step process. First, you tense the muscles in a particular part of your body, such as your feet. Then you release the contraction, placing your awareness on the feeling of relaxation.

You systematically go through the muscle groups in your entire body. This usually takes about ten minutes.

The technique helps you learn to be aware of your body and when muscles are tense, and how to relax the muscles voluntarily.

Note: If you have a history of serious injuries, muscle spasms, or back problems, you should check with your doctor before doing progressive relaxation. The muscle tensing could worsen these issues.

Preparing for Progressive Relaxation

• Find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed. You should have as little background noise as possible, not even music.
• Wear comfortable clothing; remove your shoes.
• Never practice after using any intoxicants.
• Sit in a comfortable chair if possible. You're less likely to fall asleep than if you’re lying down.

Tension–Relaxation Procedure

Step 2: Releasing the Tension
After the 8-10 seconds of tension, quickly and suddenly let go. Let all the effort, tension, and tightness flow out of the muscles as you simultaneously exhale.

Feel the muscles relax and become loose and limp. You might want to imagine tension flowing away like water out of a faucet. Notice the difference between tension and relaxation.

Allow yourself to stay relaxed for about 15 seconds, and then repeat the tension-relaxation cycle with the same muscle group. You may notice more sensations the second time.

Take yourself through the two-step procedure in a systematic way, such as the following order. (The order doesn't really matter, it’s just good to be systematic so you don't skip anything and you don't have to think about it.)

The Sequence

• Right foot

• Right lower leg

• Upper right leg

• Left foot

• Left lower leg

• Upper left leg

• Right hand

• Right forearm

• Upper right arm

• Left hand

• Left forearm

• Upper left arm

• Pelvis and hips

• Lower back

• Abdomen

• Mid and upper back

• Chest

• Shoulders

• Neck

• Head

• Face

Afterward