Sixty seconds on deep muscle relaxation

This technique may take a little time to learn, but it will help you cope with stress, lower your blood pressure, decrease your chance of getting headaches and make you sleep better

15

Jan

2012

This technique may take a little time to learn, but it will help you cope with stress, lower your blood pressure, decrease your chance of getting headaches and make you sleep better.

Find a peaceful place, lie down on your back or sit in a comfortable chair and close your eyes. Slow your breathing rate so you take half as many breaths.
Begin by tensing your right hand (or left, if you’re left-handed) and then letting it go loose. Now imagine that your hand feels heavy and warm. Repeat this with your right forearm, upper arm, and shoulder, then move on to the right foot, lower leg and the upper leg. Do exactly the same thing with the left side of your body.
Now relax the muscles around your hips and waist. Let the relaxation flow up to the abdomen into the chest. A good trick is to try to imagine the surface under you is pushing up into your back, so that you get a sensation of heaviness.
Let the relaxation go up into your shoulders, jaw and facial muscles, especially round the eyes and forehead.
Practise this twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes each time. However, even as little as three minutes will be sufficient to give you a sense of wellbeing. The best time to practise is just before mealtimes or an hour afterwards.