20 Steps to Deep Muscle Relaxation

February 7, 2009 by Vauna Beauvais 

Relaxation at Nottingham Therapy

Serenity

  • 1. Sit or lie in a comfortable position that you can maintain without straining for about 15-20 minutes.
  • 2. Wriggle about and get comfortable.
  • 3. Stretch out your fingers on your hand and then let them drop loose again. Clench fists and then release. Stretch your fingers out wide again. Drop them and loosen. Clench fists, and then release.
  • 4. Bend your elbows and tense up your arms. Squeeze your biceps. Stretch out your arms, and twist them so that you tense up your triceps. Drop your arms down and let them relax. Repeat.
  • 5. Slowly move your neck to the left. Hold. Squeeze your eyes tightly shut and then release. Slowly turn your head back to the centre. Stick your tongue out to your chin. Put your tongue back in and then stick it out to touch your nose, and return into your mouth. Slowly turn your head to the right and hold. Squeeze your eyes together tightly and wrinkle your nose. Release and slowly turn your head to the centre. Repeat.

Relaxation techniques Nottingham Therapy Online

  • 6. Lower your eyebrows into a frown. Relax your forehead. Raise your eyebrows. Relax.
  • 7. Open your mouth and gently move your jaw from side to side. Close mouth. Smile, hold, and then relax your face.
  • 8. Shrug your shoulders up and hold. Drop them down again. Gently tilt your head from side to side. Push your shoulders further down. Lift up into a shrug again. Drop down and push down further. Release them back to a relaxed position.
  • 9. Take in a very deep breath through the nose. Notice how the breath goes right down into your lower lungs and lifts your ribcage. Slowly exhale through the mouth. Repeat three times.
Exhale

Exhale

  • 10.Tense in your stomach muscles in as tightly as you can. Hold for a count of five, and then tighten further. Hold for five. Tighten again and hold for three. Relax. Breathe in fairly slowly and extend your stomach as you do so. Release the air by breathing out again.
  • 11.Squeeze your right buttock tightly, and then keeping that held, squeeze the left buttock. Release both. Now tightly squeeze the left buttock and hold. While holding the left buttock tightly squeeze the right buttock. Release. Tighten buttocks together and hold. Release. Squeeze and tighten and hold. Release.
  • 12.Straighten out your legs and tighten your thigh muscles and lock the knees. Hold briefly and release. Twist feet outwards, tighten again and hold briefly. Release and bring back to centre. Point toes away from face, gently bring back to relaxed position. Then, bring toes up towards your knees, while keeping legs straight, hold and then relax. Point toes away from face, hold for five, and then release.
  • 13.Take in a very deep breath through the nose. Notice how the breath goes right down into your lower lungs and lifts your ribcage. Slowly exhale through the mouth. Repeat twice.stretch for relaxation at nottingham therapy online
  • 14.Lift up arms one by one and gently shake from the wrist.
  • 15.Extend legs one by one and gently shake from the knee.

 

  • 16.Slowly stand up and shake out one arm and then the other, from the elbow.
  • 17.Gently shake one leg and then the other, from the hip.
  • 18.Tilt head gently from side to side. Rotate head slowly, in clockwise direction, twice.
  • 19.Lift head and straighten back, focus eyes ahead and give one reason why you are now glad that you are calm.
  • 20. Move forward and continue with your day.
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