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PRESENTER: During the muscle relaxation exercise,
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you'll be asked to tense your muscles and then release.
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This letting go motion will help relax the muscles of your body.
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Muscle relaxation leads to mental calmness.
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This exercise will not only relax your body but will also help quiet your mind.
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If there are any areas in your body that are prone to pain or injury,
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such as your neck or back,
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you can apply less tension or you can leave this area out altogether.
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During this relaxation exercise,
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you may find your mind wandering into thoughts or worries,
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and this is normal.
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When this happens,
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try to release these thoughts and relax back to the sound of my voice,
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and focus on the exercise.
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Just try to relax and follow the instructions as best as you can.
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Take a moment now to settle into a comfortable position.
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Go ahead and shift around,
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until your body feels comfortable and at ease.
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When you're ready, you may close your eyes.
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Now through your nose,
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take a slow deep breath.
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Hold it for a moment,
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and now slowly exhale.
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Notice that a feeling of relaxation can begin to develop as you breathe out.
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Take another slow deep breath,
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hold, and now let go.
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With every breath,
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you can allow yourself to become more and more relaxed.
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Now tense your forehead by raising your eyebrows as high as you can.
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As you hold this tension,
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notice where your forehead feels tense.
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Now, relax your forehead.
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Notice how it feels to have the muscles soften,
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to give way to relaxation.
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Let all the tension drain from your forehead.
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Now for your eyes and nose,
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close your eyes very tightly and wrinkle your nose,
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become aware of the tension in your eyes, nose,
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and the upper parts of your cheeks, and now relax.
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Notice the discomfort fade away,
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replaced by a calm, relaxed feeling.
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Now your mouth and jaw.
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Put your mouth into a forced smile and clench your teeth very tightly.
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Your lips, and cheeks,
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and jaw should feel very tense,
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and now relax those muscles.
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Relax your face,
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and notice the feeling as the muscles loosen.
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Your teeth part slightly,
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your face, and jaw become more and more relaxed.
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Now, relax your face a little bit more.
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Breathe in deeply,
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hold, and breathe out.
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Relax, and let go.
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Now tense the muscles of the neck and shoulders,
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by shrugging your shoulders,
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trying to touch your ears with your shoulders,
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feel the tension in your shoulders and neck,
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and now let go.
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Feel your shoulders, becoming much more comfortable,
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feel the relief,
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as tension gives way to relaxation.
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Now, moving on to your arms.
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Please put your palms of your hands together,
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and push them together,
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feel the tension in your arms and shoulders,
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hold this position, and now let go.
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Let all the tension flow out of your forearms,
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out of your hands,
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let your hands rest comfortably on your armrests,
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completely at ease,
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relax your hands,
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relax your arms, relax your shoulders.
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Now focus on your breathing and your abdominal muscles.
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Take a deep breath through your nose. Hold it.
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Breathe out. Feel the sense of relief in your chest,
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as you breathe out.
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Again, breathe in deeply through your nose.
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Hold it. Notice the feeling,
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and now breathe out.
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Now moving down your body, keeping your face,
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back, arms, and chest as relaxed as you can.
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Arch your back as though you have a pillow under the middle and lower part of your back.
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Draw your shoulder blades together as though you want them to touch your spine.
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Now hold this position, and let go.
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Let the relaxation spread and flow deeply into the muscles of your back.
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With every breath,
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allow the relaxation to go deeper.
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Now for your abdomen,
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tighten your abdomen by drawing your belly button backwards towards your spine,
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and then hold this position, and now relax.
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Soften your abdomen,
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feel your belly becoming more and more relaxed.
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All the tension being replaced with relaxation.
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Now begin the relaxation of your hips and legs.
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Tighten your buttocks, hips and
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legs by pressing down the heels of your feet towards the ground.
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Tighten all these muscles,
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feel the tension in your buttocks, thighs, and calves.
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Now release. Feel the tension leave your buttocks,
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leave your thighs,
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and leave your calves.
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Let the relaxation spread deeper and deeper.
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Now curl your toes and tighten the muscles of your feet.
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Feel the tension in your feet and toes, and now release.
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Feel the sense of relief as the tension is replaced by relaxation.
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Enjoy this feeling.
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Feel yourself becoming heavier and heavier.
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Now scan your entire body.
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Allow your awareness to focus on
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each part and allow any remnants of tension to drain away.
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Scan your forehead, relax and
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soften around your eyes and nose.
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Release and let go of your mouth and your jaw.
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Continue to breathe slowly and deeply.
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Your whole face can relax as you
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continue to scan your awareness down the rest of your body,
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your neck, relax and let go.
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Your shoulders, your arms,
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and now your chest,
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relax and soften your belly, your buttocks,
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and your hips, your back,
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your legs, and your feet.
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Allow any remaining tension to flow down your body,
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down your feet,
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and out of your toes.
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Relax and let go.
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Feel yourself becoming more and more deeply relaxed.
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You're calm, secure, at peace.
BYU Continuing Education
