Progressive Relaxation

As mentioned before, relaxation is the key to health.  One way of relaxing is to ‘tell our body to relax’.

Progressive relaxation, you’re telling your body to relax.  I have taught many who had trouble sleeping with great results.  What do you tell your body?

KEY to success:  YOU TELL first, then your BODY DOES after, NOT before!

Tell yourself, “CLOSE YOUR EYES“, then you CLOSE YOUR EYES.

NOT close your eyes (actually closing your eyes first), THEN say “CLOSE YOUR EYES“.

Again, the KEY is YOU TELL YOUR BODY first, then your BODY DOES after you told, NOT before!

Here is what you tell your body:

• Close your eyes and relax the muscles around your eyes (now close your eyes and relax the muscles around your eyes);
• FEEL the relaxation and allow the relaxation to spread all over your head;
• FEEL the relaxation spreading all over the head;
• FEEL the relaxation flowing down your neck to your shoulders;
• FEEL the relaxation on your left shoulder, relax the shoulders deeper and down to your left elbow, and to your left palm, and all the way down to the left fingers;
• FEEL the relaxation on your right shoulder, relax the shoulders deeper and down to your right elbow, and to your right palm and all the way down to your right fingers;
• Notice your shoulders, how relaxed it is, let the relaxation flow down your chest and all the organs in your chest area, down deeper to your stomach, relaxing all the organs deeper.
• FEEL the relaxation on your stomach, let the relaxation flow down deeper to your legs, and all the way down to your toes.
• FEEL how relaxed you are, go deeper, relax.

This is a very simple ‘talking progressive relaxation‘.  Often students ask or see a recording of me talking to them, but the best is, you RECORD the progressive relaxation in your own words, then PLAY BACK to you and DO as you tell your body.

Why?  Some say they forget which part they are up to.

You do not have to record, but seen many students do this before, though I keep telling them it is easy, just follow your body in sequence from head down to the fingertips and toes.

When you have done it successfully, you will have fallen asleep even before you get to your toes!

Remember, it is NOT a race; you tell your body SLOOOOWLY.  It is normal to fall asleep even before you get to the end, then go to sleep!

Enjoy having a healthy body with progressive relaxation!