Skip to main content

How To:
Progressive Muscle Relaxation

 

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a method that helps relieve the muscle tension in your body often caused by anxiety or stress.

This technique involves tensing a group of muscles as you inhale, then relaxing them as you exhale. You repeat this process on different muscle groups in a specific order. 

Continuing this practice will help you build the skill to physically relax your body, working to relieve anxiety and stress. Progressive Muscle Relaxation can be particularly useful for individuals who experience trouble falling asleep.

When first experimenting with this technique, it may be helpful to listen to an audio recording that guides you through the various muscle groups in the correct order. The muscle group order is also listed at the bottom of this page.

 

Easy Steps to Follow

To begin, find a place where you will not be disturbed and can comfortably lie down on your back. Next, proceed through the following steps:

  1. 1. Breathe in and tense the first muscle group.
    Make sure to tense hard but not to the point of pain or cramping.
  2. 2. Breathe out completely, fully relaxing the muscle group.
    Do this in a fairly sudden manner, not gradually.
  3. 3. Relax for about 10 to 20 seconds before moving on to the next muscle group.
    Notice the difference between how your muscles feel when they are tensed versus when relaxed.
  4. 4. Once you have gone through each of the muscle groups, count backward from 5 to 1 and bring your focus back to the present.

Muscle Groups

Below you will find the order of the muscle groups and details on how to tense them.

  1. 1. Hands
    Clench them.
  2. 2. Wrists & Forearms
    Extend them and bend your hands back at the wrist.
  3. 3. Biceps & Upper Arms
    Clench you hands into fists, bend your arms at the elbows and flex your biceps.
  4. 4. Shoulders
    Shrug them (raise toward your ears).
  5. 5. Forehead
    Wrinkle it into a deep frown.
  6. 6. Around the Eyes & Bridge of the Nose
    Close your eyes as tightly as you can.
  7. 7. Cheeks & Jaws
    Smile as widely as you can.
  8. 8. Around the Mouth
    Press your lips together tightly. (Check your face for tension. You just want to use your lips.)
  9. 9. Back of the Neck
    Press the back of your head against the surface you are laying on.
  10. 10. Front of the Neck
    Touch your chin to your chest. (Try not to create tension in your neck and head.)
  11. 11. Chest
    Take a deep breath and hold it for 4-10 seconds.
  12. 12. Back
    Arch your back up and away from the surface you are laying on.
  13. 13. Stomach
    Suck it into a tight knot. (Check your chest and stomach for tension.)
  14. 14. Hips & Buttocks
    Press your buttocks together tightly.
  15. 15. Thighs
    Clench them hard.
  16. 16. Lower Legs
    Point your toes toward your face. Then point your toes away and curl them downward at the same time.