Progressive relaxation involves first tensing your muscles and then letting the tension go. You might wonder why we first tense the muscles. Imagine a pendulum. In order for you to get the pendulum to swing furthest to one side, you have to pull it far along the other. Similarly, to relax your muscles, it can help to tense them first. As well, you become more aware of what each muscle feels like, where it is located in your body, and what to look for in the future when you are trying to determine whether muscles are relaxed or tense.

Read it over and give it a try. You can also read the instructions into a tape recorder and play it back to yourself as you relax. The key for success is practice. As you get better at progressive relaxation, you will consequently get better at relaxing.

1. Find a comfortable position in a chair with good back support. You may also do this lying down.

2. Loosen any restrictive clothing or jewelry that you are wearing.

3. Close your eyes. Begin to focus on the feelings inside your body - mentally scan your entire body, from head to toe, and note any signs of tension that there may be.

4. For each muscle group outlined below, first tense that area, hold the tension for 5 seconds, and all at once let go of the tension and say to yourself "relax." Notice the feelings of tension when you are tensing, and notice the feelings of warmth and relaxation as you let the muscle relax. Be sure to relax by letting the tension go all at once, releasing the muscle tension quickly.

The first muscle groups to tense and relax are the hands and forearms. Starting with your right hand, make a fist and hold that fist for 5 seconds. Then, all at once, let go of your fist. Let your hand drop loosely into your lap or on to the support of your armchair.

Notice the feelings of relaxation. Repeat this one more time - tense the hand, hold for 5 seconds...and relax. Proceed in this manner for each of the muscles groups outlined below:

right hand and forearm
right bicep
left hand and forearm
left bicep
forehead (tense by making a frown, scrunching up the muscles above your eyebrows)
cheeks and nose (tense by pretending you are smelling something awful)
mouth (tense by pulling the corners of your mouth outwards)
neck and shoulders (tense by shrugging)
chest and stomach (pretend you are about to be hit in the stomach)
right thigh
right foot and calf
right toes (press your toes down to the bottom of your shoes. Be careful not to make them too tense or else they may cramp)
left thigh
left foot and calf
left toes

5. Once you've relaxed your entire body, alternating tension and relaxation in each of the 15 muscle groups, allow yourself to enjoy the feelings of relaxation. Allow your mind to wander throughout your body, scanning for any tense areas. If you find one, repeat the exercise of tension and relaxation for that area. You may find that you cannot attain a relaxed state by doing this exercise the first few times. The more you practice the better and more proficient you will become.

6. Consider making a personalized tape of your own voice instructing yourself to relax each of the muscle groups as described above. This helps if you want to tailor progressive relaxation to your own needs. You may also buy a relaxation tape from your local bookstore. Sometimes it is helpful to listen to soft background music.

After two to four weeks of practicing Progressive Relaxation, you will be so proficient at relaxing your muscles that you can cause them to relax without first tensing them.

This technique is called Smooth Muscle Relaxation.

1. Focus your attention upon one particular muscle area in your body.

2. Say to yourself "relax" and allow that muscle group to relax and smooth out. Let the muscles in that area go.

3. Continue with each of the muscle groups as above, or focus only on those that are tense in your body at that time.

This is a useful technique because it allows you to focus on particularly tense muscle areas and relax them without needing to first make them tense. The technique is only helpful if you have first become an expert at recognizing each of your muscle groups, recognize the difference between tension and relaxation in those muscle groups, and are able to allow the muscles to relax by focusing your efforts upon them. All of this is only achieved through thorough and effortful practice of Progressive Relaxation.