Muscle relaxation exercise.

This exercise helps to reduce tension throughout the body and relieve anxiety. It is especially good to do this before going to bed – falling asleep comes quicker.
The exercise can be done while sitting, lying or in any comfortable position. The principle of the exercise is very simple – you have to focus on each part of the body in turn, and then contract and relax it again.

How to do:

• First, it is good to be calm for a few moments and take a few deep breaths in and out. You can say “relax” to your body during each exhalation and then allow the body to do so.
• Focus on a part of your body, and feel how tense or relaxed it is.
• Tense the muscles as hard as you can – so hard that the muscles may even lightly twitch or tremble. Hold the tension for about 10 seconds and then stop it.
• Feel a change in the tensed-relaxed part of the body.
• Then focus on the next part of your body.
• Start with head, then your neck and shoulders, then one by one with hands, upper body, abdomen, then thighs, legs and feet one by one. You can also start with the feet, if it seems more comfortable to you.
• After all parts of your body have been tensed-relaxed, feel a little calm and change.
• You can then repeat the same sequence.
• At first, it can be difficult to differentiate between different muscle groups and body parts, but with practice it becomes easy. Try to get the differentiation of muscles more and more accurate – if one part of the body is tensed, the rest should remain as relaxed as possible.
• In parts, this exercise can be done as many times as you wish during the day; or if you feel that some areas of your body are particularly stiff.

  Source: www.peaasi.ee