Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Sleep | Full Body, Slow Voice, Brown Noise (55 min) (Video)

Transcript

Before we begin

This is a progressive muscle relaxation session for sleep. Lie down somewhere safe and comfortable, never while driving or in charge of anything else.

Nothing here is medical treatment. If sleep trouble has gone on for weeks, that deserves a doctor's attention. For tonight, this is simply a way to let the body settle.

A few gentle rules first. Only ever tense softly, about a third of your strength. Skip any part that hurts, or has an injury, and simply breathe through that section instead.

Keep breathing normally the whole way through. There is no breath holding in this session. If you are pregnant, or have high blood pressure or a heart condition, keep every squeeze light, and never strain.

If anything feels wrong, or you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop tensing and just rest and listen. The words will carry on without you, and that is completely fine.

Settling

Let your body find its position. On your back, if that is comfortable, arms a little away from your sides, palms whichever way they like to rest.

Let the pillow take the weight of your head. Let the bed take the weight of everything else.

You can let the eyes close now, or keep them half open on the dark. Either way, let the room go. The walls will still be there in the morning.

Take one slow breath in through the nose, and let it out through the mouth, as if you were quietly sighing at the end of a long day.

And again. Breathe in, and let it go. Now let the breath return to its own rhythm. You do not have to manage it. It has been breathing for you all day.

Here is how this works. I will name a part of the body. You will tighten it gently for a few seconds while I count, then let it go all at once, and rest.

The rest is the point. The tensing only helps you notice the difference between holding and letting go. Many people find that after a few rounds, the whole body feels heavier and quieter.

Each time you let go, there will be a long pause. Use it to feel the muscle soften. If your mind wanders, that is normal. Come back when the next instruction arrives.

If you drift off part way through, good. There is nothing you need to finish. This is for you, not for anyone keeping score.

One more thing. Right and left do the same work together. We will not go side by side, so there is less to remember and more time to rest.

Feet and legs

We begin at the feet. Bring your attention to your toes. When you are ready, curl your toes downward, gently, as if gripping a soft cloth. Hold the squeeze. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And release. Let the toes spread and go soft. Notice the warmth, or a little tingling, or simply the absence of effort.

Compare the two states for a moment. A few seconds ago the toes were working. Now they are not. That difference is all this practice is made of.

Now pull your toes back towards your knees, so the muscles along the front of the shins tighten a little. Keep it light. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Let go. Feel the feet rest, heavy, sinking a little into the bed.

Many people notice the feet growing warmer as the muscles let go. If you notice nothing in particular, that is fine too. Nothing is being tested.

Now the calves. Point the toes away from you, so the back of the lower leg tightens. Gentle, a third of your strength. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And release. The calves soften. If a cramp ever threatens here, skip this part entirely and let the leg rest. There is no need to push anything tonight.

The thighs now. Press the backs of your knees gently down toward the bed, so the big muscles at the front of the thigh firm up. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Let it go. Feel the legs become long and heavy, from the hips all the way to the toes. Nothing to hold.

From here on the legs are finished. They have carried you all day. Whatever happens above them, they can stay exactly as heavy as they are now.

Hips, belly and back

Gently tighten the muscles of the buttocks, as if you were holding a coin between them. Lightly. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And soften. Let the hips widen and settle into the mattress.

Now the belly. Keep breathing as you draw the stomach in slightly, firming the muscles around your middle. The breath still moves. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Release. Let the belly be round and loose. Let each breath move it without any help from you.

Many of us hold the belly in all day without knowing. Let it be soft now. Nobody is watching, and the breath is easier when it has room.

The lower back. Press the lower back very gently toward the bed. If that is uncomfortable, simply notice the back resting and leave this one out. Hold lightly. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And let go. Feel the whole length of the spine lie down, one piece at a time.

Hands, arms and shoulders

Bring your attention to your hands. Curl your fingers into loose fists, no nails pressing in, just a soft closing. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Open them. Let the fingers lie wherever they fall. Feel the palms warm against the sheet.

The hands have been busy since morning. Typing, holding, carrying, scrolling. They can be empty now, with nothing to grip and nothing to reach for.

Now bend the hands back at the wrist, so the fingers point toward the ceiling, and the forearms tighten. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Let the hands drop and rest. Heavy wrists. Heavy forearms.

Bend the elbows a little and tighten the upper arms, as if lifting something light. Keep breathing. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And release. Let the arms lie down completely, from shoulder to fingertip.

Now the shoulders. Draw them up toward your ears, just a small lift. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Let them fall. Let them fall further than you expected. The shoulders carry more than most of us realise, and they can put it down now.

Feel the gap that opens between the shoulders and the ears. Let the collarbones widen. Let the upper back settle flat and wide against the bed.

Chest, neck and face

The chest. Gently draw the shoulder blades toward each other, so the chest opens a little and the upper back firms. Keep breathing while the muscles stay firm. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Release. Let the chest be soft, rising and falling by itself.

The neck. Press the back of your head very lightly into the pillow, so the muscles at the back of the neck engage. Only a little. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

And let go. Let the pillow hold the head. The neck can be completely idle now.

Let the throat be soft. Let the swallowing muscles rest. The head is a heavy thing, and the pillow is more than able to carry it.

We finish with the face. Raise your eyebrows toward your hairline, wrinkling the forehead. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Smooth it out. Feel the forehead widen and go flat and cool.

Now close the eyes a little more firmly, and wrinkle the nose, as if at a sour smell. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Release. Let the eyes rest softly closed, the eyelids heavy, the nose and cheeks relaxed.

Behind the eyes, let the small muscles that have been focusing all day go slack. There is nothing left to look at. The dark is enough.

Press the lips together gently and tighten the jaw just a little, teeth barely touching. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Let the jaw hang loose. Let the tongue rest on the floor of the mouth. Lips slightly apart, if that is comfortable. The face has nothing to say to anyone now.

The whole body

Now, nothing more to tense. Let your attention travel slowly from the toes to the top of the head, finding any place that is still holding on, and simply breathing out through it.

Feet, heavy. Legs, heavy. Hips and belly, soft and warm.

Hands and arms, resting. Shoulders down. Neck idle. Face smooth.

If one place still feels tight, you can repeat its squeeze once more, lightly, and let it go. Or you can leave it. Either is fine.

Each breath out, a little heavier. Each breath in, no effort at all.

You may feel warm, or slightly tingly, or as if the body has grown a little larger and softer at its edges. These are ordinary signs of letting go.

The low steady sound in the background is there to cover the small noises of the night. You do not have to listen to it. It asks nothing of you.

Resting

There is nothing you need to think about now. Thoughts may come. Let them pass like traffic on a far away road.

The body knows how to sleep. You have done the part that was yours.

Rest now. Nothing to tighten, nothing to count. Let the next breath come on its own.

Heavy and warm.

Nothing more to do.

The sound will stay with you for a while, and then it will fade. You can let go now.