In first part of Progressive muscle relaxing technique we went through the pain pattern and little intro over PMR. This time I would tell you about it in detail.
Suggestions for Practice
• Always practice full PMR in a quiet place, alone, with no electronic distractions, not even background music.
• Wear loose clothing.
• Avoid eating, smoking, or drinking. It’s best to practice before meals rather than after, for the sake of your digestive processes.
• Never practice after using any intoxicants.
• Sit in a comfortable chair if possible. You may practice lying down, but this increases the likelihood of falling asleep. ;-) But even If you fall asleep, give yourself credit for the work you did up to the point of sleep. \
• If you practice in bed at night, plan on falling asleep before you complete your cycle. Therefore, consider a practice session at night, in bed, to be in addition to your basic practice.
• When you finish a session, relax with your eyes closed for a few seconds, and then get up slowly. (a sudden drop in blood pressure due to standing up quickly—can cause you to faint.) Some people like to count backwards from 5 to 1, timed to slow, deep breathing, and then say, “Eyes open. Supremely calm. Fully alert.”
Muscle Groups
You will be working with most all the major muscle groups in your body, but for convenience you will make a systematic progression from your feet upwards. Here is the most popular recommended sequence:
• Right foot
• Right lower leg and foot
• Entire right leg
• Left foot
• Left lower leg and foot
• Entire left leg
• Right hand
• Right forearm and hand
• Entire right arm
• Left hand
• Left forearm and hand
• Entire left arm
• Abdomen
• Chest
• Neck and shoulders
• Face
Tension–Relaxation Procedure
Step One: Tension. The process of applying tension to a muscle is essentially the same regardless of which muscle group you are using. First, focus your mind on the muscle group; for example, your right hand. Then inhale and simply squeeze the muscles as hard as you can for about 8 seconds; in the example, this would involve making a tight fist with your hand.
Note: Beginners usually make the mistake of allowing muscles other than the intended group to tense as well; in the example, this would be tensing muscles in your right arm and shoulder, not just in your right hand. With practice you will learn to make very fine discriminations among muscles; for the moment just do the best you can.
Step Two: Releasing the Tension. This is the best part because it is actually pleasurable. After the 8 seconds, just quickly and suddenly let go. Let all the tightness and pain flow out of the muscles as you simultaneously exhale. In the example, this would be imagining tightness and pain flowing out of your hand through your fingertips as you exhale. Feel the muscles relax and become loose and limp, tension flowing away like water out of a faucet. Focus on and notice the difference between tension and relaxation
Stay relaxed for about 15 seconds, and then repeat the tension-relaxation cycle. You’ll probably notice more sensations the second time.
That’s it that was easy isn’t it? Well Just try for a week and share your experience. Guess what? You also learned a technique used to treat insomniac. If you are suffering from sleeping disorder try this for a week. It gives you much more relaxed sleep. Believe me it works.
One more thing. I got some music that you can play while doing PMR. Actually it speaks about every step needs to be performed during PMR. Mail me or leave comment if anyone is interested in that music therapy.
Have a healthy life. Remember Health is wealth. Don’t loose it or you’ll repent.
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