Take in as much air as you can..a little more…a little more…Hold the breath (count of five), open the mouth and let the air rush out.
Become aware of the chest. Breathing in, expand the chest. Take in a little more air… a little more.. Hold.
Bring the awareness into the neck. Lift the head a little bit to tense the neck. (Hold between three to five seconds). Relax. Gently roll the head from side to side to release any subtle tension. Find a comfortable place to rest the head and relax the neck. Let go.
Bring the awareness into the face. Open the mouth and move the lower jaw side to side (a few times). Up and down. Open the mouth wide and stick out the tongue. Suck in the cheeks. Relax the mouth.
Wrinkle the nose and squint the eyes. Relax. Lift the eyebrows. Relax.
Finally, tense all the muscles in the face as tight as you can. Rush everything forward to an imaginary point at the tip of the nose then..Relax. Feel the tension melting away as you let go. (Count of five).
Adjust your position if you need to. Make yourself really comfortable so you can remain still for the rest of the relaxation.
We’ll now go through the body mentally, so you can release any subtle tension that remains. (Don’t travel through the body too quickly, you want to have the chance to detect and release any subtle tension that remains. (Don’t travel through the body too quickly); you want to have the chance to detect and release any subtle tension). Let the breath be natural. If you feel any tension, mentally and gently tell that part of the body to relax, or to let go, with the exhalation.
Travel into the tips of the toes, through the feet, ankles…relax.
The shins and calves, knees and thighs, backs of the thighs…relax.
Travel through the hands and wrists to the tips of the fingers…relax.
The forearms, elbows, upper arms…relax.
Travel into the shoulders, allowing them to let go and relax.
Travel down into the buttocks…relax. Feel the hips sinking down towards the floor as you let go.
Travel into the belly. Feel the belly becoming soft as you let go and relax. Travel up the sides of the body, relaxing the sides as you go.
Come into the ribs and chest, the throat, and the heart…relax. Relax the heart and let go.
Now travel down into the base of the spine…relax. Feel a wave of relaxation moving from the centre of the spine and out to the sides of the body as you let go, relaxing the lower back.
Move up to the middle of the spine…relax. Relax the middle of the back.
And then move up into the top of the spine…relax. Relax the upper back.
Observe the entire back and allow it to relax completely.
