Back, head or neck pain? Feeling tense on a regular basis? Progressive muscle relaxation is a good solution to forget the stresses of everyday life.
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
Progressive muscle relaxation is an active relaxation technique, sometimes called deep muscle relaxation. It involves regular contracting and relaxing of the muscles. It helps to release tension in the muscles and can even help with signs of stress.
Sometimes it is necessary to take a short break to release tension and signs of stress. There are wellness infusions that help to relax a little, to start the day well or to relax after a hard and long day.
What are the effects of this practice?
The aim of progressive muscle relaxation is to reach a state of mental and physical relaxation quickly and awake by doing constant exercises.
To do this, one must first follow the principle that the body and mind are connected. Therefore, if the body is stressed by work or daily life, not only will there be mental tension, but the muscles will also be contracted. This is what usually causes tension.
And mutually, the contractions of the muscles have an effect on the mind. If a person can consciously relax the muscles, the body will be better able to release the mental stress.
Tension starts to be released once the muscles contract and then relax, even for just a few seconds. The more the movement is repeated, the more comfortable the body will feel by deliberately relaxing the muscles.
As for example during a relaxation in the sauna after a hard day's work, the heat has surely relaxed not only the muscles but also the mind.
Moreover, the practice of progressive muscle relaxation does not only help against physical problems, it is also an ideal method to do as a cool-down after a workout to quickly restore the cardiovascular system.
How to practice this progressive muscle relaxation exercise?
The question now is: how does progressive muscle relaxation work? The first thing to do is to get into position. It is possible to do it with several positions, either lying down or sitting or sometimes standing. The main thing is to get comfortable.
Then you have to start slowly contracting the different muscle groups of the body and relax them afterwards: Contract each muscle group for 5 seconds and then relax them. Stay relaxed for 10 seconds and repeat this principle 3 times for each muscle group.
- For the feet
Pull the toes to the sole by extending or pulling them towards the shin. The most important thing is to feel the muscles of the foot contracting.
- For the calves
The easiest way to contract the calves is to stretch the feet as if in the position of standing on tiptoe.
- For the thighs
To contract the muscles around the thighs, stretch the legs as far as possible by stretching the heels towards the buttocks. Repeat these 3 movement steps with the other leg.
- For hands and forearms
Clench the fingers to form a fist and then pull them towards the forearm.
- For the upper arm
Contracting the muscles of the upper arm is the easiest to do. Simply bend your arms or reach forward. Then do the same movement with the other arm.
- For the buttocks
To contract the gluteus maximus, simply squeeze the buttocks tightly, being careful not to contract the leg muscles at the same time.
- For the stomach
So for the belly, contract the abs, as hard as possible.
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For the chest
Now to contract the chest, raise the arms and bring the forearms together and press against each other.
- For the neck and shoulders
To intentionally contract the neck and shoulders, simply pull the shoulders as high as possible. This particularly helps to release tension.
This first part consists of contracting the large muscle groups. These are ideal for physical relaxation. As far as mental relaxation is concerned, here are the muscles to be favoured during progressive muscle relaxation. These are the muscles of the face.
- For the mouth
The mouth is formed by several different muscles. Because of this, it is possible to contract it with different ways. For example, open your mouth wide. Then bring the lips together while keeping them closed and be careful not to bite them with your teeth.
- For the eyes
The eye area is an important part that automatically gathers a lot of tension. To contract them, simply close them.
- For the forehead
The last step is the contraction of the forehead. To do this, stretch the eyebrows as high as possible by raising them towards the forehead.
To conclude
- Progressive muscle relaxation is an effective relaxation practice.
- It is not difficult to do and can be done alone without a coach.
- It helps to relieve muscular tension and mental stress.
- It can be practiced in many places and in many ways (standing, sitting, lying down).
- It is a perfect method for everyone to relax after sports practices.