Page 149 - Self Image Mastery Week-6

THE POWER OF CREATIVE IMAGINATION 149
Relaxation Exercise 6 : Progressive Body Relaxation
This is a very simple exercise. Make sure you have read the section on page 117 entitled:
IMPORTANT: Read this before starting any of the relaxation or visualization exercises.
Find somewhere quiet to sit or lie down. This exercise can be done almost anywhere in almost any position, even standing up, but it is a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable to do lying down.
Close your eyes gently and breath normally for a moment or two.
If you enjoyed the previous exercise with humming, start out with 2 or 3 minutes of this to begin relaxing.
When you are ready, simply return to normal breathing and continue to relax.
You can choose whether you start at your toes and fill your body up with relaxation; or start at the top of your head and allow the relaxation to spill down through your body all the way to your toes. Experiment with both approaches and see which you prefer.
Using your conscious attention and focus, simply move through your body, placing your attention on each specific part of your body and breathe into that body part. As you breathe for a moment or two, allow that body part to relax. You will probably be surprised by how much unconscious tension there is in your muscles.
Blood flow is amenable to suggestion and so as you focus and breath your body relaxes more and more.
Use the same anchor that you used for the breathing exercise. Your right or left (be consistent) hand on your abdomen works well.