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bodywork
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Systematically tense and release muscle groups to reduce physical tension and anxiety.
Source: Described in 'Rewire Your Anxious Brain' by Catherine M. Pittman and Elizabeth M. Karle. Developed by physician and psychiatrist Edmund Jacobson in 1938.
15-20 minutes
beginner
stressanxietytensioninsomnia
How to practice
- 1Start with your feet, tense the muscles for 5 seconds
- 2Release and notice the sensation of relaxation
- 3Move up through your body: calves, thighs, glutes, abdomen, hands, arms, shoulders, face
- 4Tense each group for 5 seconds, then release
- 5Finish with a full body scan
Based on literature
Rewire Your Anxious Brain
Catherine M. Pittman, Elizabeth M. Karle • 2015
How to use the neuroscience of fear to end anxiety, panic, and worry.