Muscle focus relaxation technique

This is one relaxation technique that I found very effective, especially after I was able to get it down.

1. Beginning at the top of your body (preferably lying down), focus on the top-most part of your body you want relaxed, usually your forehead, but sometimes people need to relax their scalp.

2. Put all your attention on that area of your body and say "my forehead is relaxed" maybe 5-10 times. You can say it out loud, or you can think it in your mind, whichever relaxes you more.

3. Move down your body, one muscle or area at a time. For instance, when you first go through this technique, go muscle by muscle and organ by organ: forehead, eyes, cheeks, jaw, neck, right upper arm, right forearm, right hand, chest, left forearm, etc., etc. Then, when you get more advanced, you can go like this: head, neck, right arm, left arm, chest, abs, back, right leg, left leg. Eventually you will be able to say to yourself 10 times "My body is relaxed" and you will be.

4. It also helps to think of one thing the entire time, like visualizing a relaxing landscape. Then, when you get it down, all you will have to do is visualize that same landscape, and your body will automatically relax.

I don't want to sound rude, but what did you have in mind for this information?

I thought it would be good to put alongside the 61 point relaxation technique in the tutorials section, as sort of an alternative to those who can't focus for as long as it takes to do the 61 point tech.

yeh i have read about this muscle technique. indeed i have only tried it while meditating but not while trying to fall asleep..this should really come in handy since i've used it but on another ocasion which was meditation..thx on that tip

i do something like this, i imagine a little blue ball moving through my body, relaxing areas as it goes. I got bored doing it after a while though

This is a very commonly used technique for self-hypnosis. There's many techniques that have varied success in different people. My favorite is imagining waves of water flowing over your body, starting from above you and washing down to your feet. Every wave moves slowly and relaxes a muscle further.

wow, this technique is cool. I hope i can relax myself very well with this technique. I have heard this tehnique some years before but thanks for reminding me..

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Originally Posted by pokilty

This is a very commonly used technique for self-hypnosis. There's many techniques that have varied success in different people. My favorite is imagining waves of water flowing over your body, starting from above you and washing down to your feet. Every wave moves slowly and relaxes a muscle further.

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This is what I was going to mention. Other visualizations I've learned are; Imagine going down an escalator, imagine each part of your body turning to sand and blowing away (if you've seen Altered States, this one is especially easy to imagine). When I learned about self-hypnosis, one of the books I read suggested saying to yourself, "I'm going to count backwards from ten to zero. When I reach zero, my <part of body> will be completely relaxed. Then as you count, throw in some affirmation type statements like 8...,7....,my <part of body> is loosening, is relaxing more and more, etc.

I do two things.

1) I go through my body from my feet up through my head. I do the typical tense/release of each muscle group. But I talk myself through it (in my head) so my mind doesn't start wandering off to parts unknown.

2) Once that's done, I visualize my energy floating up out of my body and gathering into into a little energy cloud that hovers over me. As I feel the energy floating out, the cloud grows bigger.