Breathing Room

Body & grounding

Progressive muscle relaxation

Tense, then release, one muscle group at a time.

Muscle relaxation

Sit or lie down comfortably. Tense each area to about half your strength, never to the point of pain.

Short version · squeeze 5 s · let go 12 s

How to do it

  1. Sit or lie down comfortably.
  2. When prompted, tense the highlighted muscles to about half your strength.
  3. Hold the tension for the countdown while breathing normally.
  4. Release all at once and notice the difference as the muscles soften.
  5. Rest for a few breaths, then move on to the next area.

Why it can help

Stress makes muscles brace without us noticing. Deliberately tensing and then releasing them teaches you what “relaxed” feels like by contrast, so it is easier to find that feeling again later. The technique was developed by physician Edmund Jacobson almost a century ago and is still widely used for stress, sleep and anxiety.

  • Skip any area that is injured or painful, or simply imagine tensing it.
  • Tense firmly but never to the point of pain or cramping.