Relaxation Methods

Progressive Muscular Relaxation

Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) is a purely physical technique for relaxing your body when muscles are tense.

The idea is behind PMR is that you tense up a group of muscles so that they are as tight and contracted as possible, and hold them in a state of extreme tension for a few seconds. Then relax the muscles to their previous state. Finally you consciously relax them again as much as you can.

You can apply PMR to any or all of the muscle groups in your body depending on whether you want to relax just a single area or your whole body.

Experiment with PMR by forming a fist, and clenching your hand as tight as you can for a few seconds. Then relax your hand to its previous tension, and then consciously relax it again so that it is as loose as possible. You should feel deep relaxation in the muscles.

Although you might well be able to relax the muscle just as far without the initial tensing, tensing the muscle helps to provide a starting point for the exercise, and helps to gauge the initial level of tension in the muscle.

In this exercise, you might consider the deliberate contraction of the very muscles you wish to relax as a means to burn the unwanted energy which is causing the tension.

A final ‘shake out’ may also help loosen you up after any muscle relaxation exercise.

An effective exercise

is to mentally focus on the muscle group you want to relax. Consciously relax those muscles (using imagery, feel a wave of relaxation wash over the area). When you think they are relaxed repeat the exercise. Pause, then repeat the exercise yet again. When applied correctly you will be amazed how much you can eventually relax.

Try it now. Sit calmly, bring your whole body to a feeling of rest. Now relax the muscles in your face. Feel the tension wash away in a wave working from your forehead down to your neck. Think of each area of your face as you relax the muscles. Hold this feeling for a few seconds then repeat the exercise. Even though you thought you were relaxed you should feel the second wave relax you further. Hold this feeling, then repeat the exercise again. It is quite surprising how each wave of relaxation takes you further and further towards a feeling of calm - demonstrating how tense you can be when you think you are relaxed.

The above technique is particularly useful when incorporated into your Pre-Match Routine. By relaxing your face you in fact relax your mind and body as a hole. This method is a pre-requisite to a self-hypnosis.

Relaxation techniques can be used in conjunction with breathing techniques and imagery (e.g. of stress flowing out of the body) for maximum relaxation.

It can also be effective to link the exercise of PMR to a keyword that you can say to yourself. Associating the feeling of relaxation with the keyword means that in a moment of tension you can bring the feeling of relaxation purely by repeating that word.