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A 10 Minute Relaxation

Try to plan 10 mins each day for this relaxation routine,

which contracts and relaxes each of the main muscle groups in turn to release excess muscular tension.

We tend to carry our stress in our muscle system.

Wear loose comfortable clothes and lie down on a mat or a bed in a warm peaceful room

where you will not be disturbed, take the phone off the hook & put on some quiet music.

Place a pillow under your head and another under you knees and rest your hands

either by your side or on your stomach. Let your mind go blank and take a couple of deep breaths.\

Start with your toes, crunch them up tightly, hold for 20 seconds and then release.

Point your feet down, hold for 20 seconds then release.

Circle your ankles in both directions and then crunch up your feet, hold and let go.

Move on to your calf muscles, bend your feet up contract muscles, hold and let go.

Move up to your thigh muscles repeat the technique, you should be able to feel your legs getting heavier,

if not, tense your whole leg, hold and relax.

Move onto your trunk and tighten your abdominal muscles, your buttocks,

your back muscles and your chest muscles in turn, feel the tension oozing out of your body.

Next concentrate on your arms.

Start with your fingers and taking each part of your arm up to the shoulders, use the same technique as for your legs.

Feel the warmth spread through your body.

Hunch your shoulders up towards your ears, hold, and release,

it may be necessary to repeat this a few times as we all hold a lot of tension in our shoulders.

Slowly and gently move your head from side to side, then pull your chin backwards towards the floor, hold and release.

Raise your chin towards the ceiling, hold and release.

To relax your face scrunch it up as hard as you can, hold and release.

Frown hard hold, release, pout your lips, hold, release, yawn widely, raise your eyebrows, hold, release.

To finish tense up your whole body, hold, release. Take a few deep breaths.

Then lie quietly for a couple of minutes before getting up

Note: Be careful doing this exercise if you have any neck or spinal issues.