This is a progressive muscle relaxation technique practiced through the lens of mindfulness. It involves tensing and then relaxing specific muscle groups in a systematic manner.

It can be an effective way to reduce anxiety by promoting physical relaxation and reducing muscle tension.

Trying to remove, get rid of or end anxiety can push the mind into a very driven state. Although it feels counter-intuitive, making a bit of space for anxious feelings, getting to know them or even just acknowledging them can help towards the easing of anxiety.

Forcing ourselves to relax is often not a very relaxing experience, so just practice this for its own sake to see what happens as an experiment. If anything, this is a chance to rest, not to strive for anything in the following moments.

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Choose a quiet and comfortable space where you can sit or lay down without being disturbed. If possible, dim the lights and eliminate any distractions. Get into a comfortable position sitting or lying down. As you do so, really feeling into the adjustments in posture that you make as you settle down.

Close your eyes if it feels comfortable, or stay connected with the space that you're in.

Making an intentional shift in focus to the body.

Allowing whatever is around you to go into the background.

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Begin by taking a few slow deep breaths, feeling into the sensations of breathing, feeling the expansion on the in-breath and the letting go on the outbreath, expelling all of the air out.

On an out -breath, purposefully move the focus of your attention all the way down the body, through the belly, the hip region, down through the legs to the feet.

Curl your toes tightly and hold this tension for a few seconds, knowing what this tension feels like.

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And then release and let your feet relax completely, breathing easy, knowing that this is relaxation.

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On an out -breath, purposefully move the focus for your attention up from the feet and into the legs, from ankle to hips. Introduce some tension, and hold for a few seconds. You might notice that other areas of the body get involved. And knowing what this tension feels like.

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Then release and let your legs relax completely. Breathing easy, knowing what this relaxation feels like in the legs.

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On an out -breath, purposefully move the focus of your attention from the legs and into the abdomen and lower back. Introduce some tension here and hold for a few seconds. Again, noticing if other areas of the body get involved. Squeezing, tightness.

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And then release and let your abdomen and lower back relax completely. Breathing easy. Knowing what this relaxation feels like.

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Notice if you're measuring your relaxation or judging. Recognising those thoughts in the mind that arrive. The mind is like a judging machine. As best you can just let go of those thoughts or let them go into the background. And maintain a focus in the body.

On an out -breath, purposefully move the focus of your attention into the chest and upper back. Introduce some tension here and hold for a few seconds. If you're striving for tension a bit too hard, then just letting go a little. Also noticing what's happening to the breath.

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Then release and let your chest and upper back relax completely. Breathing easy on an out-breath, purposely move the focus for your attention into the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. Introduce some tension here. Hold for a few seconds.

You may notice other areas of the body getting involved, maybe even down in the legs or the belly.

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Breathing as you release and let your shoulders, arms and hands relax completely. Knowing what this relaxation feels like.

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On an out breath purposefully move the focus of your attention into your face. Introduce some tension to the features of the face, the eyes, brow, cheeks, lips, nose, and jaw. Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, hold for a few seconds, really feeling into the face.

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Then release and let your face relax completely, softening the brow and the eyes, loosening the jaw, allowing the tongue to drop away from the roof of your mouth.

Breathing easy and continuing down the body releasing any tension that has maybe crept back in to the shoulders, arms, loosening the hands, feeling right into the fingertips, softening the chest, the back.

Letting go in the belly, releasing if there's any bracing, allow the legs to be heavy, the feet to fall away from the ankles.

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Feeling into the contact with whatever is supporting you, weight from the body travelling down into it.

Knowing what this relaxation feels like.