Why Tensing Your Muscles Can Actually Help You Relax
Jessica Dowlatsingh 
This 1 minute routine can help bring an immediate sense of relaxation to your mind and body.
It sounds counterintuitive to suggest that you should tense your muscles in order to relax them, but that's exactly what this technique teaches.
Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple process by which you systematically tense your muscles and then relax them in order to observe the sensation of relaxation. Oftentimes, we keep our muscles tensed without realizing and that becomes our norm. Our neck, shoulders, jaw and glutes are areas that are often chronically tense and are good places to begin investigating.
Through progressive muscle relaxation, we can begin to notice where we hold tension and re-familiarize ourselves with what it feels like when those areas are softened and relaxed.
Try this quick one minute progressive muscle relaxation:
Take 3 deep breaths.
Tense your feet for 5 seconds.
Relax your feet.
Tense your legs for 5 seconds.
Relax your legs.
Tense your stomach for 5 seconds.
Relax your stomach.
Tense your hands and arms for 5 seconds.
Relax your hands and arms.
Tense your whole body for 5 seconds.
Relax your whole body.
Take 3 deep breaths.
How do you feel after doing this? Let us know below.
Categories: breathwork, mindfulness, pranayama, Self Care