A Time for Expression, LLC

In-Person Counseling for Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota

2256 Commonwealth Ave Saint Paul United States

Beth Freschi, MA, Pre-Licensed Counselor, practicing under clinical supervision, provides in-person, compassionate counseling & relaxation training for the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Muscle Relaxation

“An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.”
— Dr. Edmund Jacobson 

Muscle relaxation exercises involve turning your attention to various groups of muscles and relaxing them until your entire body has entered into a deeply relaxed state. Some muscle relaxation exercises involve tensing each muscle group before relaxing it (to feel the contrasting states), and others use a combination of deep breathing and imagery, for example, envisioning healing energy entering each set of muscles to restore and relax them. Dr. Edmund Jacobson coined the concept of progressive muscle relaxation in the 1920s, and it is now a widely used practice for reducing stress. As with other relaxation techniques, muscle relaxation becomes easier and more natural the more you practice.  

In my recordings and classes, I use four main types of muscle relaxation: progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, body scan, and imagery-based muscle relaxation. In my guided relaxation sequencing, muscle relaxation occurs after the breathing exercises. These two steps help prepare the mind and body to enter a deep state of relaxation. 

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a process that involves tensing a specific muscle group, then fully relaxing it, often repeated for each muscle group at least once to enhance the effect. You continue throughout your body, tensing and releasing each muscle group to fully relax it. Whether you begin with the feet and work your way up to the head or vice versa, your entire body is relaxed by the end of the process.

Practicing Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a fun, effective way to release muscle tension.

Autogenic Training is a relaxation technique developed by the German psychologist Johannes Heinrich Schultz. When practicing autogenic training, you develop a feeling of warmth and heaviness throughout the body, which leads to a profound state of relaxation. Although Schultz’s original autogenic training program can take months to master, I find that the key elements of this technique can be a highly effective component of a relaxation training session.

Do kittens practice Autogenic Training? Yes...yes they do.

Body Scan is a technique similar to progressive muscle relaxation, except that instead of tensing and relaxing muscles throughout your body, you focus on the sensations in each part of your body. The body scan can follow the same sequence as progressive muscle relaxation (focusing on different muscle groups or parts of the body). The goal of the body scan is to be aware of your body in the present moment, and it is often associated with mindfulness meditation. 

Relaxation is for everyone!

Imagery-Based Muscle Relaxation is a general term for techniques that involve visualizing or sensing what is happening in your body, thereby producing a relaxed response. For example, you could imagine waves washing over your body, leaving your muscles feeling wonderfully relaxed.