It isn’t just me, right, that finds themselves telling my body to relax my jaw, roll my shoulders, and take a deep breath? Dude, I am carrying a lot of stress. My therapist recommended that I look for resources for progressive muscle relaxation. So let’s do my homework together, okay? Good! Let’s look at four options.
Resources for progressive muscle relaxation
Let’s start off with figuring out what the heck PMR (progressive muscle relaxation) actually means. According to the Mayo Clinic, “this relaxation technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group.” Okay, that sounds pretty straightforward and easy peasy.
Resource 1: YouTube
Holy, overload, Batman! There are a ton of options for resources for progressive muscle relaxation. After scrolling through and looking for the least wonky ones here are three that I am going to try:
- 5 minute Progressive Muscle Relaxation introduction with Kathy Somers
- relax for a while’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation (20min guided meditation) the guided practice starts at the 3:20 mark
Resource 2: Ebooks and printable scripts
Finding books, ebooks or regular ones proved problematic in the hunt. This one is available at my local library through Overdrive. It is also available as a download from Google books for $0.99 if you want to be a big spender. I also found this great guide from MindSource Colorado, just reading through it I felt pretty relax and “Om” when I was done.
Resource 3: Downloadable apps
My therapist recommended I check out Calm and Headspace as some resources for progressive muscle relaxation. Both apps have free and paid versions. There are many download options for free, just remember the old adage you get what you pay for – – so “buyer” beware. Personally, I am going to explore both.
After reading the reviews, these are the two free ones I am going to checkout (ps, I am an Android girl):
Resource 4: Podcasts
Not quite the rabbit hole that YouTube was but there are a lot of really interesting podcasts to wander off to while out in the interwebs. Here are a few stand-alone episodes and non-podcast options:
- Rest and Restore: Progressive Muscle Relaxation (with music)
- #Soulcare Sessions: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Train Your Brain Ep. 109 – Progressive Muscle Relaxation, starting at 2:15 minute mark
- Dartmouth Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise
Homework time!
Now that I have rounded up four types of resources for progressive muscle relaxation it is time to give them all a spin.
Which one are you going to try first? Drop me a line or comment below to let me know.
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