Having established the regular breathing pattern, you are now ready to start the next procedure. Tense each part of the body as you breathe in. Then hold your breath for five seconds whilst you keep the muscles tense. Relax and breathe out again slowly over a count of about ten seconds.
1. Curl your toes right up and press down with your feet, and relax.
2. Press your heels down pulling your toes up. Relax.
3. Tense your calf muscles. Relax.
4. Straighten your legs and tense your thigh muscles. Relax.
5. Tighten your buttocks. Relax.
6. Bend your elbows up and flex your biceps. Relax.
7. Hunch your shoulders and tense your neck muscles. Relax.
8. Clench your teeth, frown and screw up your eyes as tight as you can. Relax.
9. Tighten your stomach muscles. Relax.
10. Now tense all your muscles at the same time. After ten seconds, relax.
11. Now close your eyes. Concentrate your mind on an imaginary diamond glinting on a black velvet background for thirty seconds as you continue to breathe slowly and deeply.
12. Now focus on another peaceful object of your choice for thirty seconds.
13. Now open your eyes.
This technique is designed to help you recognise muscular tension in your body so that you can learn to relax it at will. The more the technique is practice, the easier it will become. You can do it in the car (when stationary!), in the office, on the bus, practically anywhere. You will not always have the opportunity to sit in a quiet, warm place where there are no disturbances, but there is a short cut that you can take, a sort of shortened form of the relaxation technique called quieting reflex.
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