In the modern times, the problems have increased enormously. The simplicity, humaneness and sympathetic attitudes of people of the bygone ages have been replace by man’s unsympathetic attitudes to man. Competition in all walks of life has become the rule. Inevitably our so called advanced civilization, industrialization and technological growth have resulted in human misery. Mental peace and spiritual tranquility have almost vanished. Today therefore, man is in search of mental peace and tranquility than ever before. In fact a high rise in the mental disorders today may be because of this.

To attain and achieve the goal of mental peace and bodily relaxation there are ever so many methods in practice. Transcendental Meditation, Autogenic Training, Hypnotherapy, Yogic Exercises, Zen Meditation, Progressive Muscular Relaxation are some of the methods. Even going on vacations, picnics and sports, games and recreations serve the same purpose.

But amongst these several methods, the Progressive Muscular Relaxation is the one that is more economical and can be easily practiced by any individual at his own will. Relatively speaking, it takes less time than others. Moreover as the person practicing it has to voluntarily tense and relax his muscles, it ensures relaxation.

Edmund Jacobson was the pioneer who discovered this method in 1930. But in its original form it was taking too much of time. Later on several attempts were made by other investigators to shorten the time. The method described here is perhaps a standard one. As the procedures described here are systematically and sequentially carried out one can be absolutely sure of achieving the Relaxation Response.

The method described here may be called Progressive Muscular Relaxation. Large groups of muscles in the body are brought into tension ;and subsequent relaxation systematically in a sequential order. When a particular group of muscles is taken up, the tension is gradually increased of that part of the body for about 10 seconds and immediately after let go and relaxed for at least 20 seconds. This means the ratio of time spent on tensing and relaxing is to be approximately 1:2. This means that if you tense for 10 seconds you should relax that part at least for 20 seconds. The most important feature of this method is that the person must direct his attention to the feelings and sensations of tension while particular part of the body is being tensed end to the feelings and sensations of relaxation when the particular part of the body is being relaxed. Thus you will be able to find the distinction between what tension like is, and what is relaxation like. This is called Differential Relaxation. As you go on doing it, at the end, you will be able to find that your entire body is in a relaxed state.

The most crucial point that you should know is that Mind and Body are closely interlinked. One can’t work apart from the other. In fact “Body and Mind, like man and wife, do not always either agree to live together or always agree to die together” as had been stated by Charles Caleb Colton. Therefore when complete bodily relaxation will be achieved, it invariably brings about complete mental relaxation also. The inevitable unity of the Mind and Body is to be appreciated.

The rationale or the logic behind this method can be explained in as simplified form. The human body consists of two branches of nervous systems. One is that is called the Central Nervous System. The Central Nervous System is mainly responsible for our higher mental processes. How we perceive and understand things around us, how we interpret situations, our abilities of thinking, reasoning, problem solving, coming to judgments and in short all our intellectual functions are governed by this nervous system.

The other branch of nervous system is called the Autonomic Nervous System. It is called autonomic because it works independently to regulate many physiological processes. These physiological processes have to go on all the time. For example the heart has to be pumping the blood, breathing has to continue, and digestive processes have to continue whether we are awake or asleep. The Autonomic Nervous System has taken charge of these processes which are vital to our very survival. And so it is called Autonomic. It is also mainly responsible for guarding us from dangerous situations. When we confront dangerous situation, like being faced by a lion suddenly, we have only two options: We either fight with the lion bravely or we run away from it. This is called “fight-flight” response. So the Autonomic Nervous System is self preservatory in character. So we have to stand to such situations sunder crisis. At such times, the Autonomic Nervous System becomes aroused to help the individual either to fight or run away. This heightening up of Autonomic Nervous System is called “Autonomic Arousal”. Under threatening situations in life, like facing an enlightened audience to speak, or facing an interview, it is but natural that there is “Autonomic Arousal”. Soon after the threatening situation is over we become calm and balance is restored. This is a normal, natural phenomenon.

But there are quite a few people among us, who seem to behave as if the lion is in front of us all the time. They are afraid and apprehensive all the time. This is unnatural and unadaptive. Such people suffer from various psychological problems like lack of concentration in studies, not being able to remember important things, inability to comprehend and absorb what they read, rapid beatings of the heart, and many such anxiety related problems. Such people suffer from what is generally called Psycho-neurotic Disorders or they may suffer from Psycho-somatic Disorders. Such people need help urgently. Relaxation exercises help them a great deal to overcome these difficulties. It has been scientifically established that under relaxation state our Blood Pressure is decreased, Pulse rate is decreased and breathing becomes deeper thus resulting in a low metabolism rate (with less consumption of oxygen).
Now, the Autonomic Nervous System itself has two branches namely the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic branch is situated close to the Spinal Cord, and has its tributaries directly linked with the endocrinal system. Some of the endocrinal glands like the adrenals and the thyroid pour their hormones more quickly to the blood stream because of the sympathetic system. This is why emotional arousal takes place because of activation of the sympathetic system. Thus sympathetic arousal is the immediate result during dangerous situations. But in some emotionally disturbed cases the sympathetic arousal is more or less in a constant arousal state. Such persons will be more tense and anxious almost all the time, as if they are facing the danger all the time. On the other hand the Para-sympathetic system is more indirectly linked to the endocrinal systems. In their nature of action the sympathetic and the parasympathetic are oppositional and counteractive. So in order to bring down the sympathetic arousal what is done is, the Parasympathetic which is linked with the peripheries is activated. When this is done the sympathetic arousal is suppressed and brought down to a much lower level. The result is that the person will be feeling deeply relaxed and calm and no more experiences anxiety features. This is done through progressive muscular relaxation.

The complete procedure to be followed is described. The whole procedure may approximately take about 40 minutes. But there are certain important things you should remember. Set apart about an hour when you are free from all other engagements. Do not be in a hurry. Do not practice this on a full stomach. Have your breakfast or dinner or lunch at least half an hour after the exercises. Otherwise there may be interference with the digestive process. It is preferable to do it in the early morning hours as you would like to feel free and relaxed while you are participating in the day to day activities. You would be feeling relaxed throughout the day.

Choose a convenient room where plenty of light and fresh air is readily available. Let the atmosphere also be distraction free. Let not others disturb you while you are practicing. If necessary close the door and put a board outside with the sign “Please Do Not Disturb”. Have loose garments, remove your shoes or sandals, wrist watch, spectacles and contact lenses if you are wearing them. It is preferable you lie down on the cotton bed without the pillow so that your body is horizontal. Lie down on the bed facing the ceiling. Stretch your hands and legs a little apart from the body. Take as comfortable a posture of the body as you like. Also keep your mind cool and calm. Keep other thoughts and worries away from your mind. At least during the period of exercise, keep your eyes closed during the time. Before starting the exercise and at the end, just lie down peacefully on the bed at least for a few minutes.

One more important thing – just before you start taking a group of muscles for tensing, take a deep breath, hold it tight and start tensing, gradually increasing tension in that part of the body for about 10 seconds (you can even mentally count 1001, 1002… … …1010 to be sure that about 10 seconds have elapsed). Then immediately let go the tension drop that part of the body on the bed and go to relaxation, simultaneously breathing out. This should be done for every group of muscle. This is highly advantageous and beneficial as you will see later. In the natural life situations, breathing out will take you to a deeply relaxed state by a process of conditioning. This would help you very much in the interactions of day to day affairs.

Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) is highly beneficial to you in a number of ways. It helps you for concentrating better, remembering better and to have a more flexible and adaptable stance in dealing with things or people. Your thinking, reasoning and judgment become better. You will be able to sleep better. In general your very health and well being become enhanced. These are the beneficial effects of relaxation.

For purposes of convenience the human body may be divided into four parts. The Hands, the head muscles, the leg muscles and lastly the trunk muscles including the muscles of the back, the stomach/abdominal and the chest muscles. We will be taking up groups of muscles in each of these four parts and carrying out the procedure in that sequence. We start with the muscles of the hands first as they are more easily under our voluntary control than the other parts. The sequential order in which the muscles of the body are to be tensed and relaxed are presented below

I. HANDS MUSCLES

i. Lift both of your hands straight by about 90° make tight fists of both hands;
ii. Lift both of your hands straight by about 90° and extend the palmer surface of the hands stretching the fingers apart;
iii. Lift both of your hands by about 45° and bend both hands at elbow tensing muscles of forearms;
iv. Straighten your hands move them sidewards by 90° and start gradually bending the hands exercising pressure on biceps and triceps;
v. Keep both hands in the normal resting position.

II. MUSCLES OF THE HEAD

i. Pull the eye brows up wrinkling the forehead muscles, and start pulling these muscles over the top of your head and at the back of the head (by pressing head to the bed);
ii. Open both eyes widely, rotate the eye balls in the clockwise direction;
iii. Open both eyes widely, rotate the eye balls in the anti-clockwise direction;
iv. By pressing the eye lids close the eyes tightly;
v. Protrude the lips and nose tightly pushing them forward as if you are making a face to another;
vi. Protrude the tongue (by opening the mouth) and push it as forward as you can
vii. Pull the tongue as far back as you can by pressing the tongue to the back of the mouth;
viii. Press the tongue to the roof of the mouth;
ix. Press the tongue to the floor of the mouth;
x. Tightly press the jaws and pull the corners of the mouth as far back as you can;
xi. Open the mouth, bring the jaws in opposition several times;
xii. Straighten the head and start bending the head forward so as to nearly touch the chest;
xiii. Limp the head completely to the left shoulder and start making semi circular movement of the head backwards from left to right by tensing the muscles of back neck;
xiv. Do the same as above i.e., (xiii) but now the semi circular movement should be from right to left.

III. LEG MUSCSLES

i. Lift both legs straight at least by about one foot from the bed, bend the feet and toes away from you;
ii. Do the same as item (i) as above but bend the feet and toes towards you;
iii. Bend both the legs at knees, thrust the back of the feet to the bed and bend the toes forward arching both the feet;
iv. Do the same as at (iii) above but start stretching the toes apart;
v. Keep both the legs straight, alternately push and pull the legs towards and away from you.

IV. TRUNK MUSCLES

i. Turn towards your right side on the bed, bring the hands to the back clasp your hands and try to make your body like a bow (Muscles of the back are tensed);
ii. Lie down on your back, breath in and push out the stomach as much as you can (Stomach and abdominal muscles are tensed);
iii. Do the same as (ii) above, but this time without breathing in pull the stomach muscles inwards;
iv. Take a deep breath, hold it as long as you can in the chest and then let go; Feel a sense of relaxation radiating all over your body starting from the chest and reaching the extremities.

This completes all the muscle groups to be brought into tension and relaxation doing Progressive Muscular Relaxation.

SOME IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED

01. If you have any physical diseases like coronary problems, strokes, cerebral arteriosclerosis or others, the PMR is to be carried out under medical supervision.
02. Always try to spend about 7 to 10 seconds in tensing and relaxing at least for about 14 to 20 seconds.
03. Do not forget to direct your attention to the sensations and feelings of tension and relaxation while you do so.
04. Do not forget to take a deep breath in and holding it tight before bringing any muscle group into tension and also while relaxing to breath out completely.
05. After gaining sufficient proficiency it becomes fairly easy to feel relaxed by simply breathing out a little.
06. Do not be in a hurry to do PMR. Have a chosen place and time to do PMR. Set apart at least about an hour.
07. Both prior to and after PMR try to relax on the bed at least for a few minutes. Ensure enough light and fresh air in the room.
08. At least while doing PMR let not other thoughts and worries bother you. Keep a cool and calm mind while doing PMR.
09. Preferably try to do PMR at least about an hour before breakfast or dinner. The morning PMR helps you to feel relaxed throughout the day. The evening PMR helps you to get satisfactory sleep.
10. Do not exert too much effort while tensing a muscle group. Try to know your limits. Tense muscle groups only within limits. Otherwise muscle cramps may occur. This PMR should not be made an exhausting exercise. What is needed is only tensing and relaxing of muscles but not to make one a Hercules.

Note: At the end of PMR spend a few minutes in bed experiencing the feelings and sensations of Relaxation. Mentally tell yourself during this time “I am now feeling calm, comfortable and relaxed”, quite a few times. Later on these cue words if mentally told to yourself in natural life, situations will be enough to automatically go into a state of relaxation by a process of conditioning.

- DR. J. BHARATH RAJ