# Recognizing Effort - Progressive Muscle Relaxation

## Guided Meditation

{% embed url="<https://soundcloud.com/luis-510726881/learning-to-relax-level-2-progressive-muscle-relaxation>" %}

## Practice Visualization

<img src="https://1979698799-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FoVsGKE6CupfPHoBmSeNe%2Fuploads%2FNORUbLof1NReG89j0O2Y%2Ffile.excalidraw.svg?alt=media&#x26;token=ec76095a-b463-4e01-bcb7-d0cdf57a1f10" alt="" class="gitbook-drawing">

## Core Instructions

<table><thead><tr><th width="142.5"></th><th align="center"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>What</strong></td><td align="center">Cultivating the skill in relaxing physically via noticing &#x26; releasing of effort</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Benefits</strong></td><td align="center"><ul><li>Supports Softening Skill</li><li>Ability to relax</li><li>Weakening vices e.g., defensive patterns</li><li>Supports Softening Skill</li></ul><p></p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Instructions</strong></td><td align="center"><p><strong>Phase 1 - Party by Part</strong></p><ol><li>Tense part for ~5s &#x26; Notice underlying effort</li><li>Release effort &#x26; notice reduced effort</li><li>Enjoy relief</li><li>Repeat until practiced with every part of the body</li></ol><p></p><p><strong>Phase 2 - Choiceless</strong></p><ol><li>Notice any excessive effort within your body </li><li>Tense part &#x26; notice  effort</li><li>Release part &#x26; notice reduced effort</li><li>Enjoy relief</li></ol><p></p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Consider</strong></td><td align="center"><p><strong>Effort over Tension</strong></p><ul><li>Focus is the effort underlying tension and the release of effort rather than tension or relaxation</li><li>This will minimize superficial relaxation and contact the more fundamental cause of tension.</li><li>Some tensions will remain, as they are not based on excessive effort</li></ul><p><strong>No harm - remain comfortable</strong></p><ul><li>No need to flex excessively. As long as you can notice the experience of having excessive effort.</li><li>Avoid areas with injuries</li></ul><p><strong>Enjoy</strong> </p><ul><li>Pointing your mind towards the benefit of releasing of effort via enjoying the experience</li></ul><p></p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Daily Life</strong></td><td align="center"><ul><li>Check in throughout the day about any tension and their excessive underlying effort</li><li>Release the effort, enjoying the relief</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Progress</strong></td><td align="center"><ul><li>Increasingly recognizing excessive effort underlying physical tension</li><li>Ability to release excessive effort</li><li>Ability to enjoy the release of effort</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Acknowledgement</strong></td><td align="center"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Jacobson">Edmund Jacobson</a></td></tr></tbody></table>