Facilitation Technique Category: Stress Management

Activity Title: Basic Aquatic Skills: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Source: Helpguide. Finding the relaxation exercises that work for you.
Retrieved October 20, 2016, from
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation-techniques-for-stressrelief.htm
Equipment: No equipment needed
Activity Description: Progressive muscle relaxation involves a two-step
process in which you systematically tense and relax different muscle groups
in the body. (Helpguide) The setting this activity should take place is a quiet
room.
Progressive muscle relaxation sequence
1. Right foot, then left foot (Starting with toes)
2. Right calf, then left calf
3. Right thigh, then left thigh
4. Hips and buttocks
5. Stomach
6. Chest
7. Back
8. Right arm and hand, then left arm and hand (Including fingers and
wrists)
9. Neck and shoulders
10.

Face (Including lips, cheeks, nose, eyes, and forehead)

-Take a few minutes to relax, breathing in and out in slow, deep breaths.
-When youre relaxed and ready to start, shift your attention to your right
foot. Take a moment to focus on the way it feels.
-Slowly tense the muscles in your right foot, squeezing as tightly as you can.
Hold for a count of 10.
-Relax your right foot. Focus on the tension flowing away and the way your
foot feels as it becomes limp and loose.
-Stay in this relaxed state for a moment, breathing deeply and slowly.
-When youre ready, shift your attention to your left foot. Follow the same
sequence of muscle tension and release.
-Move slowly up through your body, contracting and relaxing the muscle
groups as you go.

-It may take some practice at first, but try not to tense muscles other than
those intended. (Helpguide)
Leadership considerations: CTRS functions as a facilitator and should be
familiar with procedures, complexity of the technique, its limits, and the
problems that can occur. The TR should focus on helping the participants to
become comfortable by speaking in a calm tone. Safety: People who a
history of muscle spasms, back problems, or other serious injuries should
consult their doctor because this activity may aggravate the individual.
Special rules include: 1) participants should wear loose clothing, no watches,
glasses, jewelry, or shoes.
Adaptations: Participants with Alzheimers: Behavioral disturbances
such as anxiety, irritability, and agitation are common in Alzheimers
diseasePMR can be quickly learned by most individuals and can be used to
attain a state of relaxation in 10 to 20 minutes. (Suhr, Anderson, & Tranel,
1999) This activity can take place once a week to allow participants to learn
the basic technique. After the participants know how this activity works for
them the classes can take place more times a week.
Participants with Fibromyalgia: This activity can be done in a chair, bed
like matting, or floor depending on what is comfortable for the participant.
FM patients should be cautioned to not tense muscles too tightly during this
exercise since this could result in exacerbating pain. (Hassett & Gevirtz,
n.d.)
Adaptations References
Hassett, A. L., & Gevirtz, R. N. (n.d.). Nonpharmacologic treatment for
Fibromyalgia: Patient education, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation
techniques, and complementary and alternative medicine. , 35(2), .
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743408/
Suhr, J., Anderson, S., & Tranel, D. (1999, January). Progressive Muscle
Relaxation in theManagement of Behavioural Disturbance in Alzheimers
Disease [PDF]. ResearchGate.