The Best Examples of 3 Practical Progressive Muscle Relaxation Techniques You Can Actually Use

Let’s start with a classic, full‑body routine — one of the best examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques because it’s structured, repeatable, and works for most people.

Picture this: you’re lying on your couch after a long day, phone on silent, maybe dim lights, maybe soft background noise. You’re going to move from your feet to your face, tensing and releasing each muscle group.

Here’s how this example of a full‑body PMR routine can look in real life:

Step‑by‑step full‑body PMR you can use tonight

Start by sitting or lying down. If you’re comfortable, close your eyes.

Take a slow breath in through your nose for about 4 seconds, hold for 2, and exhale through your mouth for about 6. Do this two or three times.

Now move through the body:

• Feet and toes: Curl your toes downward and tense the arches of your feet. Hold that tension for about 5–7 seconds. Notice the tightness. Then slowly release for 10–15 seconds. Feel the difference between tense and relaxed.
• Calves: Point your toes toward your face, tightening your calves. Hold, then release. Let them feel heavy.
• Thighs and glutes: Squeeze your thighs together and tighten your glutes like you’re trying not to slide off a chair. Hold, then soften everything and feel the support of the chair or bed.
• Stomach and lower back: Gently pull your belly in as if bracing for a light poke, then release. Let your lower back sink into the surface.
• Hands and forearms: Make fists and tense your forearms. Hold, then open your hands and let your fingers spread and flop.
• Upper arms and shoulders: Pull your shoulders up toward your ears, like a turtle going into its shell. Hold, then let them drop down. Imagine the tension sliding off.
• Neck: Very gently, press the back of your head into the pillow or headrest. Hold just a bit, then relax.
• Face and jaw: Scrunch your face — squeeze your eyes shut, wrinkle your nose, gently clench your jaw. Hold, then release everything: jaw loose, forehead smooth, tongue resting on the floor of your mouth.

This classic routine is one of the best examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques because it’s flexible. You can shorten it to just upper body or lower body when you’re in a hurry.

Real‑life situations where this example works beautifully

Here are some real examples of when people use this full‑body PMR routine:

• Nighttime anxiety: You’re in bed, mind racing. Instead of doom‑scrolling, you do one full run from feet to face. Many people fall asleep before they even finish the second round.
• Post‑work decompression: You get home after a stressful commute. Before you even check your email or start dinner, you lie on the floor or couch and run through this PMR sequence once. It creates a clear boundary between “work mode” and “home mode.”
• Chronic pain support: People with chronic pain (especially back or neck pain) often use a gentler version of this PMR. They focus on areas that are not in pain first, so the body learns what “relaxed” feels like in safer areas. (Always work with your doctor or therapist if you have pain or medical conditions.)

Research backs this up. Progressive muscle relaxation has been studied for decades and is often recommended for anxiety and insomnia. For example, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) notes that relaxation techniques like PMR can help reduce anxiety and improve sleep in some people (NCCIH).

2. A Quick Seated Routine: One of the Best Examples of 3 Practical Examples of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Techniques for Work

You’re in a meeting. Your jaw is tight, shoulders up, heart racing. You can’t lie down on the floor and start a full‑body routine — unless you want to be the office legend for all the wrong reasons.

This is where a seated, subtle PMR routine becomes one of the best examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques. It’s the “nobody has to know what I’m doing right now” version.

How a discreet, seated PMR routine works

You stay seated, eyes open or gently lowered. You’ll focus on a few key muscle groups that hold stress and can be tensed without drawing attention.

Try this sequence:

• Hands and forearms under the table: Press your fingertips into your thighs or lightly make fists in your lap. Hold for 5 seconds, then release. Notice the warmth and looseness.
• Shoulders: Gently pull your shoulders up just a little, then drop them down slowly as you exhale. Do this twice.
• Jaw: With your mouth closed, very lightly press your teeth together for 3–5 seconds, then let your jaw hang softer. No one can see this, but you’ll feel it.
• Feet: Press your feet into the floor as if you’re trying to leave a footprint in the carpet. Hold, then let your legs relax.

All of this can be done while someone else is talking. On the outside, you look like you’re just listening. On the inside, you’re running one of the most practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques available for real‑world stress.

Real examples of where this seated PMR shines

Some examples include:

• Zoom fatigue at your desk: Camera on, mic muted. While others are speaking, you quietly cycle through fists, shoulders, feet. You end the call less drained.
• Test anxiety: Students use a short PMR sequence before or even during an exam. Hands under the desk, feet pressing into the floor, gentle shoulder release between questions. This kind of example of PMR is often recommended by campus counseling centers.
• Traffic or public transit stress: You’re at a red light or stuck in a train delay. Hands on the steering wheel or in your lap, you do a few tension‑release cycles with shoulders and hands instead of stewing in frustration.

If you want a simple explanation of PMR from a medical perspective, the Mayo Clinic describes it as a method that “involves tensing and then relaxing each muscle group” to reduce stress and anxiety (Mayo Clinic). This seated routine is just a more practical, real‑world example of that same idea.

3. A Targeted Bedtime Routine: A Real Example of PMR for Insomnia and Nighttime Worry

If your brain loves to hold nightly conferences about every mistake you’ve ever made, this one is for you.

This is a bedtime‑specific PMR routine, one of the best examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques for people who struggle with sleep. It’s shorter, focused on the areas that tend to stay tense in bed: shoulders, chest, jaw, and forehead.

How to use PMR as a “sleep signal”

Get into a comfortable sleeping position. You don’t have to lie perfectly still; just settle in.

Then try this pattern:

• Shoulders and upper back: Gently pull your shoulders up toward your ears and squeeze your shoulder blades together just a bit. Hold for 5 seconds. As you exhale, slowly release and imagine the mattress catching all that weight.
• Chest and breathing: Take a slightly deeper breath than usual and gently tighten your chest muscles — not to the point of discomfort, just enough to notice. Hold for 3–4 seconds, then exhale and let your chest soften.
• Hands: Make fists for a few seconds, then open your hands and let them rest however they want. Pay attention to that tiny shift from tight to loose.
• Jaw and tongue: Lightly clench your teeth, then relax your jaw. Let your tongue drop from the roof of your mouth to the floor of your mouth.
• Forehead and eyes: Raise your eyebrows as if you’re surprised, hold, then let them drop. Then imagine your eyelids getting a little heavier.

Do one full round, then let your breathing settle. If you’re still awake, you can repeat, but many people don’t need more than one or two cycles.

Why this bedtime example works so well

This is one of the most effective examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques because it trains your brain to associate the sequence with winding down. Over time, your body starts to recognize, “Oh, we’re doing this again — it must be time to sleep.”

Some real examples of how people use this:

• Middle‑of‑the‑night wake‑ups: You wake up at 3 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep. Instead of checking the time 17 times, you go straight into your PMR routine.
• Jet lag: You’re in a different time zone, wide awake when you should be tired. You use the same bedtime PMR pattern you use at home to give your body a familiar signal.
• Racing thoughts: You pair PMR with a simple mental phrase like “tension…release” or “inhale…exhale” as you work through each muscle group.

Sleep programs and behavioral sleep medicine specialists often include PMR as part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT‑I). For more on evidence‑based strategies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and related resources discuss behavioral approaches to sleep issues (NIH Sleep). PMR is one of the most accessible, at‑home examples of that toolkit.

How to Fit These 3 Practical Examples Into a Busy Day

Now that you’ve seen these examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques — full‑body, seated, and bedtime — the real magic is in how you use them.

Think of them like three tools in a small stress‑management toolbox:

• The full‑body routine is your “reset button” when you have 10–15 minutes.
• The seated routine is your “in public” option when you need to stay functional and subtle.
• The bedtime routine is your “sleep cue” when your brain won’t shut off.

6–8 extra concrete examples you can steal

Here are more real examples of how people combine and adapt these techniques:

• Pre‑presentation ritual: Ten minutes before presenting, you head to a quiet corner, bathroom stall, or your car. You do a shortened full‑body PMR (just upper body and face). Then, once you’re in the room, you use the seated routine with feet and hands while others are being introduced.
• After a tough conversation: You’ve just had a conflict with your partner or boss. Instead of replaying it endlessly, you sit in your car, set a 5‑minute timer, and run through calves, thighs, shoulders, and jaw. By the time the timer ends, your body is calmer, and your thoughts are less reactive.
• Daily wind‑down with kids: Parents often adapt PMR for children by turning it into a game: “Squeeze your toes like you’re trying to pick up a marble… now let them go.” This is a playful example of PMR that teaches kids to notice tension and release.
• Support for panic symptoms: When someone feels panic rising — tight chest, shaky hands — they might combine slow breathing with a very gentle PMR: small tension‑release cycles in the hands and shoulders, paired with extended exhales. Many therapists teach this as one of the more practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques in anxiety treatment.
• Breaks during long computer sessions: Every hour, you take 90 seconds to tighten and release your shoulders, forearms, and jaw. It’s not dramatic, but over a full workday, it can significantly reduce that end‑of‑day “my body is a knot” feeling.
• Before medical or dental procedures: While waiting in the chair or exam room, people often use a seated PMR routine to manage anticipatory anxiety. Hands, shoulders, and feet are usually enough to bring the nervous system down a notch.

These are all examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques in action — not just theory, but real life.

Tips to Make These Examples of PMR Actually Stick

A technique is only as good as your willingness to use it. A few small tweaks can make these examples of PMR much easier to stick with:

• Start tiny: Instead of promising yourself a 20‑minute nightly routine, start with 3–5 minutes focusing only on shoulders, jaw, and hands.
• Pair it with something you already do: Attach PMR to brushing your teeth at night, your first coffee break, or getting into bed.
• Use audio if it helps: Many people like guided PMR audio tracks. The Cleveland Clinic and other medical centers share guided relaxation resources online (Cleveland Clinic – Relaxation).
• Be gentle with pain or injury: If any muscle group hurts when you tense it, skip that area and focus on others. PMR should not be painful.
• Consistency beats intensity: Doing a short PMR sequence most days is more effective than one long session once a month.

Over time, you’ll notice that you don’t have to work as hard. Your body starts to remember: “Oh, when we do this, we relax.” That’s when these examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques turn from “a thing you’re trying” into “a skill you own.”

FAQ: Examples of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Techniques

Q: What are some quick examples of progressive muscle relaxation I can do in under 2 minutes?
A: A fast example of PMR is to sit or stand, take a slow breath, then cycle through three key areas: tighten and release your fists, pull your shoulders up and drop them, and gently clench and relax your jaw. Another quick version: press your feet into the floor, hold for 5 seconds, then release while exhaling slowly. These tiny examples include the same principles as longer PMR sessions but in a more portable format.

Q: Are these examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques safe for everyone?
A: For most healthy adults, PMR is considered low‑risk. But if you have medical conditions like severe muscle pain, recent surgery, or certain heart or breathing issues, talk with a healthcare professional before starting. When in doubt, use lighter tension and skip any area that hurts.

Q: How often should I practice these examples of PMR to notice results?
A: Many people notice a difference after just one or two sessions, especially with sleep or immediate stress relief. But for longer‑term benefits — like lower baseline tension or better anxiety management — practicing most days for a few weeks tends to help. Think of it like exercise for your nervous system.

Q: Can I combine progressive muscle relaxation with other stress management techniques?
A: Absolutely. These examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques pair well with deep breathing, mindfulness, gentle stretching, or CBT strategies. Some people do a short PMR sequence, then follow it with 5 minutes of meditation.

Q: Is there a best example of PMR for people who hate “woo‑woo” stuff?
A: Yes — stick with the seated routine. It’s mechanical and simple: tense, hold, release. No mantras, no visualization, just a physical exercise that tells your nervous system it’s safe to stand down. Many very practical, skeptical people find this to be the best example because it feels straightforward and grounded.

If you experiment with these examples of 3 practical examples of progressive muscle relaxation techniques for even a week, you’ll start to notice which one fits your life best. From there, it’s just repetition — and slowly teaching your body that it doesn’t have to live in a constant state of tension.