Do you ever feel like your mind won’t stop racing, even when your body is completely exhausted? You’re not alone. Fortunately, your body already has a built-in way to calm itself down. One of the simplest and most effective techniques to reset your nervous system is Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR).
In this guide, inspired by re-origin’s progressive muscle relaxation YouTube video below, we’ll show you how to practice PMR step by step, and explain the science behind why it works.
re-origin is an online brain retraining program that gives you practical tools to regulate your nervous system and support lasting recovery. Our science-backed approach helps reduce or even eliminate chronic symptoms from conditions like chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, PTSD, and more. With approachable neuroplasticity practices, live support, and a global community, we make it simple to retrain your brain and restore balance.
Learn more in our core guide: How to Reset Your Nervous System.
What Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a mind-body technique that involves tensing and then releasing muscle groups throughout your body.1 The contrast between tension and release helps your body remember what relaxation feels like, a sensation that many of us can easily forget after years of chronic stress.
Developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s, PMR has been validated across decades of research for reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and easing chronic pain. A systematic review of 35 clinical studies found that PMR significantly lowered stress and anxiety compared to control groups, confirming its effectiveness for many people.2
PMR is one of the tools recommended in re-origin’s neuroplasticity-based brain retraining program. It helps signal safety to the nervous system, guiding it out of the “fight or flight” state and into a more restful “rest and digest” state.
Benefits of Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Practicing PMR regularly can help you:
- Calm your mind and slow racing thoughts
- Lower blood pressure and heart rate
- Reduce chronic pain and fatigue
- Improve sleep quality and focus
- Increase emotional resilience
- Improve mind-body connection
When paired with brain retraining practices, these effects become long-term adaptations to the nervous system, rather than short-term relief.
How Often Should You Practice PMR?
Consistency matters more than duration. Think of each practice as a gentle way of teaching your nervous system a new habit. This is the foundation of brain retraining; repeating simple exercises that help shift your body out of stress and into a calmer state, so that over time, that calmer state becomes your default.
You can try practicing PMR:
- 1–2 times per day, especially during high-stress periods.
- Before bed, to calm the body and improve sleep.
- Before or after stressful moments, like meetings or travel.
Even 2–3 minutes of practice can make a difference. Some people prefer longer sessions, others benefit from shorter nervous system resets spread throughout the day. The key is finding relaxation methods that work for you. Each time you practice progressive muscle relaxation, you’re reinforcing a pathway that links relaxation with safety.
PMR as a Tool for Nervous System Regulation
For those dealing with chronic anxiety, fatigue, pain, or other conditions, the nervous system often gets locked in high alert. PMR helps break that cycle by sending a strong signal of safety to the brain. As you repeat the process, these effects layer on each other. It’s a bit like descending steps on a staircase: each round of tightening and releasing helps you drop into a deeper state of calm.
Studies show that PMR significantly decreases heart rate, muscle tension, and cortisol levels while improving mood and sleep quality.3 When combined with the tools from our guide on how to reset your nervous system, such as breathwork, visualization, and brain retraining, PMR can be a powerful tool for regulating the nervous system.
How Progressive Muscle Relaxation Works in the Brain
When you consciously tense and then release a muscle, sensory receptors in the muscle send signals to the brain. This signal tells your brain, “It’s okay to let go now.” That action engages the parasympathetic nervous system, the branch of your nervous system responsible for recovery, digestion, and healing. Over time, repeating this practice strengthens neural pathways that associate relaxation with safety.
In short: this simple exercise tells your brain and body it’s safe, and safety is the foundation for healing.
Guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Practice Along)
You can practice guided progressive muscle relaxation at any time, whether sitting, standing, or lying down. Here’s a simple step-by-step that you can follow:
- Start with awareness. Take a deep breath. Notice any tightness in your shoulders, jaw, or legs.
- Upper body reset. Tense your shoulder blades together tightly. Hold for a count of three… then exhale and release. Notice how your body naturally wants to shake off the tension.
- Lower body reset. Plant your feet firmly. Squeeze your thighs and glutes as if you were trying to pull the floor together. Hold for three seconds, then release. Feel the natural bounce of relaxation return.
- Full-body reset. Tense both upper and lower body at once (shoulders, arms, legs), hold for three seconds, and release completely. Breathe deeply.
- Observe the shift. Your body might feel lighter, your breath deeper, your mind quieter. That’s your nervous system recalibrating.
You can practice variations of this throughout the day whenever you notice stress or tension, for example, a quick squeeze and release while walking or working. Even brief PMR practices send powerful calming signals to your brain.
Tips for Practicing PMR
- Start small: Focus on one muscle group at a time.
- Use guidance: Follow guided progressive muscle relaxation by playing a Progressive Muscle Relaxation YouTube video.
- Practice regularly: Establish a routine that suits you.
- Combine with retraining: Use PMR alongside your re-origin brain retraining practices for maximum effect.
The Mirror Neuron Effect: Relaxing Together
There is something fascinating about our brains that can also help with Progressive Muscle Relaxation: mirror neurons. These are special brain cells that fire when you act, and when you observe someone else performing it.
That means watching a Progressive Muscle Relaxation video can actually make your brain mirror the relaxation you see. This process, called co-regulation, is why calm, positive environments, or communities like at re-origin, can make nervous system regulation and healing feel easier.
Simply put: your nervous system learns safety through connection.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Anxiety: What Science Shows
PMR is one of the most evidence-backed relaxation techniques for anxiety.
A meta-analysis of randomized trials found that PMR significantly reduced anxiety and stress across populations, from students to healthcare workers.2
Another study among frontline nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that demonstration-based PMR reduced stress and anxiety with large effect sizes.6
Regular practice of progressive muscle relaxation for anxiety addresses both the mind and body, soothing physical tension while rewiring mental patterns of worry.
PMR Inside the re-origin Brain Retraining Program
In the re-origin Brain Retraining Program, PMR is one of many science-backed tools that help members calm their nervous system and rewire their stress response.
Through short, daily exercises, you’ll learn how to:
- Regulate your nervous system through tools like PMR
- Build resilience through repetition and gentle exposure.
- Strengthen neural pathways for safety, calm, and support healing.
If interested, you can learn more about how re-origin works and how brain retraining can help reduce or even eliminate chronic symptoms from conditions like anxiety, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and PTSD.
Final Thoughts: Train Your Brain for Lasting Calm
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a simple and scientifically backed practice. You can use this practice to help reset your nervous system, quiet your mind, and restore energy. From there, the next step is brain retraining for lasting results. While PMR provides short-term relief, brain retraining helps your brain establish calm as the new default.
That’s what the re-origin Brain Retraining Program is designed for: to help you build lasting nervous system regulation through daily neuroplasticity practices that restore balance and resilience.
Ready to move beyond short-term stress relief? Explore how re-origin can help you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
It’s a relaxation method where you tense and then release muscle groups to promote physical and mental calm. PMR helps your body recognize and release tension patterns.
What exercises are good for PMR?
Progressive Muscle Relaxation works by tensing and then releasing different muscle groups in sequence. Typical exercises include tightening and relaxing your hands, shoulders, face, stomach, and legs. You can move through the body from head to toe or focus only on the areas where you feel the most tension. You can follow a Guided progressive muscle relaxation video for support.
Does Progressive Muscle Relaxation work for anxiety?
Yes. Multiple clinical studies have shown that PMR lowers anxiety by reducing muscle tension and activating the body’s relaxation response.2
How often should I practice PMR?
There’s no set rule. What matters most is consistency. Many people find it helpful to practice whenever they notice tension or stress. Even a few minutes at a time can help reinforce the habit of shifting your body from a state of stress into one of calm.
Can PMR help with sleep?
Absolutely. PMR before bed can help calm both your mind and body, preparing you for restful sleep.
