You Can Conquer Cancer: The ground-breaking self-help manual including nutrition, meditation and lifestyle management techniques. Ian Gawler

      Sit symmetrically, let your eyes close gently, and contract the muscles of the feet. If you find it hard to work out how to make the muscles move, pull the toes back toward the heels while at the same time resisting any movement. This locks all the muscles tightly and gives a good impression of what tension is like in that area.

      Then relax the muscles.

      The calves: Imagine someone was going to pull your ankle in any direction and you wanted to resist. This locks all the calf muscles as desired. You may notice some of the muscles in the thighs become involved and that they also contract. Keep this to a minimum but do not be concerned by it, while it is helpful to concentrate as much as possible on what is happening in the calves.

      Next, the thighs: These are the largest muscle group in the body and it is easy to feel the tension in them. If you need help to make these muscles contract, try to lift the feet off the ground while at the same time holding the thighs down with the hands. The tension is then obvious.

      The buttocks: These are contracted by squeezing the big muscles of the backside and so lifting a little off the chair. However, we want to be aware of the whole pelvic area, so feel the relaxation flowing right through that region of the body, including all around the pelvis.

      The tummy: We begin with this area by contracting the tummy muscles as well as those of the lower back. If we imagine that we are lying on our back and someone is about to drop a heavy ball on our tummy, the right muscles will be working! With the tummy, the need to feel the relaxation all through the area we are focusing upon is even more evident. So when we relax, we feel the muscles relax and also feel that inside the tummy is relaxing as well as all through the lower sections of the spine. There is no need to try to imagine a relaxed liver, a relaxed spleen, etc.—just feel that same deep relaxation all through the tummy, in a general, nonspecific way.

      The chest: The same principle applies as with the tummy. We contract all the chest muscles and make the chest tight like a rigid barrel. Then we relax the muscles and feel the relaxation all through the chest and around and through the upper spine.

      The arms: We do the arms as one unit. Make them completely rigid as if resisting movement in any direction. Stiffening them produces the feeling of tension very readily; then feel the relaxation.

      The shoulders: This includes the neck and the throat as well. Here we contract the muscles by lifting the shoulders and pulling the head down. Feel the relaxation then in the shoulders, neck and throat.

      The jaw: Grit the teeth and feel the tension in the big muscles we use for chewing. Relaxing, feel it in the mouth, lips and cheeks as well as the big muscles at the side of the jaw.

      The eyes: Closing the eyes in a squint makes the tension obvious. Relax and feel it in the eyes and across the nose.

      The forehead: Some people find it easier to frown than others! Contract the muscles, feel the tension and let it go. Maybe you raise and lower the eyebrows. Feel the forehead smoothing out.

      The words need to be repeated slowly and rhythmically. Many people find it helpful to repeat one phrase every second breath. That is, you breathe in and say a phrase as you breathe out; then breathe in again, breathe out, breathe in and say another phrase as you breathe out the second time.

      You will notice in the exercise that follows, each phrase is separated by a number of dots. These are to remind you to breathe, to proceed slowly and steadily. You will find that as the relaxation progresses, your breathing is likely to slow down automatically. There is no need to emphasis the breathing at all. It will adopt its own slow and steady rhythm in a natural way.

      Now we are ready to give our attention to this key exercise. So when you are ready, take up your position and begin.

      The Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise