Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a technique where you tense one muscle group after another for a few seconds, then let go and notice the difference. The German health ministry's portal gesund.bund.de describes the rhythm as tensing each group for a few seconds and then relaxing it for about 30 seconds, "firmly, but not painfully." Because you actively tense and release, PMR helps you feel tension you normally don't notice, and it needs no imagination at all.
Below you'll find a full 14-group script we wrote, a 7-group short version, a gentler version for sleep, and what the evidence says.
How to do progressive muscle relaxation
- Find a quiet spot. Sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, or lie on your back. Loosen tight clothes, take off your shoes.
- Tense one muscle group. For about five seconds, firmly but never to the point of pain.
- Let go all at once. Don't ease out slowly. Drop the tension in one moment.
- Notice for about 30 seconds. Feel the difference between tense and relaxed: heavier, warmer, softer, or just different.
- Move to the next group. Keep breathing normally while you tense. Don't hold your breath.
- Finish slowly. Rest for a minute, then move your fingers and toes before you get up.
Skip any part of the body that's injured or hurts. If a muscle starts to cramp, let go immediately and move on.
Progressive muscle relaxation script (14 muscle groups)
We wrote this script in a sequence from the hands, through the face and trunk, down to the feet. Read it slowly or record it. (release) means: let go and stay with the feeling for about 30 seconds.
Settle into your chair or onto your back. Let your eyes close. Take two slow breaths, and let the second breath out be a little longer.
1. Right hand and forearm. Make a fist with your right hand. Squeeze. Feel the tension in your fingers, your palm, your forearm. Hold it. And let go. (release) Notice how the hand feels now, loose, perhaps warm or tingling.
2. Right upper arm. Bend your right elbow and press it down into the chair or the floor. Feel the upper arm tighten. Hold. And let go. (release)
3. Left hand and forearm. Now make a fist with your left hand. Squeeze. Hold. And let go. (release) Perhaps you notice a difference between the two hands.
4. Left upper arm. Bend your left elbow and press it down. Hold. And let go. (release)
5. Forehead. Raise your eyebrows as high as you can, so the forehead wrinkles. Hold. And let go. (release) Feel the forehead smooth out.
6. Eyes and cheeks. Squeeze your eyes shut and wrinkle your nose. Hold. And let go. (release)
7. Jaw. Press your teeth together gently and pull the corners of your mouth back. Hold. And let go. (release) Let the teeth part a little. Let the tongue rest.
8. Neck. Gently press the back of your head into the pillow or pull your chin a little toward your chest. Only as much as is comfortable. Hold. And let go. (release)
9. Shoulders. Pull both shoulders up toward your ears. Hold. And let them drop. (release) Feel them sink a little further with each breath out.
10. Chest and upper back. Pull your shoulder blades together behind you, as if you wanted them to touch. Hold. And let go. (release)
11. Belly. Tighten your belly, as if you were bracing for a small push. Hold. And let go. (release) Let the belly be soft and move with the breath.
12. Thighs and buttocks. Press your knees together and tighten your buttocks. Hold. And let go. (release)
13. Calves. Pull your toes up toward your shins so you feel the stretch in your calves. Hold. And let go. (release)
14. Feet. Curl your toes down gently, not too hard. Hold. And let go. (release)
Now rest. Travel once through the body in your mind: hands, arms, face, neck, shoulders, chest, belly, legs, feet. If you find a place that's still tight, breathe out and let it soften. (release)
Take a deeper breath. Move your fingers and toes. Stretch. Open your eyes when you're ready.
How long does it take? Tensing and releasing takes 14 × (5 + 30) seconds, about 8 minutes, plus a few minutes to arrive and finish, so roughly 12 to 15 minutes in total. That's a calculation from the rhythm above, not a measurement.
A short version: 7 muscle groups
Once you know the full sequence, you can combine groups. This takes about 5 minutes:
- Both hands and arms: fists, and bend the elbows.
- Face: forehead, eyes and jaw together.
- Neck and shoulders: shoulders up to the ears.
- Chest and back: shoulder blades together.
- Belly.
- Both legs: knees together, buttocks tight.
- Both feet and calves: toes pulled up.
For a 1-minute desk version and more on where tension hides, see our guide on how to release tension in your body.
Progressive muscle relaxation for sleep
PMR is one of the most common bedtime techniques, and it needs a few changes for bed:
- Tense more gently. About half your strength is enough at night. The goal is to feel the release, not to wake the body up.
- Go from head to feet. Start with the face and end with the feet. Moving downward goes well with the feeling of sinking into the mattress.
- Skip the ending. Don't stretch or open your eyes. After the last group, stay still and let your whole body be heavy.
- Repeat what's still tense. Shoulders and jaw often need a second round.
A bedtime PMR in brief:
Lie the way you usually fall asleep. Scrunch your face gently. Hold. Let go, and let your jaw loosen. Lift your shoulders a little. Hold. Let them sink into the mattress. Make soft fists. Hold. Let the hands open. Tighten your belly. Hold. Let it go soft. Press your knees together lightly. Hold. Let the legs get heavy. Pull your toes up. Hold. Let go. Now let the whole body sink. Nothing more to tense tonight.
What to expect: many people find PMR relaxing in bed, but the evidence for sleep is modest. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says relaxation techniques on their own "don't seem to be especially promising for sleep," although they can be one part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). For a whole evening plan, see our sleep meditation guide.
Where PMR comes from
PMR is named after its developer, Jacobson, and is also known as Jacobson relaxation. According to gesund.bund.de, the original version described 16 muscle groups, trained three groups a day, with sessions of about an hour. Today shorter, simplified versions are used, like the ones on this page. gesund.bund.de also calls it one of the relaxation methods used most often in treatment settings.
How progressive muscle relaxation works
Stress often goes along with muscle tension, for example in the neck, shoulders or jaw, and that tension often goes unnoticed, according to gesund.bund.de. The idea behind PMR is that deliberately tensing and releasing helps you notice this tension and let it go, which can ease the stress response. gesund.bund.de adds that the exact effects on the body are not fully understood yet.
Why tense first, instead of just relaxing? Because most people can't feel the difference between "a bit tense" and "relaxed" on command. After five seconds of strong tension, letting go is unmistakable, and over time you learn to recognize the tense state earlier.
What the research says
- Reliability: gesund.bund.de calls progressive muscle relaxation the relaxation method with the most reliable evidence of effect, and considers it comparatively easy to learn because it follows a clear sequence and needs no imagination exercises.
- Stress, anxiety and low mood: A 2024 systematic review included 46 publications from 16 countries with more than 3,402 adults and concluded that PMR is effective in reducing stress, anxiety and depression in adults, and that combining it with other interventions increased the effect.
- Sleep: see above. Relaxation alone is not a strong sleep treatment, according to NCCIH.
PMR, body scan or autogenic training?
| PMR | Body scan | Autogenic training | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you do | Tense and release | Observe each area | Repeat phrases like "my arm is heavy" |
| Effort | Active, physical | Quiet, attentive | Needs concentration |
| Easy to learn? | Yes, per gesund.bund.de | Yes, but the mind wanders | Harder, per gesund.bund.de |
| Good for | Restless body, busy mind | Tired evenings, bedtime | People who like a fixed routine |
Our body scan guide has a full script, and our overview of relaxation techniques explains autogenic training in brief.
A list to keep
Looking for a progressive muscle relaxation PDF? Copy this list into your notes or print the page:
Tense each group for about 5 seconds, release, notice for about 30 seconds.
1. Right fist.
2. Right elbow pressed down.
3. Left fist.
4. Left elbow pressed down.
5. Eyebrows raised.
6. Eyes squeezed, nose wrinkled.
7. Teeth together, mouth corners back.
8. Head pressed back gently.
9. Shoulders to the ears.
10. Shoulder blades together.
11. Belly tight.
12. Knees together, buttocks tight.
13. Toes pulled up.
14. Toes curled down gently.
Rest, scan once, stretch, open your eyes.
Guided progressive muscle relaxation in the app
If you'd rather follow a voice than a list, AI Meditation: Sleep & Calm has Dream Journey with Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). It moves from the feet, calves and thighs through the seat and belly to the shoulders, hands and forehead, then continues into a calm scene on a beach. Mini-Reset: Arriving and Relaxing is a very short beginner session with one PMR exercise, and Body Scan for Deep Relaxation is the quieter counterpart without tensing.
You can set how long a session lasts within its range, and the voices are AI voices. See how the app works, try it for free, no account needed.
Your health
This app is a wellness app and does not replace medical advice. Tense gently around injuries or pain, and ask your doctor first if you have a condition affecting your muscles, joints or blood pressure. If tension, pain or sleep problems last for weeks, talk to a doctor. NCCIH's page on relaxation techniques covers safety.
Sources
All pages accessed on September 25, 2026.
- gesund.bund.de (German Federal Ministry of Health): Entspannungsmethoden: Welche Techniken gegen Stress helfen können (in German, updated March 27, 2026). How PMR is done, the original 16-group version, how it works, evidence, comparison with autogenic training.
- Muhammad Khir S, Wan Mohd Yunus WMA, Mahmud N, et al. Efficacy of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Adults for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 2024.
- NCCIH: Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know. Definition, sleep research, side effects.
- AI Meditation: Sleep & Calm, app version 2026.6.1. Session contents.
