Progressive Relaxation was created by Edmund Jacobson in 1934 to assist his patients with stress and pain management. It is highly effective for these, and I find this practice is valuable for vocalists for learning muscle isolation, intentionality, and selective relaxation of muscle groups. I first came across Progressive Relaxation during my studies at SFSU. It was an elective course not related to music, but I noticed a huge improvement in my ability to selectively relax muscle groups and I experimented with writing a script specifically for vocalists.

I’m not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. Please consult your own specialists in those cases.

For best results, create a routine around practicing this on a regular basis. A few times per week will build muscle awareness and responsiveness within a few weeks. I’ve included two audio recordings and transcripts below. The first is an introduction to the practice to learn the basic protocol with larger muscle groups before jumping into the voice-specific muscle groups which are very small in comparison with much more subtle biofeedback. I recommend starting with the first track until you feel responsiveness and awareness of the body. Please enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!

This track is intended as a quick training exercise to learn the practice of Progressive Relaxation. It is not a full body relaxation script, but rather, a very focused training on a handful of muscles.
Find a comfortable seated position, or lie on your back with some support for your neck and head. Inhale and exhale. Observe your body breathing at it’s natural cadence. Take a mental scan of your body. Notice any places of tension, discomfort, ease, relaxation, or holding. Breathe into any places of discomfort and readjust your body to find comfort and acceptance.
Bring your attention to your right hand. Feel it in it’s current state. Begin to form a fist and feel the activation in the muscles required to tighten and hold this grip. Breathe in, sensing that muscle activation and exhale releasing the fist. Continue breathing normally and feel the state of relaxation in these muscles. Observe in detail the sensation of relaxation in all those previously activated muscles. Feel the circulation and warmth.
In a moment, we will again make a fist, but this time trying to activate only those muscles within the hand with as little support as possible from the larger muscles beyond the wrist. Inhale and activate the hand muscles to curl your fingers toward a fist. Continue normal breathing while bringing attention to the difference between these muscles and the larger muscles of the arm and even shoulder which could assist in a more intense activation of the fist. Observe this isolated muscle activation. When you are ready, inhale focussing on the activated muscles and on the next exhale, release the fist. Return breath to natural cadence while you observe the relaxation in the muscles of the hand. Notice the difference between the sensations of contraction and relaxation.
Next we will move up to the forearm. On an inhale tense the muscles of the right forearm as tight as possible, allowing other muscle groups to help. Allow and observe activation in the hand, upper arm, shoulder, neck and even back. Inhale sensing all of these activated muscle groups and exhale releasing them. Continue your breathing as you observe the relaxation in these muscles.
Now we will isolate the forearm muscles. On an inhale, tighten the forearm in isolation from the auxiliary muscles of the hand, upper arm, and beyond. Continue breathing and observe the activated muscles of the forearm. Observe the intentional exclusion of the other muscles. Focus on the forearm, inhale, and on the next exhale release the forearm, noticing the sensations of relaxation.
This concludes the introductory track. Feel free to replay to balance out the other side, or practice further on your own. You are now ready to try the singing specific track.
Welcome! This track is intended for building awareness and responsiveness in the muscles related to singing. If Progressive Relaxation is new to you, I highly recommend starting with the previous training track which is an introduction to the method.
Find a comfortable seated position, or lie on your back with some support for your neck and head. Inhale and exhale. Observe your body breathing at it’s natural cadence. Take a mental scan of your body, just noticing any places of tension, discomfort, ease, relaxation, or holding. Breathe into any places of discomfort and readjust your body to find comfort and acceptance.
Bring your awareness to your eyes. Inhale and exhale sensing them in their current state. When you are ready, inhale and shut your eyes tightly. Continue breathing and observe the sensation of these activated muscles. How far beyond the eyes does the activation continue? Inhale, sensing this large activation, and exhale releasing it all. Observe the sensation of the relaxation in your eyes, face, jaw, neck, and more. Continue breathing and observing the sensation of these muscles in their relaxed state. In a moment, we will again tighten the eyes, but this time trying to only activate those muscles of the eyes with as little support as possible from any other facial muscle. It will feel incredibly subtle by comparison. On your next inhale, tighten the muscles of the eyes alone. Continue breathing and observe these activated eye muscles as well as the surrounding muscles which are intentionally relaxed. Is tension creeping into those? Can you release it while maintaining activation in the eyes? On the next exhale, release the eye activation and observe the sensation of relaxation within and around the eyes.
Next we will move to your jaw. It really is possible to over tense this muscle group, so please proceed with caution and don’t exaggerate the jaw tension. On an inhale, tighten the jaw and observe the activation. Continue breathing and observing the activation in the jaw and any other helper muscle groups. Feel the full scope of activation, inhale, and relax exhaling as you release your jaw. Breathe and feel the release of those activated muscles. Sense the residual tension that might remain in the jaw, tongue, and neck. Breathe into these muscles and gently release them further. Spend time observing these muscles in a state of comparative relaxation.
Now, we will isolate some of these muscles. First the tongue. In isolation from the other muscles of the mouth, tighten the tongue; it might be a curled, elongated, narrowed, or other position; anything where you can sense the muscles of the tongue in activation. Continue your breathing and check in with the lips and neck to ensure they are not activated. It is a subtle activation in isolation from the rest but noticeable. On your next exhale release the tongue and sense the tongue in its state of rest.
Next we will move to the lips. Inhale and round your lips towards an [u]. Continue breathing and check in with the tongue, making sure it is released. Play around with activating this [u] position even more while releasing any muscles which respond in their own activation. On your next exhale, release the lips and sense them in their relaxed state.
Moving to the neck, tighten the neck muscles and observe their activation, making sure to remain relaxed within the muscles of the face, especially the jaw, tongue, and forehead. Continue breathing and sensing these various muscles in their state of activation or relaxation. Inhale, and on the exhale relax the neck. Observe the sensations of relaxation. Breathing and sensing.
On your next inhale, bring your attention to your rib cage. Expand the ribcage and maintain the expansion while you continue breathing. Imagine expanding your shirt in the 360 degree circumference of your ribcage. Continue your breathing and check in with the muscles of the neck, face, and tongue. Are they able to release completely? Observe the state they are in and find release in all muscles beyond your torso. Inhale, sensing the activation in your ribcage, and exhale releasing those muscles fully. Observe the ribcage in it’s sensations of relaxation. The ebb and flow of the breath within and the ease of the intercostals in this gentle flow.
Finally, we’ll do a large muscle combo for the core and lower body to close today’s practice. On your inhale tighten the lower body and core muscles. Continue breathing and observe the intense activation of these muscles while also checking in with the relaxation of the shoulders, neck, jaw, forehead and other muscles of the upper body. Release the upper body fully while maintaining activation in the low body. Inhale and on the exhale, release the entire body. Observe your full body relaxation. As you breathe, scan your awareness over trouble spots where you have a tendency of holding and practice activating and releasing these areas with your breath pattern.
The more you practice progressive relaxation, the more specificity you will gain in muscle engagement, isolation, and relaxation. For experienced vocalists, experiment with the soft palate, cheek muscles, and even your pharyngeal muscles. Feel free to spend more time in this practice on your own, or when you are ready bring your attention to your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes; and gently open your eyes.

Progressive Relaxation for Singers

Introduction Practice for Progressive Relaxation transcript

Progressive Relaxation for Vocalists transcript

Sciatica Notes