Juna Bobby MD, EdMFounder, MindBodySpace LLC · RELAX TO SOAR™️ Method Workshops • Mindbodyspace Podcast • NYU SOM M.D. • Harvard Ed.M. • Juilliard Resilience Faculty

Part 4 of 6 Stress Relief Down to the Cellular Level: Relax Your Muscles

23 Jul 2020 · 12 min

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MindBodySpace

23 Jul 2020 · 12 min

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In this episode of the RxChill Pill Get Resilient podcast, Dr. Juna Bobby MD, a mind‑body medicine physician, leads a guided autogenic training session for Week 4. The host begins with safety and disclaimer statements, emphasizing that relaxation techniques are generally safe but may be contraindicated for certain medical or psychiatric conditions and should not replace professional care. Listeners are encouraged to practice the session 1–2 times daily, in a safe, quiet environment, and not while driving. The core of the session focuses on breath awareness and progressive muscle relaxation using autogenic phrases repeated silently four times each (e.g., “My arms are heavy and warm,” “My heartbeat is calm and regular”). The script guides listeners to release tension, especially in the neck and shoulders, to locate their breath in the body, and to settle into a comfortable position. The episode concludes with an invitation to remain with soothing music or to stretch and end the practice. Throughout, the tone is calm, instructional, and supportive, aiming to elicit the relaxation response and build resilience against stress.

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Hello and welcome to the meditation portion of the RxChill Pill Get Resilient podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Juna Bobby MD, a physician specializing in mind-body medicine, and I'm here to bring you your daily dose of the relaxation response. Learning to elicit the relaxation response is extremely helpful in decreasing stress and any stress-related conditions. Relaxation techniques are generally known to be quite safe. However, if you have any medical issues, consult with your physician and be aware that relaxation techniques never replace proper medical care. In certain psychiatric conditions, these relaxation techniques may be contraindicated. Please check with your physician. I'd like to leave you with a little quiet time for reflection at the end. So I'm asking you now to please share. Subscribe, and download. It would also be really helpful to me if you could leave a positive review. If you use Insight Timer, you can find me as a teacher under Juna Bobby MD. As with all meditation and relaxation audios, please find a safe and comfortable quiet place and do not use while driving or operating a moving vehicle.
Welcome to Week 4 of Autogenic Training. By now you know the phrases change just a little bit each session so that by the end of each week you can have the entire script memorized. Perhaps even hearing this audio mentally. As you know, autogenic training encourages a deep state of relaxation, inviting physical and emotional calm to elicit the relaxation response, the opposite of your stress response. So again, practice this 1 to 2 times a day, every day, or until you've memorized the entire script. Now I invite you to find a comfortable, safe space. You'll again repeat mentally to yourself each phrase 4 times. Please keep a relaxed attitude and a relaxed pace. You'll take about 5 seconds to repeat the phrases to yourself, and there may be a little bit of silence before the next phrase. And at the end of the exercise, I'll let you know, and you can choose to stay to enjoy the relaxing music for a few more minutes, or you could choose to end the practice. This week we focus on our breath, so close your eyes if you haven't already done so and just release any tension in your body on the next exhale. Just imagine your muscle tension releasing. Feel the tension melt away, releasing especially in the neck and shoulders. One more time, inhale and exhale. This time, even shake out anything left over. You can move or stretch. And now calmly find your breath wherever you feel it the most. In your body. Perhaps it's your chest or your abdomen, or maybe even your arms or back. Stay with it for the next breath. And finally, settle down into a very comfortable position. Please repeat each phrase silently to yourself 4 times over about 5 seconds, followed by about 3 seconds of silence. My arms are heavy and warm. My legs are heavy and warm. My arms and legs are heavy and warm. I feel calm. My heartbeat is calm. And regular. My breathing breathes me. The practice is now complete. I invite you to sit and relax with the beautiful music for a few more minutes, or you may stretch and begin to move and end your practice here.

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