1. Select a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Remove your shoes, loosen you belt or tight clothing. Stretch out on your back, arms resting by your sides, feet slightly apart, eyes gently closed.
2. Think, "Now I am going to relax completely. When I finish I will feel fully refreshed and energized."
3. Bring your attention to your feet, wiggle your toes, flex your ankles. Then let go, release all tension, and let your feet rest limp and heavy.
4. Bring your attention to your legs, your knees and thighs, up to your hips. Imagine them just sinking into the floor or chair, heavy and relaxed.
5. Bring your attention to your arms, elbows, and upper arms, all the way up to your shoulders. Imagine all the tension just melting away.
6. Bring your attention to your abdomen. Let the tension go, and allow your breathing to flow more smoothly and deeply.
7. Bring your attention to your stomach and chest, up to your throat and neck. As you continue breathing more deeply, just imagine all the tension flowing out as you are relaxing more and more deeply.
8. Now, bring awareness to your throat, neck and head, feeling loose and relaxed. Relax your face muscles. Let the jaw drop, parting the lips and teeth. Picture yourself completely relaxed.
9. If you are aware of any remaining tension anywhere in the body, mentally go to that area and allow tension to release and dissolve away.
10. Continue to remain in this completely relaxed state for five to ten minutes. You may picture pleasant thoughts, or simply blank your mind and enter a state of light sleep.
11. When you are ready to get up, say to yourself, "I have been deeply relaxed. I am now ready to awaken, feeling completely refreshed, energized and relaxed."
12. Begin to move by flexing the ankles, wiggling the toes. Then wiggle the fingers, and gently shake your wrists.
13. Bend the right knee, and then the left knee. Bend the right arm and then the left arm.
14. Open your eyes. Stretch each arm over your head. Then slowly sit or stand up, and stretch again.

You are now ready to continue with your activities.

— Joel Levey, Michelle Levey in The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation