Another technique that I like, the body scan: start by noticing whatever you are feeling at the very top of your head. Don't try to fix anything, just notice how it is feeling. That's usually enough to cause your body to relax the muscles by itself. Then work you way down the rest of your body, noticing how you feel in every other body part; the forehead, the back of the head, the nose, each cheek, the lips, the neck, the left shoulder, go along the whole left arm slowly all the way down to the fingertips, do the same on the right side, etc., ending at the tip of your toes.

I use that technique when I want to force myself to sleep, with the difference that I let myself switch positions or do anything necessary to be comfortable since the goal isn't to meditate but to sleep, and it works to be relaxed.

Can you tell I've tried and failed to maintain a habit of meditating many times before?