Hello I'm Benita.
Thank you for choosing to practice together.
This short practice is designed to release tension in your shoulders.
Whether you've been sitting at your desk,
Or are carrying the weight of the day you're weak,
A stressful situation.
This short meditation will help you find ease and softness.
There isn't anything to get right here.
It's a chance to feel,
To sense,
To explore and reconnect to your own body.
Let's begin.
Taking your time to arrive to land and really settle into your seat.
There isn't anything to change or fix.
Let yourself arrive here just as you are.
Could you be any more comfortable?
Making those little adjustments with your body.
Beginning to notice the parts of your body that are in contact with the surface beneath you.
Feeling the floor,
The earth beneath your feet.
Perhaps wriggling through your toes,
Pressing down through the balls,
The heels of your feet.
Maybe you notice your bum on the chair,
The seat.
Rocking gently from sit bone to sit bone.
Really feeling into the support beneath you.
Receiving the full weight of your body.
Maybe here you have a sense of getting a little heavier.
Sinking down,
Melting down.
Let's take a slow breath together and gently through your nose.
Letting your belly fill with air and exhale as you're ready with a soft sigh.
Anytime your mind drifts or wanders,
That's okay.
It's perfectly normal and natural to think.
We're humans.
You might like to acknowledge the thought that arises.
And if you like,
You can invite your attention to return to the physical sensations of your body.
As you're ready,
Bringing your attention to your shoulders.
In and around your whole shoulder,
The left shoulder,
The right shoulder.
Feeling any fabric or clothing against your skin.
Noticing any temperature,
Any sensation.
What is present?
What is here?
What am I experiencing in my physical body in this moment?
Any feeling or absence of any feeling.
It's all useful information.
Whatever you notice,
Let that be enough.
No need to judge,
To analyze.
Feel and sense into your shoulders.
You can stay with your attention resting in and around the shoulders.
Or if you like,
Inviting you to explore some shoulder shrugs together.
On your next inhale,
Slowly lift your shoulders up towards your ears.
Gathering any tension,
Tightness,
Stress.
Hold them there for a moment longer.
And as you feel ready,
Exhale.
Letting the shoulders drop down.
Letting any tension pour down towards the earth beneath you.
Let's do that again.
Inhale,
Lifting your shoulders high,
Squeezing them upwards to dance with the earlobes.
And exhale,
Let them go.
The invitation to take a few more rounds of your shoulder shrugs,
In your own time with your own breath.
And I'll practice along with you.
With each exhalation,
Perhaps your shoulders become a little heavier and softer.
Letting something go,
Releasing.
And checking in with your facial features.
Can you let your brow,
Your eyelids,
Your cheeks grow heavy and soft?
If you notice any tension or holding in your tongue,
Your mouth,
Your jaw,
What might it be like to soften?
Let's complete one last round together.
Inhaling,
Lifting your shoulders up towards your earlobes,
Squeezing them,
Lifting them,
Holding them just for a moment longer.
And exhale.
Noticing how you feel,
What is present,
What is here.
Without any demand to change,
To fix.
Welcome yourself just as you are.
Observing again,
Your feet on the floor,
Grounding down into the surface,
The earth beneath you.
Feeling the support underneath your bum,
Your hips.
Taking one last full expansive breath in,
And exhaling with a final soft sigh.
Bringing some space between your fingers,
Stretching the fingers out long,
Letting them gently curl back in.
You might like to open and close your mouth a few times,
Releasing out through your jaw.
A gentle roll of your neck,
Bringing some movement,
Some fluidity into your spine.
Blinking open your eyes if they've been closed,
Returning to your day with intention.
Taking with you this sense of ease,
Of lightness.
And remember this space of softness and release.
It's always here for you.
You can return to it again and again.
Thank you for your time,
Your presence.
I can't wait to practice together again soon.
