Hi,
I'm Jeremy.
I work in brain and spine surgery,
Where small signals in the nervous system can change everything.
These short practices explore how small adjustments in the body can create clear attention and less effort in everyday life.
Before we begin,
Take a moment.
Notice how your body is supported.
This can be done sitting or standing.
If you're sitting,
Push into the seat just beneath you.
If you're standing,
Feel your feet touching the floor.
Either position,
Let your spine grow just a little taller above that support.
We're not talking rigid,
Just organized,
Steady.
If you're standing,
Your feet meeting the ground,
Press your toes slightly in,
Maybe 2%,
And decide about your hands.
It can rest somewhere natural.
Some people like to rest palms up,
Openness,
Receiving.
Others prefer palms down,
A little more grounding,
Safety.
The nervous system responds to these small signals.
You can begin to shift what's happening in the body.
Now your eyes.
Your eyes can remain open,
Or they can soften slightly,
Or they can close.
Nothing special to do here.
We're just continuing to arrive.
For the next few minutes,
The intention is simple.
A little less effort in the shoulders and upper body.
Here's something interesting about this nervous system.
When the brain is concentrating or dealing with stress in the shoulders,
Often we begin lifting towards the ears.
Most of us don't even notice it's happening.
It's old habit.
The body is simply preparing for effort.
This is a protective reflex.
This is your body attempting to take care of you.
Now something surprising happens.
The shoulders also lift to help protect the neck and the head.
Now this is really useful in an emergency.
It's less useful when you're answering messages or thinking through your day.
The tricky part is that the nervous system sometimes forgets to turn off the pattern.
So let's check.
Without changing anything yet,
Just notice your shoulders.
Where are they right now?
Are they resting easily?
Are they slightly closer to your ears than they could be?
Is there maybe 2% room to drop?
There's nothing wrong if your shoulders are up there.
We're just noticing.
There's no need to change anything.
Now I invite you to try a small experiment.
Very gently lift your shoulders upward about an inch,
Just a little.
Feel the effort that creates.
And now let them drop.
Let them settle.
We're not collapsing here.
We're just letting gravity take over.
We're checking our effort.
And again,
Give a check.
Lift slightly,
Maybe an inch,
2%.
And drop when you're ready.
And one more time.
Lift slightly.
Take a gentle in-breath through your nose.
And exhale,
If you can,
Through your nose.
Release your shoulders.
Now often the nervous system needs a clear signal that the effort is finished.
Now let the shoulders rest naturally.
You might notice the neck soften just a little.
The jaw may have room to release.
Sometimes the breath even moves easier.
When one part of the nervous system reduces unnecessary effort,
The rest is available to follow.
And take one easy breath here through your nose.
Nothing forced.
Just letting the body breathe.
There's no technique.
There's no need to manage.
Now briefly return to the intention we set at the beginning.
A little less effort in the shoulders and upper body.
There was no forced relaxation.
We simply removed a little extra effort,
A little extra work.
2% less.
That's enough.
Continue breathing quietly through your nose.
And as you move through the next moments of your day,
You might occasionally check in with your shoulders again,
Especially during concentration.
If you catch yourself thinking,
They start climbing towards your ears,
You can simply drop them.
A small signal to the nervous system that the effort is finished.
Small input,
Clear shift.
Now take an easy breath in through your nose and let it go without drama.
And that's enough for now.
