Welcome to Quiet Bloom.
This is a gentle space for rest,
Stillness,
And self-care.
Today's guided meditation is special in that we are combining guided breathwork meditation with supported and guided stretches to release the neck and shoulders.
If at any point you need to pause to slow down,
Maybe you want to hold the stretch a little bit longer,
Please feel free.
And know that this practice is for you,
So take what you love,
Leave what you don't,
And when you're ready,
Let's begin.
Begin seated or standing anywhere that feels comfortable for you and your body,
And allow your hands to rest gently.
Maybe they are in your lap,
Or your arms are long at either side of you.
Just take a moment to find something comfortable.
If you're seated,
Let your feet be heavy on the floor,
And if you are standing,
Take a moment to feel the foundation of your feet as you push into all four corners of your feet.
It may even help to first lift your toes,
And then lower them one by one.
Close your eyes if that feels comfortable,
And take a slow breath in through your nose,
And a gentle breath out through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale slowly,
And exhale,
Letting your shoulders soften just a little.
One more time,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Now bring your awareness to your shoulders.
Maybe you notice the tops of your shoulders,
Your shoulder blades,
The space between your shoulder blades and your mid-back,
And just notice for a moment if they feel lifted or tight,
Or if your shoulders feel like they have been holding more than they need to.
Without forcing anything,
Gently shrug your shoulders up towards your ears,
Hold for a moment,
And slowly release them down.
Notice how when they drop,
They may feel a little bit heavy.
Now on your inhale,
Slowly lift the shoulders up towards your ears and hold,
Feeling that tension,
Feeling that muscle activation,
And as you exhale,
Allow them to fall away from your ears.
One more time,
On your inhale,
Lift,
And on your exhale,
Release.
Maybe you take a few rounds of breath to invite some shoulder rolls to this practice,
And know that your shoulders can move together or separately.
Maybe you lift your right shoulder up to your ear and then roll it back down your spine before you lift your left shoulder up and roll it back,
Moving in one direction for a few rounds of breath,
And then moving in the opposite direction for a few rounds of breath,
Being mindful not to forget your slow steady inhale and slow steady exhale.
On your next exhale,
Find a neutral position of your shoulders and shoulder girdle,
And notice the space that you have already created there,
And as you come back to your breath,
Bring your awareness to your neck.
Notice if your neck feels tight or tense.
Maybe you find yourself today with a lot of mobility in the neck,
Or maybe it's a struggle to turn your head from side to side,
Or maybe it's a struggle to turn your neck from left to right.
From a neutral neck position,
It may feel nice to start coming into some slow neck circles,
So make them as big or as small as feels comfortable at this point,
Being mindful not to force yourself into movement that your body is not ready for.
So maybe these neck circles are really small,
The size of a golf ball or a ping-pong ball,
Or maybe you already find that you have some space and you're able to come into some really big wide open circles of the neck and head.
Moving with your breath as you inhale and exhale,
And let's find a neutral head and neck position as you take a big inhale through the nose and on your exhale slowly and gently dropping your right ear towards your right shoulder.
Don't force it,
Just allow gravity to support you and do the work here.
So maybe a really subtle tilt of the head towards the right side is all that you feel comfortable doing today.
Maybe you find that you have more space and the ear gently lowers toward the right shoulder.
Take a slow breath in here and a slow breath out.
Notice the sensation between your left ear and your left shoulder as you invite an opening with each slow steady inhale and slow steady exhale.
And imagine your breath to be moving into the side of your neck,
Softening the muscles that work so hard to support you all day.
And as you settle in here,
Maybe you open and close your jaw slowly,
Noticing the sensation that that invites to this release.
Notice what it feels like to pivot your chin towards your right shoulder and then up towards the sky,
Pausing in any areas of deep sensation that feel good.
That's your body asking for a release.
And only if it feels okay,
Take your right hand and just rest your hand on top of your head,
Kind of the place where the top of your head and the left side of your head meet.
And just allow your hand to add a little bit of weight here so we're not pulling,
Just resting.
Take a big inhale and a long exhale.
Take one more slow breath in,
Creating space along the left side of your neck and a long easy breath out.
Good.
Removing your right hand from the top of your head and let's bring it to your right temple as you slowly and gently support your head and neck back to a neutral position.
So bringing your head back to center.
Maybe you come back to those shoulder rolls,
Just taking a moment of pause,
Noticing how the neck and shoulders feel so far.
Coming back to your breath.
Good.
Take a big inhale filling up and on your exhale gently and slowly drop your left ear towards your left shoulder.
Again,
No forcing,
No pushing,
Just a gentle stretch as you meet your body where it is.
Noting how this side can feel more or less open than the other and that is okay.
Breathing into the right side of your neck and if it feels okay maybe you come back to slowly opening and closing your jaw,
Noticing the sensation and the release that you get here.
Creating space with each inhale and releasing tension with each exhale.
And if it felt good on the other side maybe you once again play with a tilt of your chin,
Drawing it closer towards your left shoulder or allowing your chin to rise a little coming towards the ceiling.
Pausing in any areas that are asking for a little bit more time and space and love.
Breathe into the right side of your neck and as you exhale imagine the tension melting down your shoulders through your arms and all the way down to your fingertips.
And if it felt nice on the other side maybe you once again bring your left hand to the top of your head and just allow your hand to be an anchor here.
So no pulling or pushing yourself into a deeper stretch here,
Just allowing the hand to be a support in opening the right side of the neck.
Take a slow breath in and a long breath out.
Inhale bringing awareness to the neck and shoulders and exhale releasing any stored tension here.
Staying here as long as you need and when you're ready and only then.
Removing your left hand from the top of your head,
Placing it on your left cheek or temple and slowly supporting your neck and head back up to a neutral position.
If it feels good coming back to those shoulder rolls moving in one direction and then the other.
It may even feel nice to come back into those head and neck rolls noticing the space that you have already created.
Finding a neutral neck and head taking a big inhale and on your exhale gently lowering your chin towards your chest.
Once again not pushing or forcing your chin downward.
A gentle and subtle tuck of the chin is just fine.
We're just looking for sensation along the back of the neck.
You may even feel this up to the base of your skull and as you breathe here allow your head to feel heavier and heavier.
You don't have to hold anything up right now just come back to your slow steady inhale and slow steady exhale.
Notice the expansion and the space you create in the back of the neck and up into the shoulders,
The base of the skull as you breathe in and allow a release of tension as you slowly breathe out.
And maybe you gently sway your head a tiny bit from side to side inviting small movement to release any tight spots knowing you can pause and linger anywhere that feels good.
On your next inhale slowly bring your head back up.
Option to come back into your shoulder rolls,
Come back into your neck rolls.
Maybe you slowly turn your head from left to right and right to left taking whatever movements are calling you.
Taking whatever movements your body is asking for and as you breathe here take a moment to notice your neck and shoulders now.
Notice if you have supported and created just a small amount of softness here,
A little bit more space,
A little less holding and tension.
And as you breathe roll your shoulders up and back and then forward and down.
Find a neutral position and take a final slow breath in and a long easy breath out.
And know that as you move throughout your day and your week that you are allowed to soften and you are allowed to release and the weight of the world does not belong on your shoulders.
When you're ready gently crack open your eyes and maybe you return to your day or your evening or your week with a little more space and a little less tension.
Be well.
