Hello and welcome.
My name is Carolyn Ann Budgell and I'm joining you from my home in North Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada today to share a really simple practice to help release tension from your neck,
Jaw,
And shoulders.
You can be seated anywhere,
Anyhow,
And perhaps have the intention of being curious,
Of being willing to listen a little more closely to this area and to simply offer it more breath.
We'll begin by nodding the chin down to the chest and lifting the chin just slightly.
Continue with that kind of linear movement,
Tucking the chin,
Lifting the chin.
We'll find that today this practice is really about mobility,
Just connecting to the muscles of the neck,
The shoulders,
And inviting in just a little bit more mobility rather than forcing huge deep openings.
Be gentle,
Take your time,
Just easing into this movement.
And if you haven't already,
Deepen your breath as well.
One more,
Going straight up,
Straight down,
Just for your neck.
And now with your chin level to the floor,
Gently looking over the left shoulder,
Again,
With ease,
Without struggling or straining,
And over the right shoulder,
Left and the right.
And if possible,
Keeping your shoulders aligned over your hips.
So there's no movement in the remainder or the rest of your body,
It's just the neck.
Smooth movements,
And again,
Emphasizing deep breaths.
One more to each side.
So that you finish by looking over your right shoulder.
And keep that,
Looking over the right shoulder,
Draw your chin down towards your right collarbone,
And slowly into the center of your chest,
And over to the left collarbone.
And then bring your chin up parallel to the floor,
Glancing over the left shoulder,
And go straight back down.
Chin down to outer left collarbone,
Tracing in towards the center of the chest,
Over to the right,
Picking your chin up parallel.
Continue with these slow half circles,
Letting the breath be long and slow.
And again,
This is more about mobility,
More about noticing areas that you're feeling disconnected,
Or that feel a little bit stuck.
This is like the check-in,
It's becoming more aware,
Not needing to fix or change anything.
Just listening.
And then as you bring your chin back to center,
Shrug both shoulders right up to the ears as you inhale.
This time,
A big cleansing breath out your mouth as your shoulders roll back and down.
Shrug both shoulders forward,
Squeeze up to your ears,
Breathe in,
Exhaling,
Back and down.
Always okay if you're moving at a different pace than I am.
Inhale to squeeze up,
And rolling back and down.
Just working with circles if possible,
Really squeezing up the tension,
And then exhale to tangibly let it go two more times.
Last one.
Nice.
With your shoulders just gently settling down your back,
Lean your left ear over towards your left shoulder.
As both shoulders relax down,
Is there anything stuck around the jaw?
Every exhalation symbolizes a layer of tension melting.
See what it's like to take your next exhalation out your mouth.
Something melting in the side of your neck.
Another slow breath out your mouth.
And if you'd like,
You can take your left hand across to the top of your right shoulder,
Help to weight and press down through the top of that shoulder while your head continues leaning over to the left away from that.
And I always love inviting in mindful movements.
So just a quarter of an inch lifting my chin up.
And then I turn my chin even more to the left.
I keep leaning my head over to the left.
And sometimes there's a controlling aspect of ourselves that tries to come online,
That tries to force.
But here the benefit really happens from your breath.
Slow cleansing exhales,
Allowing the release to come in the neck.
As you breathe out.
That's it.
One more breath.
Keep your head tilting over to the side.
But use your left hand under your left ear to push the weight of your head back up.
So that we're not alarming those neck muscles back into engagement.
Gently lower your hands.
Keep your head to the other side now.
Feel the lift in length of your spinal column.
Feel the ease in your shoulders.
Just the head is leaning over to this side.
Taking a few full breaths.
Just awakening to what's going on in this side of your neck.
And you're connected to that intention of simply listening.
Listening to your neck,
Offering it breath.
I'll invite us to bring our right hand up on top of the left shoulder,
Really getting a good grip on the top of the shoulder so you can press down.
It might increase the tractioning through this left side of your neck.
Perhaps remain like that,
Or tip your chin up half an inch.
Full,
Mindful breaths all the way up into your neck.
Option to turn your chin just away from that shoulder,
Looking over the right shoulder a bit more so that you find the spot,
Right?
And it can be different from side to side.
It could be a little different here where you're holding the neck and offering breath.
Listening to what's needed.
Maybe a long exhale out your mouth will really help to shed some kind of stuck energy.
Two more like that.
Releasing anything out your mouth that's been holding on,
That's been holding you captive.
Take your right hand under your right ear.
Push the weight of your head back up.
Gently lower your hands down.
And in stillness for two breaths,
Listening,
Feeling.
From here,
We'll take our hands behind our heads.
Or if it's easier for shoulder mobility to have fingers around your ears,
Do that instead.
Or just fingertips super light on the back of the head.
Open your elbows a bit wider.
Inhale,
Your face could lift slightly but less about dropping the head back.
Okay,
Feel that opening in your pectorals,
Elbows pulling back.
And then exhale,
Draw your elbows towards one another and down towards your belly button,
Tuck your chin.
And then slowly start to lift your chest,
Take your elbows wide,
Inhaling.
And on your next exhalation,
Work the elbows towards each other round,
Leaning back towards the space behind you.
Continue moving through these undulations for the spine.
Also really nice to help open your shoulders front of the chest and opening your upper back as you round shoulder blades pull apart from each other.
Breathing in a way that serves you option to add extra breaths anywhere to go a bit slower.
If that's what your shoulders need.
If that's what your upper back needs.
Take it slow.
Listening to your body,
Offering it all your breath.
Staying soft in your neck muscles,
We've just really taken care of them soft in your jaw.
Let's take two more of these kind of arcing and rounding sensations for the spine.
Good one more.
Meet me with this open sensation elbows back and take your right arm all the way up.
Bend your right arm behind your head,
Climb your left hand on top of your right elbow.
Gently press the back of your skull back into your right arm.
Sometimes there's a lot of rib flare.
See if you can knit your front ribs in.
See if it's possible to have your chin up parallel to the floor,
Little space between chin and chest and all the breath you can manage into any areas that are asking for it.
Good.
Take two more deep breaths.
As sweetly and gently as possible,
We'll reach both arms straight up.
Lift,
Maybe a little wiggle side to side with your arms,
With your spine,
Reach up high,
Big breath.
And now left arm,
Bend it behind your head.
Take your right hand on top of your left elbow.
Press your skull back into your arm.
Knit your front ribs in and down.
See if you can make your inhales as full and long as your exhales.
Breathing in at the same rate as you breathe out.
It's common for the shoulders to climb up towards our ears.
Is it possible to just soften both shoulders down away from your ears?
Take three more breaths here.
Very gently,
Your right arm goes straight up,
Reach your left arm up.
With your palms facing forward,
Arms come down into a T shape.
Work your arms back as you inhale,
Lift your heart.
And then as you exhale,
Sweep your arms forward,
Palms come together,
Tuck your chin down,
Rounding.
Just a couple more.
Opening as you inhale,
Perhaps your arms go back slightly to really open from collarbone to collarbone.
Whenever you next exhale,
Reach forward,
Tuck your tailbone,
Perhaps palms touch.
Take time to do a couple more at your very own pace.
Remember,
It's less about your neck,
Really accessing thoracic mobility.
Movement more so from your mid spine and around your solar plexus.
Squeeze the shoulder blades back one more time to round forward.
Looking down.
And as you come up to sit nice and tall,
Take one palm on your upper chest,
Stack your other palm directly over top of that.
Now there won't be any visible movement,
But what I'd love you to do is press into your chest and try to pull down on the skin.
So your hands are firmly pushing in and pulling down.
Now explore tipping your face up just half an inch,
Lift your chin as your palms continue to pull down.
The muscles in the front of the neck tend to get locked short.
So we're going in really easy,
Really gentle.
And maybe your lower palate,
Your lower teeth come forward and up above your upper teeth.
Focusing on breath,
As though you have lungs up in these neck muscles that connect your collarbones up to your jawline,
Right?
As if you have lungs there,
Breathe up into the front of your neck.
And if you'd like,
You can tip your chin ever so slowly,
Be extra gentle here,
Really slow side to side.
For three more breaths.
Slowly bring your chin level to the ground.
Take your hands up,
Make soft fists,
Knuckles.
This is the last thing we'll do together,
Just to top it all off,
A little jaw massage up where your lower jaw meets your upper jaw.
Meeting tiny little circles.
Your mouth might naturally fall open.
Inhale through your nose and out your mouth.
Whoa,
Hello jaw.
Did you know that your jaw needed this?
Maybe one more slow inhalation.
Really softening these muscles as you exhale.
Take care,
Take your time to lower your hands down.
Your eyes could fall closed for a breath or two.
A final moment of listening.
Feeling your neck,
Your shoulders.
And offering breath back.
Nothing more,
Nothing less,
But this breath is enough.
Is there any space in the sides of your neck or in the back of your neck?
Space for more breath.
Option to gently bow your head.
Offer yourself thanks.
Offer your body thanks.
Thank you to all of our teachers.
And I thank you for joining me today.
You can come back whenever you're ready,
Opening your eyes whenever you feel ready.
It was a joy to share a few of my favorite simple neck releases with you.
Hope you're feeling more spacious and more prepared for whatever the rest of the day has in store for you.
Your breath will always be here to support you along the way.
Take care.
