Body scans are a great tool to use to intentionally relax our muscles from head to toe,
Focusing on areas where we feel tight and rigid.
When we notice where we feel tight and perhaps sore,
This is an invitation from our body to loosen up and let oxygen and blood carry in new nutrients while disrupting any stagnant energy or stress being held in those areas.
I'm Shelly McLean,
A therapeutic arts healer and empowerment coach,
And today we'll be diving into specific areas where we tend to hold tension.
We'll review quick practices to help release this build-up so you can feel better and lighter throughout your day.
So let's dive in to today's talk.
Our bodies tend to store tension in various areas,
Common places being the head,
Jaw,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Stomach,
Lower back,
Hips,
Calves,
And feet.
One significant muscle responsible for speaking,
Chewing,
Facial expressions,
And extending from the back of the head to the jawline is the masseter muscle.
Its extensive reach makes it a common culprit for tension headaches and jaw joint aches.
If you're feeling tense here,
Let's do a quick exercise to loosen the muscles in our head area.
Take a deep breath in.
Relax your eyes.
Soften your eyebrows.
Swallow and let your jaw hang loose.
And now tip your chin down and tuck it in,
Allowing your neck to become more aligned with your back.
Take another deep breath in.
And sigh it out.
Shifting our focus to the shoulders and neck,
The demands of our work often lead to stressed and focused postures,
Causing our shoulders to elevate towards our ears and rotate forward.
Considering the significant portion of our day spent in this position,
It's crucial to acknowledge the importance of counteracting it.
Just as in yoga,
Where each position is balanced with a counter position,
We need to ask ourselves,
Are we incorporating counter positions throughout the day to compensate for this prolonged stance?
Let's now practice an easy technique to release tension in the shoulders and neck.
Raise your shoulders to your ears.
Then slowly,
With control,
Roll your shoulders back in a circular motion.
Do this several times in a counter-clockwise rotation.
And then switch to clockwise,
Where you roll your shoulders forward.
I recommend doing this periodically while you're working to release any tension.
Transitioning to your abdomen.
It's essential to recognize that stress and anxiety often find a home here,
Manifesting as literal knots in the stomach.
Additionally,
The prolonged act of sitting throughout the day can lead to organ compression,
Creating a sensation of being squished.
To counteract this,
Our goal is to cultivate a balance of strength in the back,
Coupled with a soft,
Relaxed belly.
A practice to soften the belly,
If you're familiar with yoga poses,
Is a pose called Cat-Cow.
You could either practice this pose on all fours,
Or sitting down,
Grasping just behind the knees.
On the inhale,
As you arch your back,
Dropping your belly towards the floor,
This is called Cow Pose.
On the exhale,
As you round your spine,
Tucking your chin to your chest,
This is Cat Pose.
Repeat the flowing movement for one to two minutes,
Focusing on the breath and the stretch in your abdomen,
Allowing your belly to soften and stretch.
Traveling now to our lower body,
Our hips serve as respiratories for emotions,
Accumulating tightness from prolonged periods of sitting.
These crucial joints tend to become tense,
Mirroring the impact on the shoulders.
Without incorporating hip opening exercises,
Especially following extended periods of sitting or driving,
You risk perpetuating tension building up in this area.
Prioritizing hip openers in your routine can alleviate and prevent this accumulating tension.
So here's a simple hip opener practice,
One you could even do in the workplace.
Sit tall in your chair,
With your back straight and feet planted on the floor.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee,
Creating a figure four shape.
With your back straight,
Gently lean forward,
Applying slight pressure to the right knee,
And keep your foot flexed.
After a few breaths,
Switch and do the same with your left leg,
Crossing your left ankle over your right knee.
Again,
With a straight back,
Lean forward,
And take a few breaths in this position.
Now let's not forget our legs and feet.
Our legs and feet are often overlooked in terms of tension,
Silently bearing the weight of stress just like any other part of our body.
Continuously supporting us throughout each day,
They tirelessly deserve moments of relaxation too.
Our hamstrings and calves can tire from sitting all day,
Or perhaps you've gone on a long hike and overworked them.
Before we close today's talk,
Let's explore a quick practice to release tension in our legs and feet.
While seated,
With your legs stretched in front of you and back straight,
Flex your toes towards the ceiling.
After a couple of breaths,
Release the flex and now point the toes forward,
And repeat this a few more times.
After a quick flex and point,
Rotate your ankles counterclockwise several times,
And then clockwise,
Releasing any tension in your legs,
Ankles,
And feet.
Wiggle your toes while you're at it.
The purpose of this pep talk is to gently prompt you to engage in periodic body scans.
Through this simple practice,
My aim is to encourage you to counteract the accumulation of stress and tension that often lingers.
Consider these movements of self-awareness as your personalized toolkit for fostering balance and well-being in the midst of life's demands.
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Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.
