Releasing Tension

This short body scan meditation allows us to notice the subtleties of allowing the muscles in our body to let go and soften. Throughout our day, muscles become tense, our body takes on a rigid quality that can wreak havoc on our physical and mental health. Practicing this softening of our bodies creates a sense of well-being and freedom from daily stress.
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Transcript

So feel free to find a comfortable position, One that lets you feel upright and awake, Yet also relaxed. Begin to deepen your exhale, Noticing, Letting go of any tension in your face or shoulders, Letting go of any tightness in your back and belly, Letting your hands rest comfortably on your lap, Taking a few moments to continue allowing your focus to be on the breath, And relaxing. Noticing with each exhale, You allow your muscles to let go ever so slightly more, Softening and releasing anything they were holding, Any contraction that had previously gone outside of your awareness. With each exhale, Sinking more into your being as you sink more into the seat that you're on, Letting the chair, The ground, And the earth below you help hold you upright, Help hold you dignified as you release into this moment. Starting from the top of your head, Gently notice a release of the breath, A release of the breath, An inhale, And a release of the breath, And then the top of your head, Gently notice a release of all tension, Draining away from the forehead, Allowing the eyes to soften and all the muscles around the eyes to let go and fall back, Bringing your attention to the little muscles around the nose and cheeks. And as you let go of tension there, Allow the attention that you bring to it to let go and fall back, Bringing awareness to the little muscles around your mouth, Letting go of anything you're holding as you let the awareness soften and fall back, Letting this awareness drip down around your neck and shoulders, Flooding down your arms, And with this attention, Softening the muscles, Releasing any tightness, Letting them go, Letting your awareness come back up through your arms, To your shoulders, As it cascades down your torso, Both the front and the back, And as it falls over the front and back torso, Allowing any tightness with it to flow down, To be released, Gathering your attention around your pelvis, Your hips, Your lower abdomen, Your bottom, And letting that energy simply be supported by the seat below you as you let go into that support, Trusting the mechanics of your body to help hold you upright, Not needing to force or manipulate or hold on to anything tightly, Letting the awareness travel down through your upper legs, Down to your lower legs, Onto your feet, And as the awareness moves down, Allowing any tension or tightness to travel down to the bottoms of your feet, Briefly imagining all of the tension, All of the contraction, All of the holding onto that once was happening in your body, Dripping down through the bottoms of your feet into the ground, And being soaked up by the earth below, Letting it all go, Trusting that the earth can take care of what it needs to, Processing any tension, And letting it be reborn into light, Into spaciousness, Into fresh air we breathe, You can continue this process of letting any tension you recognize, Any tightness you notice, To drip down your body and be released through the bottoms of your feet, Where the earth can alter and change the energy into freshness. We get to drink in and breathe in that freshness, To continue the cycle. Taking a few more deep breaths, In and out, Feeling free to continue this practice, Or as you're ready, Coming back to this room, And opening up your eyes.