Inner Strength Meditations

Counter tension with a muscle hack

Amy Edelstein

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0:00 | 5:30

We can counter stress by intentionally clenching our muscles and then releasing. This tricks our body into letting go of stress, bringing more blood flow and oxygen throughout the body to counter nervousness, tension, and anxiousness. You'll work through your muscle groups, tensing then letting go. A powerful practice for physical relaxation and better sleep.

Why this helps? Tensing and releasing muscles helps release built-up tension. Helps with better sleep.

We'd love to hear from you!

Arriving And Centering Breath

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Welcome to Inner Strength Meditations. Let's take a moment.

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Let us begin by taking a deep breath.

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As you exhale, begin to bring your attention to how your body feels in this moment.

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Just noticing.

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Slowly

Relaxing The Feet And Lower Legs

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bring all your attention to your feet. Scrunch your toes, tense your feet for just a moment, and then completely relax your feet into the floor. Allow them to be heavy and soft.

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Just resting on the floor.

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Next, bring your attention to your lower legs. See if you can engage your calf muscles, maybe flex your feet to help all the muscles of your lower legs activate, and then release. Let your lower legs be easy.

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Notice the weight of your legs stacked over your feet, supported by the floor.

Softening Upper Legs And Torso

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Bringing your attention to your upper legs. Press your hamstrings into the surface beneath you. Activate all the muscles of your legs, feeling how strong they are for a moment. And then relax everything. Let all the muscles soften.

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Allow your upper legs to completely rest.

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Slowly guide your attention to your torso. Engage your belly, engage your back, maybe press your arms in by your sides. Feel your torso strong. And then release. Allow your whole torso to rest. Take a full big breath to really allow all the intricate muscles of your torso to soften.

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Notice the tiny movements of your torso expanding as you inhale, releasing as you exhale.

Releasing Arms And Hands

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Guide your attention to your arms.

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Tensing your upper arms fully. Feel your biceps contract and tense. And then release. Allow your arms to rest fully by your sides. Bringing your attention to your hands. Ball your hands into fists, squeezing your fists close. Feel all the energy in your hands. And then allow them to soften.

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Rest your hands completely.

Easing Neck, Shoulders, And Face

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Slowly guiding your attention to your neck and shoulders.

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Shrug your shoulders up to your ears, finding a little bit of tension as you engage your neck and shoulders. And then let them drop away from the ears. Feeling your shoulders easy and heavy. Maybe roll your neck slowly, letting your neck release any last bits of tension. Finally, bringing your attention to your face. You can scrunch your nose and eyes, pocker your face, feeling all the energy you can bring there, and then release, allowing your whole face to relax.

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Notice how that feels.

Gentle Return And Close

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Taking a deep breath, allowing your whole body to rest. Slowly begin to breathe a little bit deeper. As you're ready, you can blink your eyes open, noticing some colors and shapes in the room. Thank you for practicing today. Now we will close our meditation.