Simple Muscle Meditation for Stress Release

There are many meditations, but I love the simple meditations that allow me to destress during times when life is hectic. This meditation is simple. Keep in mind that meditation is the method for creating a deeper level of mental awareness. In mental meditations we work with becoming more aware of our actions. When we become stressed our body's have a natural muscular response of tensing up. There are two points of the body that are the central control of this stress when wanting to release it, your hands and your tongue. When we are stressed our natural body response of muscle tension our hands will close into fists and our tongue will press strongly against the roof of our mouth. Our muscles also have memory response so when we do not take the time to destress from a stressful situation our muscles will stay in the same position they were in when we were stressed. This makes the body continue to respond to life as if you were still stressed even though the situation you are in is relaxing and peaceful.

First we start with the breath. Breathe in and breathe out from your diaphragm about 5 times. Each time allowing your body to fall deeper into relaxations. If you are in public you can do this through your nose. Be gentle with your breaths and you will not attract extra attention. Let go of the place you are at. You disconnect your energy from everything else. This can be done and you can still pay attention to the meeting or concert or any activity you are in. We do not need to be fully alert with our energy or our muscles to respond. You will notice that when you disconnect and relax a little that you can take more of what is going on into your consciousness with better retention as well. You will also notice that your response will be quicker because you are more prepared to respond from a state of peace than you are from a state of tension.

As you breathe feel your hands and tongue and how they are being held. Open your hands slowly and see if they stay open on their own or if you have to work to keep them open. If you have to work to keep them open use the breath to relax your hands and feel the tension flow out until they are relaxed. With your breath you can now check your tongue. How does it sit in your mouth? Your tongue should be loosely hanging in your mouth. If this feels weird at first it is because you are use to being constantly tense. It may tickle a little at first to separate your tongue from the roof of your mouth. As you do this you will feel the other muscles in your body relax. Your jaw will become less tense, your shoulders will relax, and breathing will become easier and more natural.

Another great time to practice this meditation is in bed and throughout the night. Many times we will tense as we sleep causing us to have hard sleep, or less sleep, or no sleep at all.  This is a simple mediation that will help you sleep better at night and function better during the day!