Meditation · Stress
Soft Jaw, Soft Eyes
Priya Raman · 7 min
7:00
remaining
What to do, minute by minute
1. Settle in
0:00–1:24Sit or lie down somewhere you won't be disturbed. Let your shoulders drop, close your eyes or soften your gaze, and take three slow breaths.
2. Follow the breath
1:24–2:48Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Let the out-breath be longer than the in-breath — that's what calms the nervous system.
3. Scan and release
2:48–4:12Move your attention slowly from your jaw to your shoulders, hands, belly and legs. Wherever you find tension, breathe into it and let it go.
4. Rest in stillness
4:12–5:36Stop steering. Let thoughts come and go like passing traffic — when you notice you've wandered off, that noticing is the practice. Return to the breath.
5. Come back gently
5:36–7:00Deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes slowly. Carry a little of this quiet into whatever comes next.
Release the two places tension hides most stubbornly.
Let the teeth part slightly. Let the tongue rest low in the mouth. Now the eyes — let them stop searching, even behind closed lids. Tension in the face tells the body there is something to solve. Soften the face and the body slowly agrees there is not.