Hi,
This is Nathalie.
Welcome.
This practice is for the moments when you're not necessarily anxious,
But holding.
Holding it together.
Holding responsibility.
Holding yourself in check.
Often,
This inner grip isn't loud.
It shows up as subtle tension,
Shallow breath,
A sense of bracing,
As if some part of you believes it's not safe to fully soften yet.
In this meditation,
We're not trying to relax on purpose.
We're gently unwinding the effort underneath the tension,
So your nervous system can remember what ease feels like on its own.
There's nothing to achieve here.
Nothing to fix.
Just a slow return into a more honest state of being.
Find a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
Let your body be supported.
And whenever you're ready,
Allow your eyes to close.
Begin by noticing your breath.
Not changing it yet.
Simply observe.
Is it high or low?
Deep or shallow?
Fast or slow?
There's no need to adjust anything.
Now,
Take one gentle breath in through the nose,
And let it leave through the mouth with a soft sigh.
Again,
In through the nose,
And out through the mouth.
One more time.
Each exhale is an invitation,
An invitation to release excess effort.
Let the shoulders drop a fraction.
Let the jaw soften.
Feel the tongue resting heavy in the mouth.
Notice how the body responds when it's no longer being held upright by willpower.
Now,
Bring your awareness inward.
See if you can sense,
Without analyzing,
Where your body is subtly gripping.
This might show up as tightness in the neck or shoulders,
A clenched or guarded chest.
A braced or pulled-in belly.
Tension behind the eyes.
A furrowed forehead or knitted eyebrows.
Clenched hands.
Or a sense of holding on somewhere you can't quite name.
You don't need to pinpoint it perfectly,
Just notice where effort lives right now.
And instead of trying to let go,
Ask quietly,
What is this part trying to protect?
You don't need to answer in words.
Sometimes,
Simply being seen is already enough for the grip to soften.
Stay with this place,
Not to change it,
But to understand it.
Now,
Imagine that the area of gripping doesn't need to release all at once.
Instead,
Allow just 5% less effort.
Not forcing relaxation,
Not collapsing,
Just a small easing.
5% less effort.
As if you were loosening your hold on something fragile.
Not dropping it,
But trusting it a little more.
Let the breath move into that space naturally.
With each exhale,
Imagine the grip loosening by a millimeter.
That's enough.
If your system resists,
That's okay.
Resistance is information,
Not failure.
You're slowly teaching the body that safety doesn't require constant tension.
Stay here,
Letting the breath move into that space and slowly trying to loosen your hold on that area.
Now that some of the grip has softened,
There is nothing else you need to do.
No more releasing,
No more noticing,
No more effort.
Let yourself rest in what is already here.
Feel the weight of your body,
The places where you are supported by the floor,
The chair,
The ground beneath you.
Notice how the body knows how to be heavy when it no longer needs to hold itself up.
You don't have to relax and do anything.
You are already resting on something.
If it feels right,
Let yourself imagine very simply that the ground is doing the work for you.
Doing the work of holding your back,
Your shoulders,
Your hips,
Holding the places that have carried a lot.
Nothing mystical,
Just support.
Support and let your muscles respond in their own time.
Some may soften immediately,
Others may need longer.
There is no rush.
And if the mind comes in,
Gently remind it,
You can rest now.
I don't need you right now.
And return to the sensation of being held.
Feel how your breath moves now.
Not because you guide it,
But because life is still moving through you.
You are allowed to rest here without explanation,
Without productivity,
Without becoming anything.
Stay here for a few moments in this simple,
Quiet safety.
Begin to widen your awareness again.
Feel your body as a whole.
Notice the quality of presence now compared to when you started.
This softened state isn't something you create,
It's something you remember.
And the more often you return here,
The easier it becomes for you.
And the more often you allow your system to access it,
Even in daily life.
When you're ready,
Gently deepen your breath.
Move your fingers and toes,
And slowly open your eyes.
Carry this softness with you,
Not as something fragile,
But as a quiet strength.
Thank you for practicing.
Again,
This is Natalie.
May you be blessed.
