A shared practice
The Places That Hold On
S
Guided bySean Fargo
A slow, kind scan of the jaw, face, and shoulders — for the end of a day spent clenched at a screen without ever noticing.
Narrated by Samuel12 min
ShareSave card
Read along — the full script
Right now, without changing anything at all, you might check: are your teeth touching? Is your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth? Are your shoulders sitting an inch higher than they strictly need to?
10s of stillness
For most of us, at least one of those is a yes — and we had no idea until we looked. Certain places do the carrying quietly: the jaw, the small muscles of the face, the shoulder line. This practice is a slow, kind visit to each of them, with curiosity rather than demand. Nothing will be pried open. We're only going to look, and invite.
10s of stillness
Beginning by finding a comfortable position. Sitting is fine; lying down is fine too. You might adjust as much as you need — and please know you can keep adjusting throughout. Moving during a body scan isn't cheating. It's welcome.
10s of stillness
Eyes closed if you like, or softly open. And a standing invitation for the whole practice: if anything feels like too much at any point, you can open your eyes, move, take a break, or stop entirely. Stopping is allowed. You're the one in charge here.
10s of stillness
First, arriving. You might feel the places where your body meets what's holding it — feet on the floor, the seat, the support behind you. Letting the ground do some of the work for a moment. And if any part of this scan ever feels crowded or uncomfortable, these contact points — or the simple movement of the breath — are always available as a home base. You're welcome to rest there instead, for as long as you like.
15s of stillness
And if it feels good, one or two easy breaths, a little slower on the way out.
15s of stillness
Bringing attention now, gently, to the face. Starting with the forehead. Just noticing whatever is there — maybe tightness, maybe nothing much at all. Both are completely fine. Some areas speak loudly, some are quiet, and a quiet area isn't a problem to solve.
15s of stillness
The temples, and the small muscles around the eyes. These work all day — focusing, squinting at screens, holding expressions. You might imagine them softening, the way a hand unclenches — and if they don't soften, that's okay too. We're noticing first, inviting second, and never forcing.
15s of stillness
Now the jaw. This one often carries more than we know. You might notice: are the teeth touching again? Is there a bracing along the back teeth, up near the ears, where the jaw hinges?
10s of stillness
If you like, letting the teeth part slightly, the tongue resting loose and heavy, the jaw hanging easy — maybe even letting the lips part a little. Some people find it helps to place a hand softly on the cheek for a moment, just as a kind acknowledgment. Optional, always.
20s of stillness
Noticing what's here now. If the jaw has re-tightened already, that's not failure — that's just a well-practiced habit doing its thing. Habits took years to learn; they don't unlearn in a minute. Each time you notice, you might offer the invitation again. Noticing is the skill we're actually building.
20s of stillness
Letting attention drift down now to the throat. Another quiet worker — swallowing, speaking, holding back the words we decided not to say. Nothing to do here. Just including it in the visit, letting it be exactly as it is.
15s of stillness
And down to the shoulders. Taking a little while to find them from the inside. Where are they, honestly? Sometimes they've been hovering an inch higher than they need to be since breakfast, holding a readiness for something that never quite arrives.
15s of stillness
If it appeals, you could raise the shoulders up toward the ears on purpose — just a little — and then let them drop with an out-breath. Sometimes it's easier to soften a muscle after we've felt it working.
15s of stillness
And again if you like: lifting… and releasing.
15s of stillness
Now simply resting attention across the whole shoulder line, from the base of the neck out to each arm. Noticing warmth, heaviness, tingling, tightness — whatever vocabulary the body is using today. No need to change any of it right now. Attention itself is enough. Muscles have their own timing, and they tend to soften most when nobody is standing over them with a stopwatch.
20s of stillness
If the mind has wandered off to your task list, that's the mind doing what minds do — and the moment you noticed is the practice working, in real time. Nothing has gone wrong. You might come back by feeling your feet for a breath or two, then returning to the shoulders.
20s of stillness
Letting awareness flow down the arms now… the elbows… the forearms… all the way into the hands. Perhaps noticing the palms and the fingers, which often soften on their own when we visit them. Hands that have been gripping all day — phones, wheels, pens, the whole to-do list — getting a few moments completely off duty.
20s of stillness
Before widening out, one more brief visit to the jaw, since it's usually the first to creep back. No judgment if it has. Just the same soft invitation: teeth apart, tongue loose, hinges easy. Each repetition counts.
20s of stillness
And now widening out, holding the whole upper body in awareness at once — face, jaw, throat, shoulders, arms, hands. As if awareness were a warm blanket laid gently over all of it.
20s of stillness
Breathing here. On each out-breath, if it feels natural, you might imagine the body settling a little more heavily into its support. And whatever tension remains is allowed to remain. Bodies hold things for their own reasons, and kindness works better than eviction notices.
25s of stillness
A last stretch of quiet now, resting in the whole body as it is. Held places, soft places, quiet places — all of it welcome here.
30s of stillness
Beginning to close. You might invite some small movements — fingers, wrists, a slow roll of the shoulders, maybe a gentle stretch of the neck if that feels good.
15s of stillness
Letting the eyes open when you're ready, taking in the room.
10s of stillness
As you move back into whatever comes next, you might keep one small practice in your pocket: now and then, checking in — where's my jaw? Where are my shoulders? A two-second visit, a soft invitation, and on you go. The noticing is the practice, and it travels well.