Suppress and Repress

Do you have tightness in your jaw, neck, shoulders? You aren’t alone. I would say most of my clients complain of tightness in these areas at one time or another. Today in a session with a client, I could really see that she was tight in her shoulders and, honestly, often is tight in her shoulders. But today, I asked her to open her mouth and relax her jaw while opening her shoulders. It was almost impossible for her to do! And of course, she started laughing at herself. 

If you have worked with me, it is almost guaranteed that I have told you to drop your shoulders away from your ears :) Try it now…it is always surprising how often and how much we hold our shoulders. But today the revelation is really the possibility that you are not only holding in your shoulder but your jaw and your mouth. So again, I invite you to try it…can you open your mouth, relax your jaw, maybe stick out your tongue AND drop your shoulders aways from your ears? It is harder than it looks. 

Beyond being entertaining for family and co-workers, this connection invites you to dig deeper to understand what AND why you are holding in your jaw and your mouth. What aren’t you saying? Are you holding your tongue? What are you keeping in? 

From my years of breathwork training and facilitating, I have learned and seen that we as humans and westerners, suppress and repress sound and movement most often. Just think about the phrase “sit still and be quiet'', which translates into “suppress any urge to make sound of any kind and all movement”. If you are a “good” girl or boy, you become amazing at this and repress movement and sound without being asked to such an extent that you even forget that you had the desire to move or speak in the first place :) Of course, this is the extreme, but you get the idea. 

As humans, we are meant to make sound and move our bodies - A LOT!! It is how our whole system stays healthy. Making sound moves energy in the body and in your system, physical movement keeps your system healthy and vibrant. In other cultures, singing and dancing is a common, everyday practice. When was the last time you sang and danced? 

If you notice that your shoulders are up near your ears, check in. Are you holding in your jaw too? Take a deep breath, and sahhhahha it out. Let your jaw relax as you exhale. Do that 3 more times making sure the jaw and shoulders relax on the exhale. And then reflect, what am I holding in? Is there something I didn’t say today that needed to be said? Is there some emotion that I am holding on to? And then, let yourself make whatever sound and movement your body and system need - however loud and however weird! Just try it! For my clients who have long commutes, I often tell them to make sound in the car, sing super loud, yell, tone, whatever needs to come out. Let it out! No one can hear you, and no one is paying attention to you in your car (as evidenced by the horrific driving out there). So don’t hold back. And notice how you feel afterwards. 

The truth is, I have been telling people to do this for YEARS, and now it is more important than ever!! WE NEED YOU TO SPEAK YOUR TRUTH CLEARLY and without emotional charge! Because that will create change - the change we want to see in the world around us!! 

Most of us have experienced this at some point - you say what is true and right and honest, but you are angry, frustrated, pissed off, jealous, or some other strong emotional charge. The party you are speaking to can’t even hear your words; all they get is the emotion. Most of the time, they will shut down or react to the emotional charge, not the words you have said. WE need the words and the message and the direction of how things need to change to be communicated! SO letting go of the emotional charge is key to making that happen! The most effective way I know to release emotional charge is breathwork - and sound and movement goes with that!! 

A daily or weekly sound and movement practice will go a long way in processing those overwhelming emotions. Pair that with a breathwork practice, and your life will transform! No doubt. 

As always practical solutions say start with a simple practice. 

Breath Exercise

When you notice that your shoulders are up near your ears, check in, are you holding in your jaw too? 

Take a deep breath and let your jaw relax as you exhale. 

Do that 3 more times, making sure the jaw and shoulders relax on the exhale. 

Reflect, what am I holding in? Is there something I didn’t say today that needed to be said? 

Find a healthy outlet to release what you are holding - journal, say it out loud, or simply make whatever sound and movement your system desires. 

Notice how you feel. 

Consider integrating more singing and dancing into your daily life.

Consider starting a breathwork practice. 

Let me know how it goes!