The buddha’s face is often referred to as a visual reminder of a face at peace. An example of contentment. I have noticed lately that many people carry tense, stern faces as they move through the day. Many refer to this as resting ***** face. These are hard days with a lot of added stress. And it doesn’t help that many of us spend a lot of time on our phones, and that adds even more opportunities for stress. So here is a de-stressing practice to try.

When looking at details on a phone, we tend to narrow the brow. The space between the eyes becomes smaller. Our heads spend a lot of time in a downward gaze, and our shoulders tend to creep up toward the ears. Have you heard of the syndrome called Tech Neck? It’s also called Anterior Head Syndrome. It describes how the head pitches forward relative to the shoulders. And the more we use our phones and computers, the worse it can get.

So next time you catch yourself staring at your screen, look away and blink. See that the space between your eyes is wide and spacious. Release your lower jaw away from your upper jaw. Soften your tongue and release it to your lower palate. Lengthen up through the back of your skull and draw the chin slightly back and down. Take some nice deep breaths and see where any tension is lingering. This could be at the temples, forehead or even the scalp. Keep breathing deeply to let it all release.

Check in with yourself throughout the day. What does my resting face feel like? Create a peaceful resting face by turning up the outer edges of the lips and soften the gaze of the eyes allowing them to radiate peace and joy. A resting face of contentment.