Blunda en stund och skaka axlarna lite, så kanske du slappnar av.

Blunda means close your eyes or keep your eyes closed. In this sentence, it is being used as an instruction, so Blunda en stund means something like Close your eyes for a moment.

It does not mean blink. That would be a different idea.

They are in the imperative, the form used for commands or instructions.

So:

• Blunda! = Close your eyes!
• Skaka axlarna! = Shake your shoulders!

In Swedish, just like in English, the subject is usually left out in commands. So you do not need du here.

En stund means for a while, for a moment, or for a short time.

The word stund is an en-word in Swedish, so it takes en, not ett.

This phrase is very common:

• Vänta en stund = Wait a moment
• Sitt här en stund = Sit here for a while

Also, Swedish often expresses duration without a preposition, so en stund works where English might say for a moment.

Swedish often uses the definite form for body parts when it is obvious whose body is being talked about.

So:

• skaka axlarna literally = shake the shoulders
• but in natural English = shake your shoulders

This is very common in Swedish. Compare:

• Jag tvättade händerna = I washed my hands
• literally: I washed the hands

You can use a possessive like dina, but it is usually unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

Lite means a little or a bit.

Here it makes the instruction softer and more natural:

• skaka axlarna lite = shake your shoulders a little / a bit

Without lite, the instruction can sound a bit stronger or more direct. With lite, it sounds gentler and more like practical advice.

Here så means something like so, then, or and as a result.

It connects the first part of the sentence with the possible result:

• Blunda en stund och skaka axlarna lite, så kanske du slappnar av.
• Close your eyes for a moment and shake your shoulders a little, so then maybe you relax / maybe that will help you relax.

This is not the same så as in:

• så bra = so good
• så stor = so big

Here it is a connector between clauses.

This is because of Swedish word order.

After så, the new clause begins, and kanske is placed first in that clause. In a Swedish main clause, the finite verb normally comes in second position, so you get:

• kanske = first element
• slappnar = verb in second position
• du = subject after the verb

So:

• så kanske du slappnar av

This is normal Swedish.

You could also say:

• så du kanske slappnar av

or

• så slappnar du kanske av

but they are not exactly the same in rhythm or emphasis. The version in your sentence is very natural and idiomatic.

The full verb is slappna av, which means relax.

This is a particle verb, where the verb and a small particle belong together:

• infinitive: slappna av
• present: slappnar av
• past: slappnade av
• imperative: slappna av!

In many Swedish sentences, the particle av is separated from the verb when the verb is conjugated:

• Jag slappnar av
• Du slappnar av
• Hon slappnade av

This is a very common pattern in Swedish.

Swedish often uses the present tense where English would use something like might relax, may relax, or will relax.

So:

• du slappnar av

literally looks like you relax, but in context, with kanske, it means:

• you may relax
• you might relax
• maybe you’ll relax

The idea of possibility comes from kanske, not from a special future tense.

The comma helps separate the instruction from the result clause:

• Blunda en stund och skaka axlarna lite, så kanske du slappnar av.

It makes the sentence easier to read and reflects a natural pause.

In Swedish, comma use is often a bit less rigid than in English, but here the comma is very natural because the sentence has a clear do this, and then maybe this happens structure.

Yes, but there is a slight difference in feel.

• Blunda = close your eyes in the sense of shut them
• Stäng ögonen = literally close the eyes

Both are possible, but blunda is very common and compact, especially in instructions like this. It often sounds a bit more natural when you mean keep your eyes closed for a moment rather than just the physical act of closing them once.