10-minute guided softening practice for jaw tension — at the airport

About this practice

10 minutes to meet jaw tension with less of a fight. A softening practice, at the airport. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: jaw tension

The jaw is a stress-holding site for many people, often without awareness until it aches. Grinding at night and clenching by day are the same response.

It tends to show up as:

• Clenched teeth, especially in the evening
• Aching or clicking jaw joints
• A dull headache at the temples

Repeatedly checking and softening the jaw through a session teaches you to catch the clench during the day.

Doing this on a plane

• Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on
• Bring a layer — being cold works against settling
• Skip alcohol; it makes the alertness worse

Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

How softening works

Softening is the practice of releasing held tension degree by degree rather than all at once. It targets the physical grip — shoulders, jaw, gut — that persists long after the stressor has passed.

• Soften one place per exhale rather than everything at once
• Let warmth and gravity do the work instead of muscular effort
• If a place will not soften, leave it and go somewhere that will

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Nothing needs to be decided in the next few minutes. Park the decisions.
2. 0:13If a place will not soften, leave it alone and go somewhere that will. It often follows.
3. 0:28Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:39Notice your own pulse somewhere. Wrist, throat, wherever you can find it.
5. 0:52Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
6. 1:06Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
7. 1:19Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
8. 1:32Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
9. 1:43Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
10. 1:55Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
11. 2:07Notice the space around the tight jaw that speaks for your stress. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
12. 2:26You do not have to like the grinding that follows worry to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
13. 2:43If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
14. 2:56We are not forcing anything open. We are letting things unclench by a single degree.
15. 3:10Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
16. 3:21Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
17. 3:32Find the tightest place and simply breathe near it. Warmth does the softening, not effort.
18. 3:46A short silence. Let it be empty.
19. 3:56If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
20. 4:09With every out-breath, soften one place. Shoulders first, then jaw, then the space behind the eyes.
21. 4:24A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
22. 4:35Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
23. 4:46Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
24. 4:58Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
25. 5:11Remain here for a few more breaths.
26. 5:21Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
27. 5:33Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
28. 5:46A few seconds more.
29. 5:55Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
30. 6:06Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
31. 6:20Take the next breath slowly.
32. 6:29Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
33. 6:40Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
34. 6:53Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
35. 7:03This is not the last time the clenched teeth at night will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
36. 7:22Nothing about the tight jaw that speaks for your stress has to be explained or justified in this room.
37. 7:38Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
38. 7:50the grinding that follows worry may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
39. 8:08If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
40. 8:23Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
41. 8:35Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
42. 8:46Unclenching is not the same as relaxing. Just stop adding the tension back.
43. 8:59Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
44. 9:09Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.
45. 9:21Let your eyes open when they're ready, not when the words end.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.