15-minute letting go meditation for jaw tension, at lunch

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 15 minutes of letting go for jaw tension, at lunch. A guided session of about 15 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 at lunch

• Do it before eating rather than after, so you are not working against digestion
• Leaving the desk matters more than the session length
• Take the headphones off afterwards so the break registers

A break that happens at the same desk is only half a break.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

• Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
• Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
• Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Then find the nearest sound. It's probably your own breathing.
2. 0:12If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
3. 0:25We'll start broad and narrow down. Nothing sudden is coming.
4. 0:37Let your body be exactly as tired as it is.
5. 0:49Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
6. 1:02Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
7. 1:13Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
8. 1:24Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
9. 1:37Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
10. 1:49Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
11. 2:00Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
12. 2:12There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
13. 2:30You do not have to like the grinding that follows worry to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
14. 2:47Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
15. 2:58If the clenched teeth at night shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
16. 3:18Nothing about the tight jaw that speaks for your stress has to be explained or justified in this room.
17. 3:34Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
18. 3:46Let it be this simple.
19. 3:55Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
20. 4:09Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
21. 4:20Let your body keep settling.
22. 4:29Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
23. 4:43Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
24. 4:54Let the quiet do its work.
25. 5:04Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
26. 5:17Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
27. 5:29Nothing changes for a moment.
28. 5:38Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
29. 5:50Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
30. 6:03Stay here a little longer.
31. 6:12Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
32. 6:25Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
33. 6:38No rush to move on.
34. 6:47Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
35. 7:00Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
36. 7:12Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
37. 7:24You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
38. 7:37If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
39. 7:51Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
40. 8:02We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
41. 8:12If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
42. 8:24Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
43. 8:35There's no need to try harder than this.
44. 8:46If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
45. 8:57I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
46. 9:09Nothing here needs to be efficient.
47. 9:19If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
48. 9:33Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
49. 9:44We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
50. 9:58Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
51. 10:09I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
52. 10:22Small efforts are the whole method.
53. 10:32Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
54. 10:45Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
55. 10:59Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
56. 11:11Imagine softening the edges of the grinding that follows worry. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
57. 11:29Notice where the clenched teeth at night lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
58. 11:47Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
59. 12:01There is no correct amount of the tight jaw that speaks for your stress to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
60. 12:20If the grinding that follows worry starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
61. 12:37Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
62. 12:49Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
63. 13:00If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
64. 13:13You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
65. 13:25Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
66. 13:37Let this be easy, if easy is available.
67. 13:48Let this one be unhurried.
68. 13:57Roll your neck once, slowly, in whichever direction feels good.
69. 14:09Before you open your eyes, notice how you feel compared to the start. It might be small.

Questions people ask

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