7-minute breathing meditation for jaw tension, during the evening wind-down

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for jaw tension. A breathing session you can do during the evening wind-down. A guided session of about 7 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 in the evening

• Dim the lights first — bright light works against the point
• Put the phone in another room
• Keep it slow rather than interesting

Something too engaging will wake you up rather than wind you down.

How breathing works

A breathing practice uses the breath as the object of attention and as the control lever. Because exhaling slows the heart through the vagus nerve, it acts on the nervous system directly rather than through thinking.

• Keep the exhale longer than the inhale — that is the active ingredient
• Count the exhales and start again whenever you lose count
• Do not force depth; let the breath find its own level

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Begin with the simple fact that you got here. That already happened.
2. 0:13Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
3. 0:27Let the breath get a little quieter, as if you were trying not to wake someone sleeping nearby.
4. 0:43If some part of you is resisting this, that resistance is worth noticing too.
5. 0:57Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
6. 1:10Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
7. 1:23Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
8. 1:34Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
9. 1:47Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
10. 2:00Notice where the tight jaw that speaks for your stress lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
11. 2:19Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
12. 2:36Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
13. 2:48Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
14. 2:58Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
15. 3:09Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
16. 3:21Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
17. 3:33Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
18. 3:49If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
19. 4:03Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
20. 4:16Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
21. 4:27You have been carrying the clenched teeth at night for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
22. 4:47Notice how the tight jaw that speaks for your stress changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
23. 5:05Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
24. 5:18If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
25. 5:31If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
26. 5:45I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
27. 5:57Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
28. 6:11Let the last of the stillness stay with you for a few more seconds.
29. 6:25If you drifted off, that was rest, and rest counts.
30. 6:37Let the pause stretch out.

Questions people ask

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