Body scan for jaw tension: 20 minutes, after a bad day

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 20 minutes of body scan for jaw tension, after a bad day. A guided session of about 20 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 after a bad day

• Do not review the day during it — that is what tomorrow is for
• Something physical first, then this
• Keep it short and end it deliberately

A bad day does not need a verdict. Closing it without a post-mortem is allowed.

How body scan works

A body scan moves attention systematically through the body, region by region. It does not try to change what it finds — it builds a map of what is actually there, which is often different from what you assumed.

• Move slowly, head to feet or feet to head, and do not skip the uncomfortable areas
• Meet each region with plain curiosity rather than a verdict
• Numbness and absence of sensation are findings too

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Put both feet flat on the floor and let them take some of the weight.
2. 0:14Visit each area with plain curiosity, not with a verdict. Sensation is information, not a problem.
3. 0:29Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
4. 0:42Let your body feel heavier than it did a minute ago. Let the chair or the floor take it.
5. 0:58Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
6. 1:11Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
7. 1:24Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
8. 1:36Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
9. 1:47Let your throat soften. There's nothing to swallow right now.
10. 1:59Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
11. 2:13Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
12. 2:25There is no correct amount of the clenched teeth at night to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
13. 2:43You are allowed to be unimpressed by the tight jaw that speaks for your stress. Indifference is a legitimate response.
14. 3:00Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
15. 3:13Feel the weight of the grinding that follows worry somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
16. 3:30If the clenched teeth at night has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
17. 3:48Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
18. 4:02Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
19. 4:14Your only job is to notice what is there, region by region, without fixing anything.
20. 4:28Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
21. 4:40If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
22. 4:53Move at the speed of your attention, not the speed of a checklist. There is no schedule to keep.
23. 5:09Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
24. 5:21You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
25. 5:33We will travel down through the body, one region at a time, and leave each one softer than we found it.
26. 5:50Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
27. 6:01Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
28. 6:13If a region feels numb, that is a finding too. Note it and move on.
29. 6:27Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
30. 6:38If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
31. 6:52Take the next breath slowly.
32. 7:01Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
33. 7:15Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
34. 7:28A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
35. 7:39If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
36. 7:52Let the pause stretch out.
37. 8:01Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
38. 8:15Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
39. 8:26A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
40. 8:37If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
41. 8:50Keep following the air.
42. 8:59Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
43. 9:15Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
44. 9:27I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
45. 9:39Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
46. 9:51Let the quiet do its work.
47. 10:01If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
48. 10:15A short silence. Let it be empty.
49. 10:25Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
50. 10:36Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
51. 10:47Let your body keep settling.
52. 10:56Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
53. 11:09I'll step back. You stay here.
54. 11:19Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
55. 11:33Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
56. 11:45Nothing changes for a moment.
57. 11:54If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
58. 12:08No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
59. 12:19Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
60. 12:31Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
61. 12:45Let it be this simple.
62. 12:54Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
63. 13:06Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
64. 13:20Remain here for a few more breaths.
65. 13:30Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
66. 13:44Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
67. 13:55Stay here a little longer.
68. 14:04Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
69. 14:17Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
70. 14:31Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
71. 14:41Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
72. 14:52Imagine softening the edges of the tight jaw that speaks for your stress. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
73. 15:11Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
74. 15:22You do not have to win against the grinding that follows worry. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
75. 15:40Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
76. 15:52Picture the clenched teeth at night as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
77. 16:11Notice 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.
78. 16:30Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
79. 16:43Notice how the grinding that follows worry changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
80. 17:00Let the exhale carry a little of the clenched teeth at night with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
81. 17:19Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
82. 17:32Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
83. 17:45Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
84. 17:58Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
85. 18:10I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
86. 18:23Start at the crown of the head and move down slowly. Do not skip to the parts that hurt.
87. 18:39Just the breath, still.
88. 18:48Stand up when you're ready. The list hasn't grown while you were here.
89. 19:01Start to notice the edges of your body again, and the surface you're on.

Questions people ask

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