Jaw tension: 5-minute grounding meditation, on the train

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for jaw tension. A grounding session you can do on the train. A guided session of about 5 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 your commute

• Headphones on, eyes open or closed depending on your comfort
• Keep one part of your attention on your stop
• Do it standing if sitting is not possible — nobody is watching

Commuting time is already dead time. Nothing is being given up.

How grounding works

Grounding brings attention to physical contact and the immediate environment. It works on the principle that the body cannot be somewhere else, so contact with the surface you are on is always available as an anchor.

• Feel the contact points — feet, seat, back — and let them take your weight
• Use the senses deliberately: what you can see, hear, touch
• Return to solidity whenever attention drifts

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Rest your hands somewhere they don't have to do anything.
2. 0:12There's no need to try harder than this.
3. 0:23Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
4. 0:38Notice your own pulse somewhere. Wrist, throat, wherever you can find it.
5. 0:51Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
6. 1:02Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
7. 1:14Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
8. 1:24Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
9. 1:34Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
10. 1:47Stay here a little longer.
11. 1:56Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
12. 2:09No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
13. 2:20Small efforts are the whole method.
14. 2:30If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
15. 2:45Notice 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.
16. 3:04Whatever the grinding that follows worry is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
17. 3:19Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
18. 3:32Imagine the clenched teeth at night as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
19. 3:50Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
20. 4:02Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
21. 4:12Let this be easy, if easy is available.
22. 4:23Take a moment to notice you did this for yourself. That's not nothing.
23. 4:36Let 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.