Meditation for jaw tension: 5-minute gratitude session, before you talk

About this practice

5 minutes to meet jaw tension with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, before you talk. 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 before public speaking

• Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed
• Slow the exhale deliberately and check your speaking pace after
• Warm the voice by reading a line aloud, not by staying silent

Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

How gratitude works

Gratitude here is an attention practice, not a demand for a positive mood. Attention defaults to threats because they are urgent, so pleasant and ordinary things get skipped simply for being safe.

• Pick one ordinary thing rather than something impressive
• Stay with it for two breaths — depth beats length of list
• Do not aim at feeling grateful; aim at noticing

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Feel your ribs move. That is all the machinery you need to pay attention to right now.
2. 0:15If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
3. 0:28Notice whether your breathing is high in your chest or low in your belly. Just notice. No fixing.
4. 0:44Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
5. 0:59Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
6. 1:12Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
7. 1:25Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
8. 1:36Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
9. 1:50Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
10. 2:01Let the quiet do its work.
11. 2:11Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
12. 2:23Small efforts are the whole method.
13. 2:33Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
14. 2:45Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the grinding that follows worry is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
15. 3:04You do not have to solve the clenched teeth at night in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
16. 3:23Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
17. 3:36Notice how the tight jaw that speaks for your stress changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
18. 3:54Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
19. 4:06I'll step back. You stay here.
20. 4:16We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
21. 4:30Stand up when you're ready. The list hasn't grown while you were here.

Questions people ask

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