Softening for jaw tension: 5 minutes, in the queue

About this practice

When jaw tension shows up in the queue, this 5-minute softening session gives you somewhere to put it down. 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 in a waiting room

• You can do this with your eyes open and your hands where they are
• Nothing here needs to look like a meditation
• Aim for steadiness rather than calm

Waiting feeds the dread it is meant to relieve. Having something specific to do with the time is the useful part.

How softening works

Softening is the practice of releasing held tension degree by degree rather than all at once. It targets the physical grip — shoulders, jaw, gut — that persists long after the stressor has passed.

• Soften one place per exhale rather than everything at once
• Let warmth and gravity do the work instead of muscular effort
• If a place will not soften, leave it and go somewhere that will

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Put both feet flat on the floor and let them take some of the weight.
2. 0:14We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
3. 0:28This is not a performance. Nobody is listening to how well you're doing it.
4. 0:42Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
5. 0:56Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
6. 1:12Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
7. 1:25Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
8. 1:38Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
9. 1:50Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
10. 2:03Let your body keep settling.
11. 2:12Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
12. 2:22You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
13. 2:35If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
14. 2:48You do not have to solve the tight jaw that speaks for your stress in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
15. 3:09Picture the grinding that follows worry as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
16. 3:28Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
17. 3:40Each time your mind hands you the clenched teeth at night, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
18. 3:59Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
19. 4:10Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
20. 4:21If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
21. 4:34When you're ready, look around properly.

Questions people ask

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