Jaw Tension: Seven Tips for Breaking the Habit

by

Leland Vall, M.AmSAT

Certified Alexander Technique Instructor
New York, NY

Ah, the scourge of jaw tension! Is there anything worse? It leads to teeth grinding,
makes arduous the simple act of talking, not to mention singing, and I’m sure you can
find someone who will tell you that it will leave you in a wheelchair. But I want you to
know that your jaw is subject to your will, and you are not fated to suffer this simple
habit of tension forever. You have the power to break your habit of excess jaw tension
right now. The following Seven tips for releasing jaw tension are based on the
Alexander Technique. I hope you give them a try and see if one or more can work for
you.

Avoid focusing on your jaw or thinking of it as a problem.

The feeling of tension can be an unreliable sign of how much tension you actually have.
People are also suggestible and thinking about jaw tension, doing tension reduction
exercises, even just reading this article, can cause you to feel more tension. Just as an
experiment, see what happens if you imagine yourself as a person without jaw tension.

Think of your whole body instead of focusing on your jaw.

Instead of seeing your jaw as a distinct part of your body, think of your body as one
whole interrelated system. Let the burden of your jaw tension be supported by your
whole being and not just focused on your jaw.

Don’t be intimidated by your jaw.

Your jaw is not a more special part of your body and tension there is not more
problematic. Tension in your jaw can be released just as you would release tension in
any part of your body and, if you were to relax your whole body, your jaw would
probably be included.

Think about your tongue instead of your jaw.

Let your tongue lie softly on the floor of your mouth, especially the back of your tongue,
near your throat. Without doing anything, think of the opening to your throat as
spacious.

Allow your hand to relax while imagining it is your jaw.

Instead of thinking directly of your jaw, allow your hand to relax as you imagine that your
hand is your jaw. You might find that your jaw relaxes at the same time. This should
also give you insight into how to let your jaw relax in the same direct way that you relax
your hand. You control your jaw the same way. Think of your jaw as a third hand or
think of your hands as if they were two other mouths.

www.freeyourneck.com Page 1 of 2 ©2010 Leland Vall

When talking, let the tip of your tongue and lips be more active than your jaw.
With your mind’s eye, observe the intricate dance of the tip of your tongue and lips.
Here again, pay more attention to something other than your jaw, in this case, your lips
and tongue.

While walking or riding on a bumpy road, see if you can allow your jaw to rattle a
little bit.
If you can figure out how to do that, your jaw probably isn’t that tense.

Conclusion
How you perceive your body is fundamental to how you experience and use it. You
might think of your jaw as tense, but often that can be changed by just the way you think
of your jaw. Maybe there are even times when you are not thinking about your jaw and it
feels fine. I hope at least one of these tips work for you, but even if they don’t, jaw
tension is a habit, and habits can be broken.

Leland Vall, M.AmSAT is a certified Alexander Technique instructor based in New

York. He is the author of The Secret to Using Your Body and he teaches individuals and
groups how to improve posture and to breathe, move, sit and stand with greater ease
and strength. Find out how to feel better every day and for the rest of your life at
www.freeyourneck.com.

www.freeyourneck.com Page 2 of 2 ©2010 Leland Vall