Sitting up straight,
Feet flat on the floor.
Elongate your spine all the way up to the ceiling.
We're going to begin with a self-massage of the TMJ and the scalp pressure.
Using the first two knuckles of each hand,
The knuckles you would use to knock on a door.
Bring them just in front of your ears.
Place some firm pressure here and start to massage the area.
In circles.
Keep the jaw completely relaxed.
Move these knuckles around this area,
Exploring it,
Finding any points that are more sore and need a little bit more attention.
Keep your breaths deep and long.
Release your hands down,
Shake them out,
Get the circulation flowing in your hands again.
And using the same knuckles as before,
Bring them to your temples and then shift them back into your hairline.
Place firm pressure here and start moving in circles again.
The aim is to move your scalp over your skull bones.
Relax your face as much as possible.
And again,
Explore different points of your scalp.
Notice which side of your scalp moves more easily than the other.
Notice the differences in tension.
Explore all around the sides of your head.
Last round and shake out your hands and arms.
Place your hands in your lap and take a moment to feel the difference in tension through your face and your head.
And now bring your attention to your jaw.
Slightly part your teeth.
Let the back of your tongue be heavy.
Drop it down,
Opening up the back of your throat.
Tip of the tongue resting just behind your two front teeth.
Feel how your breath moves through your throat.
Allow the back of your throat to completely open.
Maintaining this position of your tongue.
Keep your head completely still and move your lips over to the right side of your face.
Feel the stretch through the left face.
And move your lips to the left,
Stretching out the muscles on the right side.
Continue moving your lips from right to left.
And notice any differences in feeling between the left and the right.
Often one side will feel tighter than the other.
Back to center,
Relax your mouth.
Now we're going to work on the TMJ itself.
Slowly open your jaw.
If you have a clicky jaw,
Stop just before it clicks.
Keeping the jaw open,
Shift it to the right.
And to the left.
To the right.
Continue exploring this movement.
Completely aware of any clicks or noises coming from the joint.
Never pushing or forcing any movement.
And gently bring your jaw back to center.
Close it back to its relaxed position.
Now open your mouth as wide as it will go.
Pull your lips away from your teeth.
Stretching and contracting through all of the muscles in your face.
And now relax your jaw,
Relax your face.
Closing the jaw back down.
We're going to repeat this two more times.
Open your mouth as wide as it will go.
Pulling your lips away from your teeth.
Imagine all your stress and frustration pouring out through your mouth.
Like a silent scream.
And relax and close.
One last time.
Open your jaw completely.
Contract the muscles of your face.
And slowly close it down.
Teeth slightly separated.
Back of the tongue heavy.
Tip of the tongue resting behind your front teeth.
Allow your face to completely relax.
Stay in this moment.
And now allow any feelings to express through your face.
Whether it's peace expressed through a small smile.
Or if you want to express anger or frustration.
Let your face move.
Stay in this moment for as long as you need.
