Practice with Me - Unclench Your Jaw Part 2

For this practice, you will need a sturdy chair without wheels and you may want to prop the chair against a wall for extra support.Sit comfortably in mountain pose. Let your abdomen expand on your inhale all the up to your chest and exhale from your chest down all the way to your abdomen, drawing your navel gently in toward your spine at the end of the exhale.Set an intention to become aware of your habit of clenching your jaw, and then actively releasing your grip.Relax your forehead, eyes, cheeks, nostrils, lips, jaw, tongue, neck, and shoulders.Let’s warm up your hands. Rub your palms together. And now begin massaging your hands using the hand washing motion. Now wiggle your fingers.Let’s begin a scalp massage, using your fingertips in a gentle circular motion… and now your forehead… along the bony ridges above your eyes…your cheekbones…your nose and bridge of your nose…… your cheeks…along the temporomadibular joint, right between the upper and lower jaw in front of your ears, with your mouth slightly open…and then along your jawline working your way in toward the center of your chin…your neck, front, sides, back of your neck, from the base of your skull to the top of your shoulders…and finally your shoulders.It's time to practice downward facing dog using a chair. And now, stand up in front of a sturdy chair without wheels. Make sure that the chair is supported against the wall or at least that it wont move. Either choose the chair seat or the chair back for support. You would pick the top of the chair back with the back of the chair facing you if you have a rounding of your upper back, or kyphosis, osteoporosis in your spine, vertigo, uncontrolled hypertension, or glaucoma. If these are not your issue, then use the seat as your floor. Place your hands on either side of either the seat or the chair back. While holding on, lightly but firmly, step back, with your legs wide, until your arms are completely straight. Keep your head between your upper arms, and press your hips way back, feeling the stretch from wrist to elbow to shoulder to hips. Keep your back flat, and your legs straight, except if your hamstrings are tight, in which case, you can bend your knees lightly. And now, stay here for five breaths.Now let’s release down dog. Walk forward carefully. Take your time standing up in mountain pose. Breathe. Relax.Feel free to repeat this mini-practice on a regular basis to become more aware of your habit of clenching your jaw when you’re stressed and then giving yourself permission to let that grip go.And be sure to check out my website, yogimd.net, so you can learn more about me, where I teach, to connect with me on social media, and to see free video content on my YouTube Channel.