14 SUMMER 2016 | Volume 25 | Issue 2 | Practice
Relieving Jaw and
Neck Tension
YOGA MEETS THE FRANKLIN METHOD OF IMAGERY by Christa Rypins
J aw tension is an epidemic in our
culture. The jaw muscles are the
strongest in the body for their size. Its
part of our design, so that, no matter
what, we can chew, and thus survive as
a species (hopefully not biting off more
than we can chew!). Tightness in the
jaw and neck creates tightness down
through the body, all the way to the low
back and hips. These two areas are
so connected that, when we work with
one, we affect the other as well. But, be-
cause they contain deep and ostensibly
hidden muscles, we often dont realize
that we can influence them through
movement and tactile manipulation.
As a yoga teacher and embodied-anat-
omy expert, I utilize the Franklin Method
to bring meaningful understanding
of the bodys design to other yoga
teachers. Through touch and imagery,
we can spark awareness and learn to
release habitual tension. As a result, our
experience of the whole body changes,
and with it, our experience of life. Lets
give it a go with the neck and jaw.
A fish naturally moves side to side as
it swims. (Try this movement with your
own body. Lie on the floor if you want
to expand the feeling.) As humans
evolved, we developed a heavier head
due to the expansion of the frontal
cortex. As our head changed shape
and got heavier, we stood upright and
developed a longer neck to carry the
load. In upright walking, we naturally
have more forward-to-back movement
than side-to-side movement. However,
retaining the image of the fish helps re-
lax the muscles we are about to explore.
continued on page 15
Relieving Jaw and Neck Tension
continued from page 14
1 Releasing the Suboccipitals
1 Bring your fingers to the mastoid
process, the bone that sticks out just
behind the earlobes. Using your finger-
tips, massage the bottom edges of this
bone, allowing the tongue and jaw to
simply drop. Feel the play of the head as
you massage around this area.
Next, go to the base of the skull and
find the small gapthe divot at the
top of the spine, also referred to as the
back neck pit. This gap exists because
the top vertebra on the spine does not
2 have a spinous process that sticks out in
back. Move your fingers down, and you
will feel the spinous processes protrud-
ing from the vertebra below. (Although
this is not the primary point of this expe-
rience, it does feel pretty darn good.)
Now go back to the gap, the sweet spot.
Gently massage this space, allowing the
tongue and jaw to hang. Most of us think
that this is where the head attaches to the
spine, but, in reality, the weight transfer is
more forward, and this is a free space.
2 Next, using your index fingers, press into the base of the skull, moving along the
muscles between the gap and the mastoid process. As you press, feel the head rock
back and forth. Still massaging the same area, turn your head side to side, and feel
the oblique angled muscles that assist in rotation. Continue this as long as you like.
Then let the arms hang by your sides, breathe, and feel the change.
Guess what? None of the bones we massaged are weight bearing. This means that
we can let the muscles relax even more. Picture the suboccipitals as a set of tiny mat-
tress coils, bouncy and supportive, like box springs. Imagine a deep inhale coming
through the gap at the base of the skull. Take a moment to feel the effects of our
work on the back of the head.
Practice | SUMMER 2016 | Volume 25 | Issue 2 15
1 Releasing the Jaw
Massage directly under your chin.
Applications
For yoga: Choose a practice with a repeat-
ed focus on keeping the jaw and suboccipi-
tal muscles tension free. Ask yourself these
This is where your tongue attaches.
questions: Are your neck and jaw muscles
Soften the tongue and jaw. As you
still relaxed? Are you trying to assist the
massage, tighten the tongue and
pose with your neck and jaw muscles?
you will feel your neck tighten. Relax
the tongue, and you will feel your
For walking: Feel the effect of a soft jaw and
neck relax, too.
neck. Heres your chance to walk the walk.
1 Now, place your fingers around If you try walking without moving your head
at all, your shoulders stop moving and so
the jawbone and massage, working
do your hips. You might as well be a piece of
your way from the tip of the chin
lumber trying to make your way in the world.
to the back angle, where the bone
makes a hard turn due north. Mas-
For breathing: The space between the
2 sage along this bone. Aha! Youre
spine and the skull expands on an inhala-
in front of your new friend, the
tion. Try it. When these muscles are soft,
mastoid process! Next, go on to the
the breath deepens.
jaw itself. Open and close it, and
you will feel the joint move as well
For noticing tension: Tighten the jaw and
as the muscles soften. The most
occipital muscles and do any movement
relaxed position for the jaw is when
whatsoever. Notice the effect on your breath
the lower jaw bone, the masseter,
and the squelching of your bodys design.
is allowed to hang freely. Next, go
above the jaw, just in front of the
Hopefully, you now have a taste of relax-
ear, and find the pterygoid muscle,
ation in your neck and jaw. Habitual tension
the jaw-clenching muscle.
causes us to believe that life is hard and
requires constant effort. Take the time to
practice releasing tension, and watch lifes
2 Now, massage along the cheek bones, pressing upward from underneath,
gifts arrive.
traveling around to the nose, and returning. On your way back, youll find
the zygomatic arch, a little arch that your fingers can sink into. (This is where
Access a video of this tension-release pro-
people apply blush; massaging the zygomatic arch releases our natural blush.)
cess and an invitation to a free live video
workshop with Christa, Shoulder Hell
Lower your arms, and allow yourself to soften and tune into the space behind
to Shoulder Heaven.
your eyes. Muscles are 72 percent water; picture their fluid qualities, and you
will experience yourself as more fluid and less tense.
Christa Rypins leads an online training
When we tense the jaw, the skull is pulled downward. When relaxed, the jaw for yoga teachers, Yoga Anatomy Magic,
can hang, and the skull can float up, creating alignment in your posture, soft- that utilizes the Franklin Method to bring
ness in your thinking, headache relief, and a more open energetic channel. ease and understanding to the biggest
trouble areas of the body.
intelligentbody.net