Learning the lower jaw
We use our jaw for chewing and for speaking. Whatever our lifestyle, we use our jaw a lot.
The jawbone hinges at either side of the skull. You can feel the joint between jawbone and skull if you put your fingers on the side of your face just in front of your ears and open and close your mouth.
When standing or sitting at rest, we tend to keep our mouth closed. This means that muscles have to carry the weight of the lower jaw to stop the mouth falling open. To achieve this, signals from our central nervous system to the jaw muscles must be different than signals to the other parts of us: the jaw muscles are doing work while other parts are at rest. This makes it especially challenging and also especially rewarding to learn awareness and control over our lower jaw.
While the upper jaw is part of the skull and moves wherever we move our head, the lower jaw can move independently of the rest of us. The lower jaw can open the mouth to different extents; and can slide forward and back, and from one side to the other, with respect to the upper jaw. It can even tilt sideways, making use of the freedom of movement available in the hinge joint on either side.
Picture your lower jaw being like a limb - a part of you that you can move independently. In this simplified image, the pelvis, trunk and head are all connected by the backbone and all take part to some extent in each other’s movements, while the two arms, two legs and lower jaw can be moved separately.
Here are some ways to experience what is possible in the hinge joints of the jaw:
Imagine you have a pencil sticking out of your chin and you want to use it to draw a picture on the wall in front of you. You could do that by moving your head, keeping your lower jaw still with respect to your upper jaw; or you could keep your head still, and move only your lower jaw. The latter might result in a smaller drawing but should be perfectly possible.
Or try this: turn your face to one side and have your lower jaw stay behind at first, only catching up with the face some time after the movement has started. Or allow your lower jaw to lead the turning movement, so the lower jaw goes to the side first and the rest of your face follows.
The muscles that work the jaw are connected (through our fascial system) to the muscles of the neck, chest, diaphragm, and tongue. This explains why having a detailed picture of our jaw in our image of our self can help with neck, chest and shoulder pains, and help us breathe easier.
For a long time, I suffered unnecessary, compulsive tension in my jaw. I was in the habit of holding my mouth clamped shut much of the time and grinding my teeth in sleep. I noticed that in walking or running my tendency was to lead with my jawbone, as if trying to hold myself up and pull myself along by my lower jaw.
I've found that paying attention to how I use my jaw – through practising the Feldenkrais Method – has helped. And as the tension in my jaw eased, so did tension in my neck and chest.
Keeping the lower jaw relaxed is an important element in using our self effectively. The only actions for which we need tone in our jaw muscles are those of eating and speaking. If we tense our jaw habitually during effort – for example, when lifting an object, running for a bus, or during a conversation we find uncomfortable – we are limiting ourselves. Reducing tension in the jaw can help us feel more grounded and improve our posture. And it is almost impossible to feel a sense of peace and joy when our jaw is tensed.
Have you suffered from clamping your jaw? What ways have you found to help yourself? Please leave a comment.