July Quickie– Tense- who, me?

So this year I was honored to tell a story at one of the showcases at the National Storytelling Conference.  Grand! Telling a story I’ve told before, to the best audience in the world! What could go wrong? Who me, nervous? Well. yeah.  And with that, tense.  SO! Here’s a tension quickie.

We carry lots tension in our jaws.  To relieve that:  With the soft part of your palm (that bit at the base of your thumb), find the joint of your jaw.  It’s in front of your ear.  Press gently on that joint.  This pressure will cause your mouth to drop open slightly.  Now smooth softly along your jaw line toward your chin, allowing your jaw to open further.  Softly!  Repeat several times.  The more you do this, the more aware you will recognize tightness in that area.  And also the more you do this, you can suggest relaxation to your jaw without the motion.

(Hint:  this is the same trick we play on pets to get them to open up and take a pill.  Our jaws work the same way!)

PS  The showcase went beautifully!  DO come to the conference next year!