Do you clench your jaw, or grind your teeth at night? This workshop is for you! It will also be of interest to Yoga instructors wishing to help their students. Jaw tension and TMJ or TMD – Temporal Mandibular Joint Dysfunction - is a very common, and often painful condition. At present there are few options for treatment beyond being fitted for a night guard by your dentist. In this workshop you will learn the causes and repercussions of TMJ, simple self-massage techniques to relax the face and jaw, mindfulness practices, and a yoga asana sequence that can bring relief. This is a unique approach developed from working with more than one hundred clients over many years.

Research published in the 1980’s indicates 20% of Americans have chronic jaw tension. It is twice as common in women, and most common in people 20 to 40 years old. Being fitted for a nightguard by your dentist can provide relief from symptoms, but it will not stop the habit of clenching and grinding.

Craniosacral Bodywork has a sophisticated understanding of the mandible – lower jaw bone – and its cross connections throughout the body. When we skillfully apply this information to Iyengar style yoga practice with care and precision, we can learn to bring relief from clenching. With Mindfulness, we can develop awareness of our habits of jaw, neck, and facial tension. Self massage techniques for the face and jaw can bring relief.

This workshop offers a range of resources for understanding, and resolving acute and chronic jaw tension. The standard format is 3 hours. It can be compressed to 2 hours, or expanded to a full day.

The format includes:
* Lecture and power point reviewing the causes and repercussions of Temporal Mandibular Joint Dysfunction from the Cranial Perspective, as well as anatomy, physiology, & energetics of the TMJ’s
* Self-massage techniques
* Yoga asana sequence with mindfulness practices to bring relief
* Guided meditation of the oral cavity
* Loving kindness & compassion practice