Hello there
I'm so glad you could join me today
I know you've been feeling a lot of stress and frustration lately
So I'm happy you've decided to take some time to relax and to reset
You won't need anything special for this exercise
Other than your body, your breath
And a pair of stainless steel slip-joint pliers that you can set to the side for now
So, find a comfortable place to sit
And let's begin by taking a full, deep, nourishing breath in
And a long, relaxing exhale out
As you gently close the eyes
Continue to breathe deeply and consciously
Allowing your lungs to fill up to their capacity
As you scan your body for tension
Starting at the crown of the head and working slowly down the body
Simply notice where there might be some residual tightness left over from the stress of your day
Relax the jaw, shrug the shoulders
Rotate the torso gently from side to side
And imagine that you are dusting off the noise of your busy, active life
Inhaling through the nose, exhaling out the mouth
It's natural for the mind to wander while we do this
And while our thoughts will certainly drift and scatter
We need only notice and not be discouraged that the mind is not calm or clear
I like to imagine each train of thought
As a rambunctious toddler with dirty feet running into the forest
I smile gently and let them go
But I don't chase after them into the woods
Because I know they will be eaten or murdered
And that makes me sad
Bringing our attention once again back to the natural rhythm of our breath
Let's dive into the focus of this meditation, the mouth
As we open wide and close a few times to stretch out the jaw muscles
We can reflect on just how much traffic
This busy section of the body has to deal with every day
We are often told not to touch our face
So I invite you to be a little bit bad and go ahead
And firmly dig into the lower jawline with your fingertips
Massaging in a circular pattern
Traveling from under the ears and towards the chin
Isn't it funny how something so simple can feel so delicious
Inhaling through the nose
Exhaling out the mouth
Now, grab the pair of pliers and open wide
Like you are about to eat a very large and very tasty submarine sandwich
Quickly locate one of your top back molars with your tongue
It doesn't matter which side
Then, carefully direct the pliers inside the mouth
Until you can feel a firm and steady grip on that molar
Take a few very deep breaths in and out through the mouth
Drying out any moisture on the enamel of the tooth
So that the jaws of the pliers can enjoy a sure and steady grip
Now as you take a long, full inhalation
Tighten your grip on the handle as much as you can
And while you exhale, wrench the pliers with all the force you can summon
Up and away and down
And repeat this until you hear the crunch of the bone
As it breaks and separates from the spongy flesh of the gums
You'll likely notice an unfamiliar sensation
One that you might describe as excruciating
But don't let that disturb you from the task at hand
Continue to breathe deliberately, in and out through the mouth
Tightening the grip on the handle and wrenching, tugging and twisting the pliers
On the exhale until the molar is set free
Working our way from left to right in a steady, deliberate fashion
Notice the throbbing of the nerves as they pulse and quiver
Over the coppery pool of blood filling up inside the mouth
A casual tilt of the head will empty you out
So we can reinsert the pliers with a nice, strong grip
As we work on the next tooth
You'll quickly notice how different the shapes of our teeth are and
And you'll naturally need to adjust your technique
As you move from molars to premolars or bicuspids to canines
And incisors, which can be so darn slippery
It might be hard to focus at this point as shock is likely to set in
So please, be patient
Take all the time you need and remember
To come back to the deep rhythmic assurance of the breath
Inhaling, exhaling
Inhale, exhale
In and out
In and out