hey, are you grinding your teeth?

We all do it.

We store tension in our face.

Our brows furrow. Our lips tighten. Our neck muscles pop out (when did a weekly “spa treatment” for my mom during her long days of coping with dementia, I’d remind her that she takes her neck wherever her face goes so I should put her favorite Oil of Olay cream below her chin, too—it always made her laugh). And our jaws clench. In fact, are you doing that right now?

A few minutes of focused attention to these places can help soften the unnecessary tautness—and may even help relieve headaches and other physical holding.

Try this quick practice—with or without the ankle stretch, depending on how much time you have and where you are. And remember to check in with this spot a few times a day to help keep the tension from creeping back in. If you’re unable to physically place your hands on your face, simply moving your attention to your jaw can have the same result.

After that, you may not even need that Oil of Olay spa treatment!