A Resurrection Bodyworks resource
Restorative Home Care
A gentle practice guide for the jaw, face, tongue, neck, and chest. Use it as an invitation to notice more ease—not as another task to perform perfectly.
Before you begin
Let comfort lead.
These practices should feel calm, spacious, and easy to stop. Use less effort than you think you need. Work only in a comfortable range and keep your breathing unforced.
No forcing
Do not push through pain, catching, or resistance.
No proving
Pressure is not a measure of a better release.
Stay curious
Notice what changes, then let that be enough.
The practices
A little room for ease.
Choose one section or move through the full sequence. There is no need to complete every practice every day.
01
Tongue resting posture
Find a quieter resting place for the tongue and soften the work around the jaw.
02
Tongue suction hold
Explore gentle tongue contact and mobility without turning it into a strength exercise.
03
Masseter massage
Use warm, easy contact to invite the broad chewing muscle to let go.
04
Temporalis massage
Let the temples, forehead, and eyes soften with slow, quiet contact.
05
Facial massage
Give the jaw hinge, jawline, and surrounding face room to settle.
06
Neck stretches
Keep movement gradual and easy while you unhook the head from the shoulders.
07
Chest openers
Make room through the front of the body so the head and jaw do not have to carry everything.
01 / Tongue practices
Let the tongue be wide and easy.
The tongue and the muscles beneath it are connected with the jaw, throat, and neck. These practices are about awareness and mobility, not strength or stretching.
Tongue resting posture
A relaxed tongue rest can help the lips, teeth, and jaw find a quieter position.
Safety: Do not press or brace. If the jaw tightens or your breath changes, return to quiet rest.
Show directions
- 1.Let your lips rest together without clenching.
- 2.Allow your teeth to stay slightly apart, with the jaw relaxed.
- 3.Place the tip of your tongue gently behind your upper front teeth, where the roof of the mouth begins.
- 4.Let the middle and back of the tongue widen softly toward the roof of the mouth. Do not press or brace.
Tongue suction hold
Gentle contact with the roof of the mouth builds awareness and mobility, not strength.
Safety: Keep the face relaxed and use less effort than you think you need.
Show directions
- 1.With the jaw quiet, slowly touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth, then let it release.
- 2.Trace the inside of one cheek with the tongue, then the other, keeping the face relaxed.
- 3.Reach the tongue gently toward the upper lip, lower lip, and each corner of the mouth.
- 4.Repeat each direction three to five times, with a pause between movements.
A helpful cue: If the tongue starts to push, the jaw tightens, or your breath changes, make the movement smaller or return to quiet rest.
02 / Jaw & facial self-massage
Warm hands. Light contact.
Use the pads of your fingers, never the tips. Move slowly enough to feel the tissue change beneath your hand.
Temporalis massage
Slow contact here can help the temples, forehead, and eyes soften.
Safety: Keep the pressure light enough that your breath stays easy.
Show directions
Place two or three fingers at the temples. Make small circles or simply hold steady while you breathe. Let the forehead and eyes soften.
Masseter massage
Warm, broad contact can invite the chewing muscle and cheek to let go.
Safety: Keep away from the eye and do not dig into tender spots.
Show directions
Find the broad muscle in the cheek that firms when you gently clench. Unclench, then slowly sweep or circle from the cheekbone toward the angle of the jaw.
Facial massage
Feather-light work around the hinge and jawline can help you notice a more settled face.
Safety: Work around—not directly on—the joint.
Show directions
With your mouth slightly open, rest your fingers just in front of the ears and notice the hinge move. Use feather-light circles around—not directly on—the joint, then glide along the underside of the jaw toward the chin.
Finish with stillness
Take your hands away and notice the difference.
Safety: Home care does not need to include intraoral work; only use any intraoral technique if a qualified provider has taught it to you specifically.
03 / Jaw movement
Practice the middle, not the maximum.
The goal is coordinated, comfortable movement. Keep your tongue resting gently, your shoulders down, and your range smaller than your biggest possible opening.
Quiet open and close
Place a fingertip lightly on the chin as a reminder, not a guide. Open and close slowly five times, letting the lower jaw travel straight down and up without pushing.
Small side glides
With the teeth apart, move the lower jaw a small distance to the right and return to center. Repeat to the left. Do five easy repetitions on each side.
Forward and back
If it feels comfortable, let the lower jaw glide slightly forward and return. Keep it smooth and pain-free; skip this step if it creates strain, clicking with pain, or apprehension.
04 / Neck & chest
Unhook the head from the shoulders.
Move into each stretch gradually. Keep the face soft and avoid pulling on the head.
Neck stretches
Gradual, comfortable movement can make room between the head and shoulders.
Safety: Move gradually, keep the face soft, and avoid pulling on the head.
Show directions
- 1.Sit tall and let your right ear drift toward your right shoulder. Keep both shoulders heavy and your nose facing forward. Hold for two or three easy breaths, then switch sides.
- 2.Turn your head slowly to the right, only as far as it stays comfortable. Return to center and repeat on the left. Keep the jaw loose rather than reaching with the chin.
Chest openers
Opening the front of the body can help the head and jaw carry less.
Safety: Choose only a position that feels safe; stay mild and do not arch your low back.
Show directions
- 1.Place your forearms on a doorway with elbows below shoulder height. Step forward until you feel a mild opening across the chest. Stay for three breaths without arching your low back.
- 2.Lie back with a folded blanket lengthwise under your upper spine, if that feels safe. Let the arms rest wide, palms up, and keep your ribs relaxed. Rest here for five slow breaths, then roll to your side to come up.
A gentle daily sequence
Ten quiet minutes.
Use this order once a day, or borrow one step when your body asks for it. Finish feeling more connected—not worked over.
Arrive
Sit or stand with your feet supported. Let your shoulders fall, allow your teeth to separate, and take three quiet breaths through your nose if that is comfortable.
Settle the tongue
Practice the gentle tongue rest below, then slowly sweep the tongue along the inside of the cheeks and the roof of the mouth.
Soften the face
Massage the temples, jaw muscles, and cheeks with broad, slow contact. Keep the pressure light enough that your breath stays easy.
Move the jaw
Try five small, quiet open-and-close movements, followed by five controlled side-to-side glides. Stay well inside a comfortable range.
Open the neck and chest
Choose one neck stretch and one chest opener. Finish with your hands resting low on your ribs and one unhurried exhale.
Safety & scope
Your comfort is the boundary.
Stop any practice that causes or increases pain, dizziness, numbness, tingling, a headache that feels unusual, a change in your bite, locking, or any other concerning symptom. Rest, return to neutral, and seek appropriate care if symptoms do not settle.
Do not use these practices to push through an acute flare, recent injury, infection, dental procedure, or unexplained change. If you are unsure whether a practice is appropriate for you, pause and ask your dentist, physician, physical therapist, or another qualified healthcare provider.
Clients with acute, severe, or rapidly changing symptoms should seek evaluation from an appropriate licensed healthcare provider.
Orofacial Recovery Therapy is massage therapy and does not constitute dental care, medical diagnosis, or treatment of disease. Individual responses vary. Clients with acute, severe, or unexplained symptoms should seek evaluation from an appropriate licensed healthcare provider.
When you want more support
Home care can be one part of the bigger picture.
If jaw tension, facial pain, headaches, or neck discomfort keep returning, a personalized session can help us listen to the patterns together.