Yoga guide
A sore, tight or clicking jaw (temporomandibular disorder, or TMD, often called TMJ after the temporomandibular joint) is common and usually settles with simple care: soft food, heat, rest for the jaw and finding ways to relax. Yoga can be part of that: slow breathing, a relaxed jaw position, and gentle neck, shoulder and upper-back work all fit what the National Health Service (NHS) and UK dental guidance suggest.
Yoga itself has only been tested in a few small studies, none conclusive, and some practices, such as lion's breath and wide yawning stretches, can strain the jaw. For pain that lasts, exercise, hands-on treatment and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have the best evidence. This guide covers what TMD is, what helps, where yoga fits, your jaw during yoga, the practices to change, teeth grinding, the warning signs, and a 20-minute jaw, neck and breath class.
It causes pain around the jaw, ear and temple, clicking, headaches around the temples, difficulty opening wide and sometimes locking, often worse when you chew or feel stressed. About 3 in 10 people met the criteria for TMD in pooled studies, and NHS England guidance says 75% to 90% of people improve with simple, reversible care.
Soft food, no chewing gum, not yawning too wide, heat or ice, gentle massage, ways to relax, and teeth apart except when you eat.
Across 153 trials, CBT (especially with relaxation), hands-on jaw treatment, supervised jaw and posture exercise, and home exercise with reassurance helped most, and a 2023 BMJ guideline strongly recommends them. Exercise eased pain moderately in 16 trials.
The guideline advises against relaxation or biofeedback on their own for long-lasting jaw pain, while strongly recommending CBT that includes them. Yoga's breathing and relaxation fit best as part of a wider plan.
Three small studies, none conclusive. In the only randomised one, more people kept up yoga than walking, but jaw pain didn't differ between the groups.
No lion's breath or big jaw-stretching yawns, teeth apart in strong holds, and your forehead rather than your chin on the floor in face-down poses (our editorial suggestion).
Our jaw pain guide covers the condition, scans, clicking and the jaw exercises in more detail.
The jaw joints sit just in front of each ear. TMD is pain or poor movement of the joint and of the chewing muscles that run up into the temple; muscle pain is the commonest kind. The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) says jaw joint problems usually last a few months, are not sinister and very rarely lead to arthritis.
In pooled studies using standard criteria (27 studies, 20,971 people), 29.5% met the criteria for TMD, women more often than men (36.7% against 26.7%), with muscle pain the commonest sign and clicking next. Long-lasting TMD pain affects 6% to 9% of adults. NHS England's Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme says TMD affects 1 in 15 people in the UK, mostly aged 20 to 40.
The NHS lists teeth grinding, wear and tear, a blow to the head or face, stress and an uneven bite. BAOMS adds grinding or clenching under stress or at night, nail biting and holding things between the teeth. In a large study of 1,729 adults, a jaw injury nearly quadrupled the risk of new TMD, and 80% of those injuries came from yawning or keeping the mouth open for a long time. GIRFT says there is no single cause.
The NHS suggests soft food, heat or ice, massaging the sore muscles, relaxing, no chewing gum, not yawning too wide and not clenching your teeth. BAOMS adds resting the jaw, stopping clenching habits, relaxation and jaw exercises. GIRFT's daily self-management adds keeping your teeth apart except when eating, a posture with your "head up and shoulders back", and slow breathing from the tummy. The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) adds gentle regular exercise, stress management and good sleep habits.
For pain lasting 3 months or more, a 2023 BMJ guideline strongly recommends CBT (with or without relaxation or biofeedback), jaw mobilisation by a therapist, trigger point therapy, supervised posture exercise, supervised jaw exercise and stretching, and usual care with home exercise and reassurance. In the analysis behind it (153 trials, 8,713 people), CBT with relaxation or biofeedback and jaw mobilisation each gave about 36 more people in 100 an important improvement in pain than a placebo did.
Exercise therapy eased pain moderately and improved mouth opening (16 trials, 812 people). Self-management helped in most reviews, though the evidence is low certainty: across 47 trials, education and self-management did about as well as other non-surgical care.
The guideline makes a conditional recommendation against relaxation therapy or biofeedback on their own. Trials of hypnosis or relaxation are few and poor (3 trials, 159 people). In a Cochrane review of psychological therapies, CBT's small benefit showed at follow-up rather than at the end of treatment. An 8-week mindfulness course helped pain-related measures in women with long-lasting TMD against no treatment (84 randomised, 53 finished), and applied relaxation did as well as a splint for jaw pain over a year in 96 students.
So use yoga's breathing and relaxation for stress and sleep, and if pain lasts beyond about 3 months, ask about CBT or a physiotherapist, as our jaw pain guide says.
A PubMed search for yoga with TMD, the jaw or teeth grinding returned 10 records, with three small yoga studies. In 39 women with jaw muscle pain, 6 weeks of yoga-based exercise eased jaw and neck pain more than in a comparison group, with better neck movement and mood, but the summary doesn't say how the groups were formed.
In a randomised feasibility study of 25 students with jaw muscle pain (18 finished), 28 days of 30-minute yoga sessions (poses, sun salutations, breathing and meditation) were kept up more often than walking with an unheated heat pack (85% against 68%) and felt more helpful, but pain, where it was felt and jaw function didn't differ between the groups. A 29-practice yoga module was tried in 20 patients for a month without a comparison group: pain, stress and mouth opening improved, with no side effects reported.
In 90 people with TMD, 6 weeks of face yoga or dry needling both eased pain and improved jaw movement and sleep against a control group. The exercises aren't described in the summary we could read, and some face yoga moves, such as wide opening and chewing, go against NHS jaw advice. Our face yoga guide covers the rest.
A 2023 review found only one study, not randomised, in survivors of a cancer at the back of the nose and throat.
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Jaw movements can't be shown on the 3D figure, so these are written out.
From our jaw pain guide, which follows two NHS trust leaflets: rest the tip of your tongue lightly on the roof of your mouth, just behind your top front teeth, with your lips together, teeth slightly apart and jaw muscles soft. Check it several times a day, especially at a screen. The NHS and GIRFT both say to keep your teeth apart except when you eat.
Use it at the start and end of every pose and breathing practice, and come back to it whenever you notice your teeth touching (our suggestion).
In plank, chair pose and balance poses, breathe out and keep your teeth apart (our suggestion, from the NHS advice not to clench your teeth).
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The jaw exercises themselves, such as guided opening, are written out step by step on our jaw pain guide, from NHS leaflets, and they should be pain-free. Our jaw release drill's page gives two 5-minute sessions a day for the first week, from a University Hospitals Birmingham NHS leaflet. Massage for the jaw muscles is on our fascia guide to the jaw.
GIRFT's NHS England guidance teaches slow breathing from the tummy, easiest to learn lying down in a dim room, then used for 5 minutes every 2 hours through the working day and whenever you notice tension. The 4-in, 6-out pace is our editorial suggestion.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)
In two meta-analyses, treatment aimed at the neck eased muscle-type jaw pain in the short term (7 trials, and 14 trials with 825 people), with the largest effects for hands-on neck treatment plus neck exercise. Results varied a lot between trials. The guideline strongly recommends supervised posture exercise.
Across 21 studies, people with TMD had less neck endurance, less movement in the upper neck and more neck disability, but their head and neck posture was similar to people without TMD, and an earlier review called the link between posture and TMD unclear. Gentle neck movement, chin tucks and upper-back strength are worth doing, but don't expect fixing your posture to fix your jaw.
Teeth grinding is often linked to stress or anxiety. The NHS suggests finding ways to relax, such as breathing exercises, listening to music and regular exercise, improving your sleep, and seeing a dentist if you have tooth damage, jaw pain or a partner hears you grinding. A dentist may offer a mouth guard.
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In a tiny 4-week trial (16 people), progressive muscle relaxation with better sleep habits didn't change grinding measured during sleep. Yoga may help you relax; it hasn't been shown to stop grinding.
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Across 13 trials (1,076 people), splints didn't reduce TMD pain compared with no or minimal treatment (very low certainty), and the guideline advises against them for long-lasting TMD pain. Whether they protect the teeth from grinding is unproven, though a dentist may still suggest one.
Slow breathing: 5 minutes every 2 hours through the working day (GIRFT), or 3 minutes to start a session (our editorial starting point). Crocodile breathing: 5 minutes, about 4 seconds in and 6 out (the move's page), with your forehead, not your chin, on your stacked hands (our editorial suggestion).
Chin tucks: 8 to 10, holding 3 to 5 seconds; lying chin tucks: up to 10 holds of 10 seconds, very light effort; four-way neck holds, later: 5 holds of 10 seconds each direction, about half effort (our jaw pain guide's staged plan). Neck circles: with a sore neck, separate nods, tilts and turns, each held 5 seconds, 5 times; upper trap release: 2 slow holds of 30 seconds per side (the moves' pages). Keep your teeth apart throughout.
Shoulder rolls: 10 each way, once or twice a day; doorway chest opener: 2 or 3 holds of 30 seconds; seated upper-back lift: 5 holds of 3 to 5 seconds; wall angels: 8 slow slides; prone Y-T-W raises, later: 8 of each shape, 2 rounds (our jaw pain guide's staged plan), with your forehead on a folded towel (our suggestion). Thoracic rotation: 6 rotations per side, moving with the breath; cat-cow: 8 waves, slower than feels natural (the moves' pages).
3D demoShoulder rollsBeginner · No equipment
3D demoThoracic rotationBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoDoorway chest openerBeginner · A wall
3D demoSeated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Beginner · A bench or box
3D demoWall angelBeginner · A wall
3D demoProne Y-T-W raisesBeginner · No equipmentChild's pose: 1 minute (our yoga for neck pain class), with your forehead on a block or stacked fists so your face isn't pressed into the mat (our suggestion). Supine twist: 45 seconds each side (our yoga for headaches class). Reclining bound angle: rest 2 to 5 minutes with a support under each thigh; corpse pose: at least 5 minutes (the moves' pages), noticing your forehead, eyes, jaw, tongue and shoulders in turn.
Leave out lion's breath (simhasana), jaw-stretching yawns and opening your mouth as wide as you can. The NHS says don't yawn too wide, BAOMS says rest the joint, for example by avoiding yawning, and in a large study most jaw injuries came from yawning or keeping the mouth open a long time; a jaw injury nearly quadrupled the risk of new TMD. In 1,725 dental patients, painful yawning was reported by 49% of people with TMD. Support your chin with your hand if you yawn (our jaw pain guide).
Skip chewing, jaw-strengthening or "jawline" face yoga moves: the NHS advises against chewing gum with jaw problems, and our face yoga guide leaves them out too.
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In locust, cobra, sphinx and bow, and in child's pose, rest your forehead on the mat, a block or your hands rather than your chin or face. This is our editorial suggestion: no study has tested it.
In fish, camel and wheel, keep your neck long rather than letting your head hang back, as our neck pain and face yoga guides say. In one case report, bending the neck far back in yoga was linked with reduced blood flow to the back of the brain.
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They don't help the jaw and they load the neck; our yoga for neck pain guide leaves them out.
Stop any face or jaw exercise that makes your jaw ache, click, lock or feel tired (our face yoga guide). For the neck moves, our jaw pain guide uses this scale: 4 to 5 out of 10 during exercise is acceptable, 6 or more is too much, and your neck should be no worse the next morning.
Start with our 20-minute jaw, neck and breath class, 3 to 5 times a week (our suggestion), and do the jaw exercises on our jaw pain guide as their own short daily practice. Yoga for neck pain is the closest longer class; the stretching, posture and breathing routines are the ones our jaw pain guide lists.
A 20-minute yoga class for jaw pain and clenching: slow breathing, a relaxed jaw position, gentle neck and upper-back moves, and a long rest.
20 minBeginner11 movesA wallTwenty minutes of slow breathing, small neck movements, poses that keep your head supported or level, and upper-back strength, with nothing that loads the neck.
20 minBeginner14 movesA stepEight gentle neck and shoulder stretches for desk stiffness, done standing or seated in ten minutes.
10 minBeginner8 movesA wallA 12-minute routine for a stiff upper back and rounded shoulders: chin tucks, wall angels, Y-T-W raises and open books.
12 minBeginner8 movesA foam roller, A wallTen minutes of yoga at your desk, no mat needed: slow breathing, neck, shoulder, wrist and spine moves in your chair, then standing poses with a hand on the desk.
10 minBeginner13 movesA bench or box, A wallA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentA slow, 10-minute floor routine to unwind before sleep: child's pose, twists, happy baby and slow breathing.
10 minBeginner7 movesFirm cushion, A wallThese follow our jaw pain guide word for word, and the NHS. A&E means accident and emergency. In the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Emergency care through NHS 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland): your jaw is stuck in an open position and you can't move it. Scottish dental guidance treats this as a dislocated jaw that needs emergency care.
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Three small yoga studies and a face yoga trial, none conclusive. In the only randomised yoga study, jaw pain didn't differ from walking over 28 days.
Exercise eased pain moderately on average in 16 trials, and supervised jaw exercise is strongly recommended for pain that lasts, but it's one of several helpful treatments, and most TMD settles with simple care anyway.
The guideline advises against relaxation or biofeedback on their own, but strongly supports CBT that includes them, and relaxation trials are few and poor.
People with TMD have weaker, stiffer necks, but their head posture isn't different, and the link with posture is unclear. Neck and posture exercise can still help.
The NHS says don't yawn too wide, and in a large study most jaw injuries came from yawning or keeping the mouth open a long time; a jaw injury nearly quadrupled the risk of new TMD. Jaw exercises should be gentle, controlled and pain-free.
Splints didn't reduce TMD pain in 13 trials (very low certainty), and the guideline advises against them for long-lasting pain. A dentist may still suggest one for grinding.
In 65 women, a few measures of muscle stiffness in the jaw and the pelvic floor were weakly linked, and in another study one session of jaw soft-tissue therapy changed pelvic floor muscle activity in 47 women. Nothing shows that yoga for one treats the other.
One 90-person trial found face yoga, like dry needling, eased jaw pain, but its exercises aren't described, and some face yoga moves go against NHS jaw advice.
Possibly, as part of self-care: its breathing, relaxation and gentle neck and upper-back work match what the NHS, dentists and NHS England's guidance suggest. But yoga itself has only been tested in three small studies, none conclusive.
Gentle neck moves (chin tucks, slow nods and turns), shoulder rolls, an upper trap stretch, a chest opener, cat-cow, child's pose with your forehead supported, and a long rest. Our free 20-minute class puts them together.
Lion's breath, wide jaw-stretching yawns, chewing or jaw-strengthening face exercises, and poses that press your chin into the floor. Keep your teeth apart and keep breathing in strong holds.
One 90-person trial found face yoga eased jaw pain about as well as dry needling, but the exercises weren't described. Gentle face relaxation is fine; skip anything that opens your jaw wide or makes it click.
Rest your jaw: lips together, teeth slightly apart, and the tip of your tongue resting lightly on the roof of your mouth, just behind your top front teeth. Check it often, especially in hard poses.
NHS England's guidance suggests slow breathing from the tummy for 5 minutes every 2 hours through the day. Relaxation on its own isn't a recommended treatment for long-lasting jaw pain, but CBT that includes it is.
The NHS lists stress as a cause and says jaw pain can be worse when you're stressed. Yoga may help you relax, and if pain lasts beyond about 3 months, CBT has good evidence.
Probably not on its own: people with TMD have weaker, stiffer necks, but similar head posture to people without it. Neck and posture exercises still help some people.
It hasn't been shown to. The NHS suggests finding ways to relax, breathing exercises, regular exercise and better sleep, and seeing a dentist if you grind your teeth.
Splints haven't been shown to ease TMD pain, and the 2023 guideline advises against them for long-lasting pain. A dentist may still suggest one if you grind your teeth.
Most people improve with simple care, and jaw joint problems usually last a few months. If it hasn't settled after a few weeks of self-care, or it's affecting your eating, sleep or work, see a GP or dentist.
Call 999 for jaw pain with chest pain, breathlessness or sweating, or with a drooping face or weak arm. A jaw stuck open needs emergency care through NHS 111. Get same-day help if you can't open your mouth or eat, or for jaw pain when eating with a headache, a tender scalp or vision problems.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
