The Journey to Releasing My Jaw:
A Story of Unexpected Transformation
The Unexpected Beginning
At 32, I thought I knew my body well. After all, I had a Master’s degree in Physical Education and Dance. But when I stepped into my first training session with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, I had no idea I was about to embark on a journey that would completely rewire how I experienced life itself.
In 1980, Dr. Feldenkrais spoke of something revolutionary: the bodymind connection. He believed that through the simple act of paying attention to your habitual patterns and sensing the subtle differences, your brain can create profound changes. Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself, in 1980 was still an ‘unproven’ concept, yet I saw it happening with children he worked with [Elizabeth] and experienced the changes in myself.
And yes, I was skeptical. How could tiny movements create big changes?
There is Magic in the Subtle
The first revelation came during what seemed like child’s play. We explored gentle movements—lifting a finger, curling a toe, moving our tongues in slow circles. These weren’t exercises; they were investigations. And something extraordinary began to happen. As I learned to notice the unconscious efforts I was making in my daily life—the tension I carried while walking, the way I gripped when I didn’t need to—everything began to shift. My movements became fluid, effortless. We twisted, turned, jumped, even stood on our heads, but with such ease, it felt like floating.
The strangest part? The changes were happening without my conscious awareness.
When Your Body Rewrites the Rules
One morning, I found myself perched on the edge of a chair, avoiding the backrest entirely. When did this start? I couldn’t remember deciding to change how I sat, yet here I was, naturally choosing what felt better for my spine.
My evening ritual transformed, too. Instead of collapsing into bed after long days of work and movement, I found myself drawn to the floor. There, I would let go of the day’s patterns, exploring gentle movements that seemed to reset my entire system. It became my moving meditation—a way to return to neutral, to come home to myself.
The Jaw That Changed Everything
Then came the plot twist that would convince even the most stubborn skeptic.
My dentist delivered the verdict: TMJ. My bite was off, my jaw misaligned. He wanted to intervene immediately. But something from my Feldenkrais training whispered a different truth.
“The problem isn’t in my jaw,” I told him, remembering how shifting my hips had mysteriously changed how my jaw opened and closed. “It’s all in the hips. Let’s wait and see.”
He looked at me like I’d lost my mind.
The Night Everything Changed
The transformation came in my sleep—literally. I woke one morning lying on my back, arms open, jaw relaxed. The significance hit me immediately: I had always slept curled on my stomach, fists clenched, teeth grinding through the night. I began noticing when my fists unconsciously tightened during the day. As I consciously released them, something magical happened. My jaw began to soften. The grinding stopped.
I was actually changing patterns that occurred while I was asleep—rewriting the unconscious programs that had been running my life.
The dentist was amazed. No intervention needed.
The Ripple Effect
This wasn’t just about physical comfort. As my patterns shifted, so did my entire relationship with challenge and possibility. I began to feel what I can only describe as the freedom of a two year-old—that sense that anything is possible, and the world is full of potential rather than limitations.
Dr. Feldenkrais had shown me something profound: we exist in a closed system where everything connects. Change one part—a clenched fist, a tilted hip, a tight jaw—and the whole system starts to reorganize.
The problem isn’t in the symptom; it’s in the pattern.
The Beautiful Paradox
When we approach change with curiosity rather than effort, our brains become willing partners in transformation.
What I learned is that the most powerful changes often come through the most indirect approach. Instead of forcing solutions onto problems, you can invite your nervous system to discover new possibilities. When we approach change with curiosity rather than effort, our brains become willing partners in transformation.
The more we focus on attention, variation, and ease and work indirectly, the more readily our entire system accepts change. It’s like whispering to your nervous system instead of shouting at it.
Your Invitation to Freedom
Today, this transformative process is available through Touch To Inform Seminars. Whether you’re dealing with jaw tension, chronic patterns that limit your movement, or simply want to discover what’s possible when you truly listen to your bodymind, [or your client’s] the journey awaits.
Imagine waking up one morning to discover you’ve been carrying unnecessary tension for years—and that releasing it is as simple as paying attention. Imagine finding ease in movements that once felt effortful, or discovering that a problem in one part of your body can be resolved by changing patterns somewhere completely unexpected.
This isn’t just about fixing what’s wrong. It’s about unleashing what’s possible.
The question isn’t whether your brain can change—neuroscience has proven it can. The question is: are you ready to discover what happens when you offer yourself permission to explore?
Ready to begin your own awareness journey?
Join Touch to Inform Seminars with BonnieK for “Release Your Jaw, Your Voice, Your Whole Self” or start with the introductory Webinar “Kiss and Smile Your Way from a Tight Jaw to Light Jaw.” Because sometimes the most profound transformations begin with the gentlest attention to the smallest movements.