We have 5 limbs: two arms, two legs, and a jaw. Yes the jaw is a limb, an appendage just like the arms and legs. Being able to distinguish between the head and the jaw is crucial. Some people have two jaws in their bodymap. A lower jaw and an upper jaw. This orientation produces debilitating tension as they attempt to move their upper jaw in relation to the lower, to feel equal movement in both. When they get it that the upper teeth are in the skull, extraneous effort falls away.

I often hear people talk about their upper jaw and lower jaw. I can’t help but wonder if they move their upper teeth like in the children’s game, hungry hungry hippos

How do you think about your jaw? Hopefully by now you know you only have one. Does your skull move upward when you open your jaw? If this were the case, imagine how tired your neck muscles would get when talking or eating. Singing would become impossible. Can you keep your skull still while you let your jaw drop open? It will take some practice, but your neck and the rest of your spine will thank you.

Now that we know we have a single jaw, let’s figure out where it moves from.