Intraoral massage tutorial with bodyworker Onyia Pemberton

During my first life-changing massage with Onyia Pemberton, partway through the treatment, she asked, “How’s your jaw? Do you hold any tension there?”

I shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I think it’s fine?”

Onyia touched my jaw and immediately said, in her soothing massage voice, “Yeah, it’s tight.” (Very tight.)

At the time, I was mainly concerned about the tension in the front of my neck giving gravity an assist in the “I’m mellllttiiiinnng” look that will inevitably befall my face. But, as she explained in our subsequent conversation, the jaw is a big deal, too:

“Jaw tension pulls on everything, including the trigeminal nerve, which is where migraines often originate…and then there’s the tongue, which is one of the most underappreciated muscles. There are tongue massage and release techniques that affect everything all the way down the neck.

“The TikTok content about jaw exercises for a defined jawline—there’s actually real anatomy behind that. What we do with the inside of our mouth affects us all the way to our shoes.”

While I have not followed that TikTok content, I have learned that the muscles that are most responsible for jaw tension, the masseter and the medial/lateral pterygoids, can’t be fully accessed from outside the mouth. This is where intraoral massage becomes so helpful.

I tried it for the first time on my “I think it’s fine?” jaw and realized that, wow, it is indeed very tight—especially in a spot that’s very far back along the cheek, on the left side, that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to release. Now I find myself poking the inside of my jaw all the time after I brush my teeth in the morning and at night just because it feels so good.

I think you’ll find this technique helpful, too. So, here’s the treat for this week: Onyia’s excellent intraoral massage tutorial.

First, let’s start with some general tips from Onyia so that you know how to get the most out of these videos. Combine them with her gua sha tutorials or do your jaw work separately—it’s all up to you.

Intraoral massage: how to use these videos

Intraoral massage: releasing the jaw

This might be my favorite video of the bunch, because it’s what got me to massage the inside of my mouth for the first time. Maybe it’ll be your first time doing this, too. Exciting!

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