By Sharon Kuttler, RDH

December 01, 2012

 

I was first introduced to yoga as a student at the University of Hawaii. After a long and stressful day in our student clinic, one of my dental hygiene classmates shared some poses with me. I immediately experienced help with the tension in my body, learned to relax my neck and shoulders and discovered a way to take some deep breaths between each patient.

 

I have been practicing yoga with Deb May of YogaCare since 2005. One of the greatest rewards of consistent practice, awareness, and intention has been the way yoga has helped me reduce stress and tension in my body and in my life. 

 

Everyone carries tension in their body in different ways – sometimes it is in our neck, shoulders or jaw. Through yoga I have become more aware of the places tension resides in my body. Every time Deb would remind us to “relax your jaw” during a yoga pose, I found my jaw tightly clenched! This personal awareness planted the seed for what has grown into Kuttler Dental’s latest mission: To help the increasing number of people who deal with stress, jaw pain and teeth grinding.

 

As a dental hygienist, I see the dental effects of tooth wear every day. We have learned through studies that lifestyle changes are one of the most effective ways to address this. So I began with myself, and now want to spread the word!

 

Bill, Deb and I partnered to create an audio CD with a special focus on relaxation and breathing techniques to help reduce stress. You can learn ways to relax not only your jaw, but your whole way of being. We designed this CD to help everyone – it is geared toward beginners and even those who have never tried yoga. While there are two basic yoga practices on the disc, the rest of the tracks are focused on helping you to learn to relax, breathe deeply, and live freely.