CategoriesDate unknown, Hindi, Interview, Recorded Event, Translation (Hindi to English) - Draft, VideosTags§ 26'
Reporter: Through Kundalini awakening we can achieve our Self-realization. In various ancient scriptures too, it has been described. The founder of Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has given experience of self-realization through Kundalini awakening, to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. Sahaja yoga is gaining popularity in more than seven countries as of today. Ardha Matra had an exclusive meeting with Shri Mataji about the Kundalini power and Sahaja yoga. We are presenting excerpts from the same interview…
Reporter: In Ramayana TV serial, we watched Sage Valmiki giving knowledge of Kundalini power to princes Luv and Kush. Kindly tell us in details about this happening and Kundalini power.
Shri Mataji: Kundalini power does reside within us. If Valmiki told about this, then it must be true because he was a great man. He knew that no matter how much knowledge one attains but until unless self-realisation is achieved, one remains incomplete. Now about this power… in our country many people knew about this for ages and they were called Gurus..masters [sadguru]. These people had attained this knowledge through very hard penance. A power names as Kundalini resides in our triangular bone. And we call it Kundalini because it’s sits in the shape of three and a half coil. It is very surprising it that even Greeks knew about this. Because the triangular bone where Kundalini resides, they call it “Sacrum” (means sacred) bone. It means there is this sacred bone within us. Not sure, if many of these things they adopted from us or they attained this knowledge themselves in Sahaja way. In our country, experimentations to achieve self-realisation have been going on for ages. In Maharashtra (India) there have been people belonging to Nath sect like Machinder Nath, Gorakh Nath etc. these people were all into this.
On the other hand, we were into Vedas. Studying Vedas makes one “Vid”. It means to know ultimate knowledge [param gyan], on your central nervous system. One has to be “Vid”. It is mention in very first Shloka that if one does not attain state of “Vid”, studying Vedas is of no use. There was another path called Bhakti Marg [path of devoutness], through which people used to try to please many deities through their devotion [bhakti].
But amongst all these, the middle path was that of Sahaja Kundalini Awakening and people of Nath sect [Nath panthi] used to follow this. All this knowledge is scripted in Sanskrit language and all discussions were also done in same language. On this matter, in 12th century Gyaneshwar Ji requested his elder brother (who happened to be his Guru too) for his permission to write about this power within us in his book “Gyaneshwari”, the power which gives us our self-realization. As nobody had clearly documented this before. When his Guru granted permission, he narrated about Kundalini very clearly in sixth chapter of his book.
Despite of this clear narration, later on when so called guards of religions laid their hands on this book they realized that Kundalini awakening is beyond their capability, so they prohibited this sixth chapter. This resulted in decline in awareness about Kundalini. Afterwards in 16th century there have been many saints in Maharashtra like Shri Ramdas Ji, who was the Guru of Shivaji Maharaj. Someone questioned him how Kundalini awakens? On this his response was, “It happens Spontaneously. But there has to be a deserving receiver [disciple] and an able granter [guru]”
On the same lines, Namdev ji also narrated about Kundalini in his scripts. Likewise, many saints have talked about Kundalini.
But later many people termed it as nonsense, a thing of illusion and as there is nothing like Kundalini in reality. Even today, people talk like this. Because, nowadays we are so much under influence of western countries that we want to learn and adopt things from them only.
Shri Mataji: Kundalini awakening happens in Sahaja way. It’s just like a seed which has potential to grow into thousands of trees. When a seed is sowed in earth, it germinates in Sahaja way. Likewise, all these powers are there within us in potential state, which if awakened a human can become very powerful. When Kundalini awakens, it passes through 6 chakras, not 7. First chakra is placed under the Kundalini, which protects it and looks after it’s purity. A man who has lived a saintly life and even when his past life has been saintly, such a person’s Kundalini awakens very quickly. And after awakening she attains union with all pervading power of Chaitanya. This is called Yoga. Anything else, like bending your body, doing acrobat is not Yoga.
Actually, it is the only spiritual yoga through which your Kundalini attains union with all pervading divine power [brahma shakti]. When this happens, first of all, one becomes thoughtless. You are completely aware but thoughtless. When we have thoughts, we are either in past or future, and not in present. On Kundalini awakening, the thoughts which come from past or future are completely stopped or vanish. And the time elapsed between two thoughts [vilamba] stretches and there we witness state of present. We are fully aware but still thoughtless and in this state only, we achieve our spiritual ascent. But this (awakening) has to happen within you. No use of going places, studying and attaining stuff all that. Nothing helps… Kundalini awakening is an event such that this power rises above from within your triangular bone, pierces through six plexuses (chakras) and comes out from brahma randhra (hole in fontanelle bone). Until this event takes place within you, sometimes it’s fruitless to talk about Dharma [Religion]. Because talks may perhaps make you a good human being but one cannot get self-realization. Unless self-realization is achieved, all powers within us cannot be expressed. Understand that it is final and ultimate goal of our evolution. When Kundalini is awakened, it pierces the Brahma Randhra [hole in fontanelle bone] but post this connection, the Yoga has to be established. Not for too long but meditation for a short while has to be practiced every day. In olden days, tradition of one Master – one disciple was common, when they use to grant realization to one disciple only. So, there were very few realized people and if someone talked about Kundalini, would be perceived as crazy. Like Kabirdas ji has mentioned in his poetry..”How do I explain, as this whole world is blind?”
Shri Mataji: You may call it modern Sahaja yoga. Its uniqueness is that we can give realization to enmass, in thousands together. In country like Russia, in a single village there are up to 21-22 thousand Sahaja Yogis. Because they are not so materialistic like us. They are very wise people. 70% of them are very wise, rest 30% may be after petty things like us. But 70% are wise and have good understanding. Now sure, how they have such a discrimination that they did not let anyone else establish other than me, rest all were turned back. Not sure how they understand that I am working so honestly. Here in Maharashtra (India) also a lot of things happened, many Gurus arrived on this land, taught people but don’t know why situation is so deteriorated here. Here seeking has declined in people and they are more inclined towards modernization. But I am surprised and I had never thought that in North India people will grasp Sahaja yoga so well. But it’s spreading like fire and people are receiving it and getting established well. So, it is such a thing that you don’t have to talk about this, it is an event. e.g. if you sow a seed in ground, it will germinate itself. For this, you don’t have to do any acrobat. Because there is a binding force in both the seed and the earth and when these bindings work together it just happens. It’s a living process. As we are at final stage of evolution, thousands of people can experience it.
Though blossom days have arrived and these are such times that many flowers are here who have potential to become fruits but there are many others around too, who would not at all accept it, would not even try to get it. As last judgement time has come. It’s your wish to attain the Truth or leave it.
Human beings can achieve a lot from this. First achievement is that we can feel this all-pervading power [param chaitanya] on your fingers and very soothing, settle cool (not very cold) breeze flows from your fontanelle bone area. Adi Shankracharya called it “Salilam Salilam…”. The vibrations that flow through your hands, he called it “Spand”. On your palm there are 7 sympathetic nerve endings. These are all 7 plexuses [chakras] on palm, through them you know which of your plexuses [chakras] have problem. You will know it on fingers. You will also know problems of others too because you are enlightened in collective consciousness. You enter into a new dimension through which a collective consciousness is awakened within you. You can feel chakras of another person too. So now you know about your own as well other’s Chakras. If you also learn how to correct chakras, you can correct your own chakras and help others too. This is called Shuddha Vidhya (pure knowledge).
Second power that awakens with you is, you can also give self-realization to others. You can also raise other’s Kundalini. You can correct their physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual conditions too. Like this, we can help anyone whoever comes to Sahaja Yoga and wants to get self-realization. That’s how whole society can be reformed, not only this our country can be reformed, even whole world can be reformed.
Another big change that happens is sense of Righteousness [Dharma] is awakened within us, it’s within and not without. For example, any Hindi, Muslim or Christian can commit any sin or do wrong deeds, his religion has no binding upon him. But it’s such a thing that once Dharma is awakened within, you can not commit anything illicit. Compassion, mercy etc. are awakened within you and despite this you become extremely energetic and dynamic. Whatever you keep doing, you won’t feel tired. You do your work in very loving and peaceful way. With this, you attain peace with you, become absolutely peaceful. A person who has very angry temperament becomes absolutely calm. Because whatever angularities you have within, become alright. All deformities within us are due to problems in plexuses [Chakras] and once these Chakras become alright, they get alright. I have seen many people have established big organizations of peace, got big awards etc. What peace they can give to others when they don’t have it in their heart itself? So, people become absolutely peaceful within. This work is going on in 7 countries. Thousands of people get together, but never ever there is any tussle. All live-in harmony together. Yes, sometimes they do tease each other but jokingly, in a friendly manner. You would not have seen such friendships otherwise. Whether this person is from Russia, England, Japan or anywhere they build a collective love amongst themselves. Because of this when true Religion [Dharma] is awakened within, they understand that all religions are one, understand totality of all religions. You don’t criticize any religion and worship all Dharma Pravartaka [who propagated religions].
Reporter: Shri Mataji, is it true that with Sahaja Yoga once can get rid of all many physical and mental disorders?
Shri Mataji: Due to problems in Chakras, whatever Physical ailments are there e.g. Psychosomatic diseases, Cancers etc. which cannot be cured by Doctors are cured by Sahaja Yoga, there is no doubt in that. But first you must come in search of Truth not that you walk-in for treatment of all diseases. Seekers of Truth get rid of all diseases and they can help others too, but first of all one must seek. You can understand that God almighty has most wisdom, common sense. He sees that those, who are of no use and won’t give light to others even if put alright, why to treat such lamps. However even such lamps get alright… He wants to fix lamps which get enlightened and give light to others too, benefit others. That’s how Sahaja Yoga is going to spread.
Sahaja means Sah (with you) + Ja (born). It’s such a Sahaja Vishawa (Global) Religion. When you achieve it, all petty things in our lives like Shad-Ripus i.e. six Demons within us [Kama – Lust, Krodha – Anger, Lobha- Greed, Mada – Arrogance, Moha – Attachment, Matsarya – Jealousy], just disappear somewhere. What you achieve is only Absolute Truth. If ten people are there, they will say the same thing. e.g. if you ask them what problem a particular person has? All will have the same answer. Diagnosis is also done. Everyone knows the single Truth, so there is no question of argument, automatically everyone arrives at same opinion.
Sahaja Yoga is a great blessing. Because once you in shelter of Param Chaitanya, you are already in the court of God almighty. His government is very efficient and alert. On every step, you will see so many blessings from him that you would be surprised how all this is happening. Everyone sends letters to me asking mother, kindly tell how it has happened, this miracle has happened, that problem is solved. I amuse that you don’t even know where you are sitting.
So the horizon we are living on, is all illusion [maya] and we must step into to the depth of reality. Once we get there, we feel that everything is happening itself and we are not doing anything, we witness everything happening right before you then what’s the need of putting in your efforts? And besides your attention becomes absolutely pure. As we saw that some boys especially from foreign countries they used to complain of wobbling eyes all the time and were tired of this, it would wander around on sight of a woman or anything around. I said it’s okay, doesn’t matter. After realization, I asked them to keep eyes on mother earth for some time. They started walking with their head down, by practicing it regularly their eyes have become so pure now, absolutely innocent. So, attention becomes absolutely pure, and not just pure it becomes such that if even it goes to someone slightly for a moment [kataksha], that person is endowed with his benevolence. If he goes to a house, peace gets established there. Wherever he stands brings peace. His sight becomes so powerful and pure, as he is full of selfless love.
So, this attention acts wherever it reaches. If you want to know about someone, you would know through your vibrations. There is another Ether even more settler, that’s one which communicates all this. All these powers are there and all around us are supreme powers too. For example, if you see these beautiful flowers, you don’t even realize that it’s such a big miracle. Nobody thinks about it but it’s a living process. Just like this we have our heart. Nobody thinks about it as well that how it’s functioning. If you ask Doctors, they say it’s autonomous. Who is Auto? Science does not have answer for many things. Above all, science cannot explain why have to come in this world. You have come to enter into kingdom of almighty, enjoy and do benevolence of whole world. When they realize this, they keep engaged selflessly for no money. As you know we don’t change any money. Such a big work is going on and I don’t even have a secretary but everyone is my secretary. They do this work with full dedication, enjoy only this and keep talking about the same and nothing else. How to do good to others, how to solve other’s problems.
Third and highest of all thing is that you are drowned into bliss [ananda]. Happiness and sorrow are merely two sides of our ego, just like a coin has two sides. When your ego gets very elated, you are happy and if its gets pricked a bit you become sad. But in Sahaja state you become blissful [anandamay]. There is no duality in bliss, you just keep watching everything and enjoy it. Means that you achieve state of witness. You look at everything like a drama. That’s how all kind of tensions and stress etc. of these days just disappear. Jokingly, I tell them that now you all got a hole on your heads and these problems will stream out of you through this [laughs].
What must be understood is that all this is within us, it’s just right time, everything is going to work out in these times, you don’t have to pay for this, but still people visit all those mischievous Gurus. Now what to do, no one can change their minds. So, one must understand what do we have to achieve? We have to achieve our complete maturity. And for this you don’t have to do anything or give anything. Only you have to give time, very little time.
But when you step down in this, you find it to be ocean of knowledge, love and compassion and above of all its ocean of forgiveness. Whatever mistakes one might have committed prior to realization, everything has to be forgotten in Sahaja Yoga, no need to feel guilty and you just forgive everyone. That’s all. This works out so quickly even for thousands of people that it just surprise everyone how it’s happening for so many together. They say that recently about One Hundred Thousand people came in Pune and everyone raised their hands to confirm that they felt it. But how many continue and grow in this, is the shortcoming.
Reporter: Shri Mataji, in every public program you give experience of Kundalini awakening to thousands. Can you give same experience through this program to our viewers too?
Shri Mataji: Not a problem. We did it in Hong Kong. We visited Hong Kong and there a TV Anchor who organized it, and many people sent letters afterwards. But nobody brought them together as collective. But now there in Hong Kong all of them have got together. So definitely it is possible.
Shri Mataji: Now? (Smiles…) Ok so whoever is watching it now, please take off your shoes and spectacles. Shoes have to be removed because this earth element absorbs all our problems, deformities.
Oral - motor functioning is the area of assessment which looks at normal and abnormal patterns of the lips, tongue, jaw, cheeks, hard palate and soft palate for eating, drinking, facial expression and speech to determine which functional skills a client has to build on, and which abnormal patterns need to be inhibited or for which compensation is needed. Structure (lip, tongue, jaw, cheek) affects oral motor control. Recognition of the patterns is essential to adequately attain baseline the individual's current skills, so that an appropriate plan of intervention can be developed. That plan will include mealtime interventions (positioning, handling techniques, adaptive equipment, etc.), as well as oral motor interventions to enhance control of the lips, cheeks, jaw and tongue.
Oral-motor patterns must be directly observed. It's extremely important to do a thorough oral - peripheral examination on clients of all ages. The individual presents many different patterns at once with varying degrees of severity and skill, making identification of baseline oral motor skills challenging for the therapist. Different patterns may be observed with different food types and in response to different types of stimuli. For example, a client may show good control and normal patterns with denser pureed foods, but then have great difficulty controlling fluids, showing abnormal patterns such as jaw and tongue retraction, and incoordination of suck/swallow/breathing, resulting in coughing and neck hyperextension. Be certain to assess oral-motor patterns by presenting a variety of food densities, such as thick liquids, thin liquids, semi-solids, crunchy and chewy solids (may be wrapped in thin fabric for safety) and observing the oral-motor patterns seen with each item.
It's important to consider all of the below relfexes have on the development of the infants' swallowing skills. For example, children with neurological impairments may have some impaired reflexes and so on. From 4 - 6 months, infants receive all their nourishment through nipple feeds. The change from nipple feeds to transitional feeding is related to central nervous system maturation. The terms Sucking and Suckling often get confused yet are very important milestones to understand. Below is a chart descibing the difference for the main oral structures.
-Front of tongue, with lips, seals against nipple. Back of tongue seals against soft palate to keep liquid in mouth until child is ready to swallow
The lips form a circular shape maintaining muscular tonal balance. This position is attained through easy, nonforceful movement. The amount of rounding can be varied as needed to obtain and maintain a seal around a feeding utensil, or to build up or maintain intra-oral pressure.
The lips form an expanded horizontal line from the rest position, maintaining normal muscle tone. The position is attained through easy, non-forceful movement. The amount of spreading can be varied as needed to control substances in the front of the mouth, or to aid in drawing substances into the mouth.
The lips meet and touch to seal off the contents of the mouth from the outside. The position is attained through easy, non-forceful movement. The amount of contact and the area of contact can be varied as needed to retain substances in the mouth.
In addition to recognizing normal patterns, you should also evaluate for abnormal patterns, including lip retraction, anterior spillage, and lip purse-string, hypotonicity and asymmetrical lip movement. Each of these patterns interferes with lip closure, mouth opening and with forming a seal around a feeding utensil (bottle, straw, cup, spoon, etc.). It also affects one's ability to obtain and/or maintain intra-oral pressure.
Lip tremor - rapid, small movements of the lips during purposeful activity such as lip seal. A mildly abnormal pattern indicating fatigue. Lip retraction - This is an abnormal pattern in which increased abnormal tone pulls the corners of the lips up and back. It may be observed to affect upper lip movement more than lower. A person with this patter may be described as "always smiling". The anterior cheek usually shows a retracted pattern.
Lip purse-string - an abnormal pattern in which the corners of the lips are pulled back as the rest of the lip pulls to midline with an increase in abnormal tone. Increased tone may extend from below the nose to the chin and into the cheeks.
Assymetrical Lip Movement - one side of the lip moves with less control than the other. Abnormal patterns and muscle tone are noted on the affected side.
Hypotonic lips - an abnormal pattern in which the lips appear flaccid, with little or no active movement. The lips may look puffy. The lower lip may appear more involved than the upper lip.
Dystonic lip movement - An abnormal pattern characterized by rhythmical, nonfunctional movement of either or both lips, associated with Parkinson's or Parkinson's like symptoms. The ability to interrupt the movement is related to the severity of the disease. With less severe involvement, the pattern can be interrupted during functional activities such as eating and speech, and will not be observed during sleep.
Lip Fasciculations - An abnormal pattern of nonrhythmical, unorganized contraction of individual muscle fibers across the lips. May be observed when the lips are at rest, or following direct stimulation of the lips. May also be observed during generalized hypotonicity affecting the whole body.
Tongue movements are an integral part of the eating process. The following six normal patterns (suckling, simple tongue protrusion, sucking, munching, tongue tip elevation and lateral tongue movements) are presented in order from primitive to more mature patterns.
Suckling - The primary movement in suckling is extension – retraction. The tongue does not extend beyond the lips. Lateral movement is not observed. The tongue may show a semi-bowl shape (cupping). The tongue remains flat and thin. The movement is accomplished with normal tonal changes with rhythmical cycles of extension - retraction. Jaw opening and closing occur in conjunction with tongue movement. This is a normal but primitive pattern.
Simple tongue protrusion - This is a primitive, normal movement associated with the suckling pattern. The tongue extends between the teeth or gums. The tongue remains flat and thin with no abnormal tonal changes. (In the normal population, this may be called tongue thrust, especially by speech pathologists.)
Munching - The primary movement of the tongue is up and down with flattening and spreading. Lateral tongue movements are not observed during this pattern. Tongue movements are accompanied by up and down movement of the jaw for chewing and biting. This is a normal tongue pattern observed in early chewing. Food is positioned on the body of the tongue and raised upward to the palate to break up the food prior to swallowing. Soft, lumpy foods, ground meats, and foods that dissolve in saliva (such as crackers), are tolerated with this chewing pattern
All of these patterns are normal, but do not involve any lateral tongue movement. The person cannot move food between molars for chewing. Since this is needed for chewing more viscous foods, s/he fails to move along the continuum of greater variety and separation of tongue, lip, and jaw patterns. The person is limited to a diet which does not require chewing and grinding, such as a pureed diet.
Lateral tongue movements - The tongue moves to either side, horizontally, to shift food from the center of the mouth to the side. Initially, the tongue may barely shift toward the gum. As skill develops, the tongue will contact the gum or molars. With more control, the tongue will move over the gums or molars. With continued development, the tongue will extend into either cheek. As skills develop, the tongue can move food from one side across the midline to the other side. As movements become more defined, lateral and tongue tip elevations are combined to allow sweeping/cleaning movements of lips, palate, and inside the cheeks. This allows particles of food to be gathered and positioned on the tongue prior to swallowing.
Tongue tremor - Rapid, small movements of the tongue during purposeful activity, such as sucking. A mildly abnormal pattern indicating fatigue. May be observe in nursing infants during sucking.
Exaggerated tongue protrusion - The tongue shows extension (forward movement) beyond the border of the lips which is non-forceful. The movement is a rhythmical extension-retraction pattern. It is similar to a suckle pattern, but is mildly abnormal.
Tongue thrust - The tongue is thickened and bunched. The movement is an outward extension beyond the border of the lips. The movement is forceful, and is associated with an abnormal increase in muscle tone. This may occur as part of a total extension pattern of the body, or with hyperextension of the head and neck. The tongue thrust may make it difficult to insert a utensil into the mouth or may cause food to be ejected during feeding. During drinking, the tongue may thrust into the cup or may protrude in a very tight, bunched fashion beneath the cup.
Tongue retraction - In this abnormal movement, the tongue appears thickened and bunched. The movement is retraction, a strong, pulling back of the tongue into the posterior portion of the oral cavity, associated with abnormal increased muscle tone. The tip of the tongue is not forward and even with the lower lip. It is pulled back toward the middle of the hard palate and may be held firmly against the hard or soft palate. Hard approximation of the tongue with the palate may make insertion of utensils extremely difficult and may make it nearly impossible for any food to be placed on top of the tongue for swallowing. Gagging may be increased for the person with this pattern. Severe tongue retraction can partially block the laryngeal airway contributing to added respiratory problems during feeding. Tongue retraction may be associated with other patterns of retraction or extension in the body (i.e., shoulder retraction or neck extension) or it may be an abnormal pattern used as compensation by a person with poor swallowing patterns. When a person has swallowing difficulties, food which moves rapidly or is very thin may be uncontrollable and life threatening when the tongue is more forward. In such cases, the tongue retracts, resulting in reduction of the size of the pharyngeal opening. This pattern is associated with abnormal increased muscle tone.
Asymmetrical tongue placement or movement - The tongue deviates to one side or the other and may show atrophy on the affected side. It may be accomplished by or associated with abnormal tone in the facial musculature. All movements of the tongue are affected. The tongue deviates, or is pushed toward the weak side. If lateral tongue movement is consistently observed only to one side, it may not be active lateral movement, but rather may be asymmetrical movement toward the weak side.
Hypotonic tongue - may appear thickened and shows little or no active movement. Fasciculations, small, uncoordinated movements over the body of the tongue, may be observed when the tongue is at rest. These movements may increase during eating, drinking, swallowing and vocalizations.
Dystonic tongue movement - rhythmical, nonfunctional movement of the tongue associated with Parkinson's or Parkinson's like symptoms. The ability to interrupt the movement is related to the severity of the disease. With less severe involvement, the pattern can be interrupted during functional activities such as eating or speech, and will not be observed during sleep.
Tongue fasciculations - An abnormal pattern of nonrhythmical, unorganized contraction of individual muscle fibers across the surface of the tongue. May be observed when the tongue is at rest, or following direct stimulation to the tongue. May also be observed during generalized hypertonicity or hypotonicity affecting the whole body. Ankyloglossia - A structural impairment consisting of a shortened lingual frenulum. Body of the tongue is thinned, with the lateral borders elevated. A heart shaped indention may be noted at the front edge of the tongue. Function is limited if the tongue tip can lift less than 1/4" above the lower incisors. Pseudo Ankyloglossia - A functional impairment in which the body of the tongue is thickened and retracted. The lingual frenulum appears as a prominent white fiber at the center of the tongue tip. The end of the tongue is blunt and thick.
Normal jaw patterns are presented from less to more controlled. In normal development, these patterns do not develop linearly. In the same person, more mature patterns may be observed with easy to chew foods, (ex: a cookie) and more primitive patterns may be observed with harder to chew items (ex: steak). The primitive patterns do not disappear. More mature patterns are used with foods requiring grinding, while more primitive patterns are used with less viscous foods.
Close and hold - Jaw stability and strength are adequate to close around the item with normal muscle tone, but not yet strong enough to allow up and down jaw movement around the item. Do not confuse this normal pattern with tonic bite.
Wide jaw excursion - This early pattern is characterized by poor jaw grading in which downward jaw displacement is exaggerated, but not associated with abnormal tone. It is associated with poor internal jaw stability. It may occur during suckling, sucking and chewing. It is often seen during nursing, and then again when cup drinking is introduced. As the jaw gains greater internal stability, better control of jaw movement occurs with improved grading and wide jaw excursions decrease.
Phasic biting - This primitive normal jaw pattern is characterized by rapid rhythmical up and down movement of the jaw. No lateral movement of the jaw is seen. It may occur following stimulation of cheek, gums, or molars. It is usually limited in power.
Munching - This early chewing pattern combines phasic biting and some nonstereotypic vertical movements of the jaw with tongue movement to the hard palate. No lateral jaw movement is observed with these five patterns. A person with these patterns would not be able to grind up fibrous foods. Soft, lumpy foods and ground meats are usually the diet tolerated with these patterns.
Lateral jaw shift - This is a lateral (side to side) movement of the jaw with no downward displacement of the jaw.
Diagonal movement - This is a lateral, downward movement of the jaw to either side with easy contact and release. It aids in the placement of food between molars for chewing. There is no grinding movement, and no movement of the jaw across midline. It occurs in conjunction with vertical jaw movement.
Diagonal rotary movement - There is a lateral, downward movement with upward, horizontal sliding movements for grinding foods between molars. The jaw moves to one side or the other, without crossing midline. It may accompany lateral movement of food from the center of the tongue to the teeth.
Circular rotary movement - This is the most mature chewing pattern, with jaw movement laterally, downward, across the midline to the other side and upward to close. It may occur either clockwise or counter -clockwise. It may accompany transfer of food from one side of the mouth across the midline to the other side of the mouth.
Each of these normal patterns may be accompanied by significant muscle weakness. The pattern is observed, but is not efficient for more viscous foods due to lack of power for closing the jaw.
Abnormal jaw patterns interfere with eating, drinking and speech. Controlled movement of the cheeks, lips and tongue is also adversely affected by these abnormal jaw patterns. Sometimes the patterns are interpreted by the caregiver as volitional, resulting in an inappropriate response by the caregiver. When these patterns are present, mealtimes take longer. There will be poor control of items placed in the mouth with loss of foods, fluids, medications and saliva. Oral hygiene becomes more challenging to provide, often resulting in poor oral hygiene and resulting in gum problems, plaque build up, tooth decay and loss of teeth. Appropriate handling techniques for mealtime and oral hygiene are needed.
Jaw clonus - Rapid, rhythmical movement of the jaw upon closure, indicating weakness or fatigue. May be observed in infants during sucking.
Tonic bite reflex - This is jaw closure accomplished by forceful, sustained upward movement of the mandible. It occurs following stimulation of the teeth or gums. It is accompanied by increased abnormal tone in the jaw muscles. It is difficult to release. Damage to the teeth or to the object placed in the mouth may occur. The tonic bite increases if the item is pulled on. Do not confuse this pattern with a bite reflex which results in closing or approximation of closing following stimulation to the lips, gums or teeth. This normal reflex becomes integrated before age two, and is not associated with abnormally increased muscle tone.
Jaw thrust - The jaw opens through forceful, sustained downward and outward movement of the jaw (mandible). It occurs following presentation of foods for biting. It may also occur as part of a total body extension pattern. It is accompanied by increased abnormal tone in jaw muscles. Do not confuse this pattern with wide jaw excursions (poor jaw grading), often seen in normal infants. Pressing up on jaw increases the jaw thrust.
Jaw retraction - There is a forceful, sustained movement of the lower jaw, carrying it up and toward the back so that the alignment of the molars is displaced. It is associated with an abnormal increase in jaw muscle tone. It may occur following change in body position, or following the presentation of foods, liquids, or medications into the mouth. It may also occur in conjunction with abnormal muscle tone and abnormal patterns of movement. There is less room in the back of the mouth, so swallowing and breathing are more difficult.
Dystonic jaw movement - An abnormal pattern characterized by rhythmical, nonfunctional movement of the jaw associated with Parkinson's or Parkinson's like symptoms. The ability to interrupt the movement is related to the severity of the disease. With less severe involvement, the pattern can be interrupted during functional activities, such as eating and speech, and will not be observed during sleep.
Bruxism - Bruxism or toothgrinding, may occur for a variety of reasons. In individuals with abnormal oral motor patterns, bruxism may be associated with muscle weakness or with abnormally increased muscle tone. Pressure to the outside of the face is not effective in reducing bruxism. Emphasize on increased internal jaw stability with increased opportunities for closing the molars around chewy objects has been helpful in reducing the incidence of bruxism. Bruxism may increase when an ear infection or fluid in the middle ear occurs. It may also increase with headaches or when there is pain due to gum or tooth disease.
Normal cheek patterns include protrusion, retraction, and compression. The cheeks form the walls of the face. The cheek is composed of many layers of muscle tissue, inserting at many different angles. The cheeks assist in repositioning food in the sides of the mouth, in placing food between the teeth for chewing and in moving the food, fluid or saliva to the posterior of the oral cavity for swallowing. The muscles of the cheek assist with lip, jaw, and tongue movement. The receptors for swallowing are located in the posterior area of the cheeks, as well as on the gums, tongue and soft palate. Some of the salivary glands are located in the cheeks.
Abnormal cheek patterns include hypotonicity (decreased muscle tone in the cheeks), hypertonicity (increased muscle tone in the cheeks), fluctuating tone, and atrophy due to disuse. These are often seen in combination with abnormal jaw, tongue and lip patterns. Each of these impacts on oral function. If the above patterns exist, there may be decreased awareness of what is happening in the oral area. Control of substances in the mouth will be adversely affected. The level of oral-motor response may change, based on the texture of food presented, or on the type of handling or feeding equipment the caregiver uses.
Loss of saliva from the mouth may occur for a variety of reasons. Gum or tooth disease, reflux, upper respiratory infections, allergies, mouth breathing, body position, level of activity or alertness, intensity of concentration, and impaired patterns of movement for the lips, cheeks, tongue and jaw may also result in drooling. Programs emphasizing conscious control of saliva are not effective. Evaluation of all factors affecting saliva control is essential for planning effective interventions to reduce drooling. The opposite also often ocurrs where the pt doesn't produce enough saliva and then has what we call xerostomia or dry mouth. This can be normal for them. caused by dehydration, certain medications, decrease in oral care, or many other reasons. Saliva control is vital for the swallowing process and our health.
Gagging is a protective reflex. It may be elicited by a number of different stimuli including: olfactory (smell); visual; touch to the posterior third of the palate, inner gums or tongue; touch to the pharynx; stimulation of the vagal nerve in the intestinal track; and stimulation of the semicircular canals in the inner ear following rapid movement of the head or body. Gagging may also occur if a more functional oral response, such as muscle contraction, chewing or swallowing, is not present due to oral motor impairment. By providing controlled pressure and movement on the face and within the mouth, an individual with oral motor impairment can develop those more functional responses, so that gagging is normalized. The goal is to normalize the gag, not to extinguish it. The gag is necessary for protection of the body from unfamiliar or harmful stimuli.