Ashley Palin, RDH, OMT
Ashley is a well-known myofunctional therapist that works virtually with people from all over the world. She began her career as a dental assistant before going to dental hygiene school at Utah Valley University. Ashley learned about myofunctional therapy during her schooling as she was dealing with her own issues with tethered oral tissues and mouth breathing. Those experiences made it clear to her that this is what she wanted to do after graduating. In 2024, after years of practicing full-time myofunctional therapy, helping hundreds of individuals, doing countless courses and trainings, seeing perspectives from the many different providers she collaborated with over the world- she started the Becoming a Tongue Therapist training program to mentor and train other myofunctional therapists with a new and innovative approach.
About the course:
The Becoming a Tongue Therapist Advanced In-Person Training will change the way that you view myofunctional exercises and programming. It’s no longer about plugging in set exercises that you learned from a list- we will be diving deep into truly understanding what exercises you should be using based on targeted areas, muscle groups and functions and learning how to progress through different types of exercises for success. We’ll look deeper into complex cases and how to address suboptimal breathing habits, TMD and nervous system dysfunction. By the end of this 2.5 day intensive you will feel confident in your ability to step outside the box and use your skills to help even the most complex client cases optimize their health and function.
Sign up here!
Download the Myo Agenda here
3-Day Advanced Myofunctional Therapy Course
July 17–19, 2026
DAY 1 – Airway and Myo
Morning (8:00 – 12:00 with Dr. Goles)
8:00 – 8:45am | Welcome + Framing
● What is Airway Dentistry vs Sleep Dentistry
● Doctrine & Dogma
● Concepts, Strategies and Tools
8:45 – 10:00am | The Science of Sleep
● Beyond the Sleep Diagnosis
● Sleep Architecture
● What is the Sleep Study telling you
● REM vs Deep sleep (brain vs body)
10:00 – 10:30 | Break
10:30 – 11:30am | Signs & Symptoms: The Clues
● What patients report vs what we see clinically
● The “Doctor of the Jaw” Paradigm
● Why airway is being missed in modern dentisty
● Dental indicators of airway dysfunction
11:30 – 12:00pm | Root Cause
● Craniofacial development (0–12 yrs)
● Why are we here
● Environmental vs Genetic factors
12:00pm – 1:00pm | Lunch
1:00pm – 2:00pm | Muscles and anatomy overview
● Reviewing the muscles targeted with myofunctional exercises
● Cranial bones
● Cranial nerves
Reimagine your Exercise Programming
2:00 – 3:00pm | Breaking down exercises
● Passive vs. Active
● Type of muscle contraction
● Target area or function
● Weight resistance
3:00 – 4:00pm | Executing your exercise plan
● Progressing through exercises
● How movements change throughout the program
● Understanding how to modify exercises when needed
3:15 – 3:30 | Break
3:30 – 4:30 | Programming like a pro
● Meeting intervals
● Exercise frequency
● Time or repetition based assignments
4:30 – 5:00 | Q & A
👉 End of Day 1 goal:
“I understand the WHY behind the exercises and I am confident in my movement
selection”
DAY 2 – Implementation and Coaching
Morning (8:00 – 12:00)
Diving Deep Exercise Workshop
8:00-11:00 | Review of myofunctional exercises based on target areas or function, practicing correct form and identifying compensation patterns.
Exercise Target Areas:
● Lip and cheeks
o Rounding
o Spreading
o Cheek Tension
● Tongue
o Protrusion
o Lateralization
o Elevation
o Narrowing
o Broadening
o Rest Posture
● Soft palate
o Elevation
o Tone
● Jaw movement
o Jaw grading
o Bilateral chewing
o Unilateral chewing
o Deviation or deflections
Afternoon (1:30 – 5:00)
“MYO”dalities
Breathing Reeducation
● The science of slow breathing
● Types of breathing exercises and how to implement them
Nervous System Reset
● Understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
● Identifying nervous system dysregulation
● Exercises and strategies to help reset the nervous system for myofunctional success
Lymphatic drainage and self massage
● The lymph system and muscle dysfunction
● Using lymphatic drainage techniques
● Self massage for muscle tension and myofascial release
Diet and Lifestyle Considerations
● Anti-inflammatory foods
● Vitamins and minerals needed for muscle function and sleep
● Sunlight and grounding
● Daily routines to support sleep and breathing
👉 End of Day 2 goal:
“I understand of to monitor exercises and modify to my clients needs”
DAY 3 – Putting it Into Practice
Morning (8:00 – 12:00)
8:00-10:00 | Special Considerations
● Exercise and strategies for sleep disordered breathing
● Exercises and strategies for TMD
● Exercise modifications and strategies for young children
10:00-12:00 | Putting it into practice
● Tools to make the OMT process smoother
● Becoming confident in your skills
● Setting yourself apart from the rest
● Pricing for your services
● The art of selling yourself
👉 End of Day 3 goal:
“I know that I am a qualified and confident myofunctional therapist”
