Where’s your tongue right now?
My latest fascination is with the tongue. 👅
Let me explain. 😂
When my second baby was a newborn, I started learning about the tongue and its function beyond the obvious. V was having some difficulties with nursing and bottle feeding that led us to work with a feeding therapist who confirmed our suspicions that she had oral ties.
Oral ties (lips, cheeks, tongue) are when the normal connective tissue of these areas is shorter or thicker than it should be, so range of motion (and ultimately function) is impeded. We ended up having her upper lip tie released and spent months doing myofascial work on her face and body to help her reduce tension and create better patterns in her jaw and mouth. She has made excellent progress and now we’re all scratching our heads wondering about our own mouths.
Could the position and function of our tongue be causing some less than optimal patterns in our bodies?
Is this (one of) the reasons my husband has sleep apnea?
Why our 5 year old breathes with his mouth open while he sleeps?
I started snoring during pregnancy and haven’t stopped?
A light bulb💡 moment for me as I realized I’ve spent so much time focused on the pelvic and respiratory diaphragms, but maybe another game changer for folks is the tongue.
So I went down the rabbit hole learning all about the tongue and its role in our breathing, overall wellness and how the body moves from head to toe. It’s FASCINATING.
I even attended a conference a few months ago all about the tongue and while some of it was out of my scope (more appropriate for PTs, massage therapists, chiropractors, etc) I did learn a few guiding principles that have helped me and I want to share one with you today.
It’s easy in theory but surprisingly challenging in practice.
So right now, wherever you are, stop and check in: where is your tongue?
Sealed to the roof of your mouth? Hanging out in the lower jaw? Is your mouth open or closed? Are you breathing through your nose or mouth?
Ideally, when we’re at rest (so not talking, chewing or exercising intensely), we want to be breathing in and out through our nose with our lips closed and tongue sealed to the roof of the mouth.
Assuming we don’t have a stuffy nose, this is fairly easy at rest, right?
Ok. Here’s your homework. I want you to check in with your mouth a few times in the next few days and see what your pattern is- can you keep this position with your mouth while you’re working? Taking a shower? Walking? Doing the dishes?
I find that I’ve gotten really comfortable in this position while I’m resting, watching TV, even typing this blog right now — but when I’m doing anything with motion, like walking around holding my kids, vacuuming or picking up the house, my mouth is open.
And as always with me, perfection is not the goal here, but rather awareness and improvement over time.
Watch this TikTok to learn more and be sure to let me know how this goes for you- I’m intrigued! 😀