You’re in for a surprise if you thought sitting straight without slouching was enough for a good body posture. How you hold your tongue inside the mouth significantly impacts your overall posture.
While being mindful of the “tongue posture”, also pay attention to your breathing pattern because people who inhale and exhale through the mouth instead of the nose may end up with a facial droop.
How ‘tongue’ affects your overall posture
Toronto-based Chiropractor Dr. Sina Yeganeh explains in one of his TikTok videos what happens when you don’t maintain the posture of your tongue.
Resting your tongue in the right position is important to support the airway and let oxygen get to your lungs. The tongue is “deeply connected” to the postural structure.
According to Dr. Sina, the tongue forms the foundation support for your overall posture. Not maintaining the right tongue posture for a prolonged period can change the structure of your face and contribute to pain in the neck and shoulder regions.
The correlation between tongue placement and the body system is shown in a study at the National Library of Medicine, which notes that the tongue’s action is “not confined to the oral cavity, but it affects lower limb muscle strength and posture.”
The study further states that the tongue when positioned against the upper incisors “can enhance the postural stability during upright standing on an unstable surface and in the absence of vision in healthy young adults.”
How to hold your tongue
Take note because the chiropractor’s step-by-step guide can improve your overall posture.
- Place your tongue flat up against the roof of your mouth and seal your lips, meaning, keep your lips together when you aren’t eating or speaking.
- Next, swallow while retaining the above position without clenching your teeth.
- Repeat the above steps whenever you find your tongue resting at the bottom of the mouth.
According to the chiropractor, this helps relax your jaw, open your nasal passageway to support breathing, reduce snoring, and lift your overall posture with time.
Dr. Sina Yeganeh is the co-founder of Movability, which focuses on improving the lifestyle of people through movement, manual therapy, and mindfulness. Their services include chiropractor, physiotherapy, massage therapy and more.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in science from York University, Dr Sina Yeganeh went to Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College for his specialization. He boasts over
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