A tightened oval of the face makes us visually younger, while the appearance of a double chin ages us. It is generally accepted that there is no other way to restore beautiful contours to the face, except for radical surgery. But is it?
The oval of the face really “floats” with age and distorts our once clear, geometric features: the cheeks sink, nasolabial folds form under their weight, a second chin appears.
Osteopaths and cosmetologists identify three reasons leading to these unpleasant effects:
- posture disorder
- loss of skin elasticity
- incorrect position of the tongue
Talking about the “right” and “wrong” position of the tongue in the mouth is as strange as talking about the correct position, for example, of the spleen. Nevertheless, the beauty of our face largely depends on it.
Heaviness of the tongue
The tongue is one of the largest (and therefore heavy) muscles in the human body. Sticking out our tongue in front of a mirror, we will see only its tip, while the muscle itself is deep inside.
A huge muscle of the tongue, if you do not follow it, fits on the bottom of the oral cavity and forms the same second chin – the bottom of the larynx has to withstand a load of one and a half kilograms. How can you maintain an aesthetically attractive appearance of the chin and neck all your life? And the reason for the “floating” oval is not so much in the weakness of the tissues of the face, but in the fact that the tongue with all its power loads the lower part of the face and forms a sagging line.
This is why plastic surgery does not give long-term results: the skin can be trimmed endlessly, it will stretch, but the tongue, if it is in the wrong position, will still push through the bottom of the mouth. If, in addition, a person has poor posture, then the neck will not be able to cope with such a weight, and a hanging head will only aggravate the appearance.
But if there are various bodily practices for a healthy position of the spine and body, for example, the practice of Qigong Sing Shen Juang, proven for thousands of years, then in which schools can you take a course on building the tongue in the correct position? We offer two simple but effective exercises to achieve the effect in just one minute.
Right sip
In order to understand and feel the correct position of the tongue in practice, conduct an experiment, which is also our first exercise. It is also called the “Queen’s Throat”. Here’s how it’s done.
- Pour a glass of water and go to the mirror. Fill your mouth with some water and take a sip, looking at the reflection: the lips and cheeks are relaxed, the tongue strokes the upper palate and remains in this position, supporting the entire skull, preventing the tissues from sinking.
- On the face, not a single muscle should flinch, as if you are a royal person, and any facial activity can be misinterpreted by the courtiers. If the muscles of the face are still tense, you need to try to get rid of it, otherwise hypertonicity will form – tension, which sets the wrong position of the tongue (lying on the lower jaw).
Of course, it will not be possible to control this sip for the rest of your life. Do the exercise every day for 2-3 minutes in front of a mirror for 21 days – a period of formation of new habits – and the body will remember a more physiological movement.
Self-massage of the tongue
Now that it has become clear in what position the tongue should be (in the upper position, stroking the upper palate while swallowing), you can proceed to the second exercise.
- Take a napkin (not paper) and with gentle movements, starting from the root, pull the tongue out of the mouth, gently relaxing it, making it more pliable. Grasp the root of the tongue with your fingers and gently do three stretches. Listen for movement, where it’s coming from. Physically, the whole throat is involved in the process, and sometimes you feel how the top of the chest is released? These are exactly the sensations we are striving for.
- The second movement is a massage of the tongue with kneading movements from root to tip, as when kneading dough. It shouldn’t hurt though.
- At the end of the complex, repeat the movement of the correct sip and leave the tongue in the upper position against the upper palate – like a wave frozen at its peak.
- And now check: lower the tongue with its entire thickness to the bottom of the mouth, “enjoy” the second chin that has appeared. And again take a sip of water – so that the body of the tongue “sucks” to the upper palate. Appreciate the instantly tightened line from the neck to the chin.
Look at yourself in the mirror in profile and full face – you will immediately notice the difference in the correct and incorrect position of the tongue.