I'm excited to introduce a special exercise that tests the strength of your tongue for mewing. While I found this exercise easy, I recently discovered that it can be challenging for many people. So, I want to test your tongue today. Before we proceed, make sure you're familiar with mewing and correct tongue posture by checking out my mewing 101 guide. Assuming you're familiar and ready to try, let's move on to the exercise.
1. Smile without showing upper teeth
This exercise has three levels. In level one, start by relaxing your face and then do a small smile without showing your teeth. Keep your tongue lifted inside your mouth and accumulate saliva before swallowing. Ensure that your swallowing motion is soft and gentle, avoiding a forceful swallow. If you find it difficult to accumulate saliva, you can take a small sip of water. Remember to keep the movement minimal and focus on maintaining the correct tongue posture. This completes level one of the exercise.
2. Smile showing upper teeth
Level two is a bit more challenging. Start by smiling, this time showing your upper teeth. Accumulate saliva in your mouth, but avoid taking too much water. Remember to do a soft swallow, keeping your tongue flat and showing your "A" position on the roof of your mouth. This may be harder for some, so let me know in the comments if you can do it. Don't worry about opening your mouth yet, as that's for level three. If you find this level difficult, practice it before moving on to level three.
3. Smile showing your upper teeth with mouth open
Level three is the most challenging. Open your mouth wider, but not too big. Smile and accumulate saliva. It may be difficult to maintain the open mouth position, but try to keep it upright and avoid unnecessary jaw movement. If you can do this without closing your mouth, it means you're effectively using your tongue muscles. Practice with your pinky finger initially if it helps. Once you're comfortable, try it without the finger. Remember to maintain the correct tongue posture during the exercise. This level is the hardest, and I still need more practice myself. Let me know which levels you were able to do. The purpose of this exercise is to check the strength of your tongue muscle, which is essential for correct tongue posture and its many benefits.
Summary
This exercise consists of three levels. Level one involves a small smile without showing upper teeth, followed by a soft swallow with tongue flat and saliva accumulation. Level two adds the challenge of smiling with upper teeth showing, maintaining correct tongue posture. Level three is the most difficult, requiring a wider open-mouth smile while keeping tongue muscles engaged. Practicing with a pinky finger is suggested, and maintaining correct tongue posture is crucial. Let me know which levels you were able to accomplish. This exercise aims to assess and improve tongue muscle strength for proper tongue posture and its numerous benefits.
