Tongue Kung Fu
All the sense organs relate to an internal organ. The tongue relates to the heart and it’s said to be made of similar material. When the heart is overflowing with joy and love, energy flows out of the tongue through kind speech. If there is an imbalance, the tongue can lash out with cruelty and impatience. If the heart is clear and the tongue is strong, the path of love and kind words will flow more naturally.
Exercising the tongue can open the heart and provide reflexology benefits for many organs. Doctors of Chinese medicine will diagnose patients by looking at the tongue. Healing the tongue will help the heart and other associated organs. To exercise the tongue, we can circle the tongue around the inside of the teeth and then the same on the outside of the teeth. Some teachers recommend 36 times outside and inside and then again in the other circular direction. It may take time to work up to 36 repetitions. It can feel invigorating to when the tongue is exercised.
Next, one can press the tongue to the roof of the mouth repeatedly; again, 36 times. If the body becomes warm, it means the fire element is activated. The meeting point of the front and back channels of the microcosmic orbit is behind the front teeth, at the roof of the mouth. Pressing the tongue here activates the flow of energy in the microcosmic orbit and allows the energy from the head to move down to nourish the body.
Lastly, moving the tongue around the mouth will generate a lot of saliva. Consciously breathing in aspects of nature, such as the sun and moon, forests and rivers, then moving the tongue around infuses saliva with this power. Swallowing it into the body can nourish the digestive system and all cells of the body.