Healing with Ayurveda--Tongue Cleaning

As Spring approaches you may have a desire to detox, cleanse, lose weight, make new eating habits, etc. In order to detox our bodies we must eliminate toxins from within. Start your Spring off right with this ancient Ayurvedic healing practice from India.

This ancient practice helps stimulate the internal organs through energetic connections with the rest of the body. The oral cavity can be viewed as one of the main gateways between your mind, body, and environment. The tongue is viewed as the mirror to all the organs in the body--so a daily observation can give you clues towards your overall health. It serves as an opportunity for staying present, which is something that can be hard to achieve in our busy lives--especially if you are pregnant, or a parent yourself. This practice allows you to reflect on your daily habits and see how these habits have affected your health. There are multiple indicators such as the presence of thick white coating--which signals that Ama (toxin buildup) has accumulated. A coated, hairy tongue is an indicator of an imbalance of keratin, a protein that produces skin, hair, and nails. When the diet is imbalanced, or the oral cavity is irritated, keratin can accumulate--leaving a discoloration of the tongue.

Becoming aware of these indicators can be an important preventative tool. Through increased awareness you will be able to identify imbalances before they manifest into sickness/disease.

Through removal of Ama taste receptors are given a boost which not only helps to eat less, but also decreases the necessity of adding excess sugar, salts, and spices to our food in order to make them more flavorful. Many of the phytonutrients and signals that our body synthesizes from the foods we ingest are interpreted by receptors on the tongue. Build-up interferes with this connected between food and the body--a clear tongue is essential towards creating a healthy connection between both.

Tongue cleaning offers advantages to your overall health and wellbeing. First thing in the morning, after strengthening (another post to come), cleansing, and brushing, clean your tongue with a stainless steel scraper (The Charaka Samhita--an ancient text of Ayurveda states that “tongue scrapers should be made of gold, silver, copper, tin and brass and should be non-sharp and curved, so as not to injure the tongue”). In our case, stainless steel is the best option.

~~~~~~A healthy tongue should be pink, free of coatings, bumps, or marks~~~~~~
Observing the alignment, color, surface, shape, movement, and coating can help indicate any imbalances.

BENEFITS OF TONGUE CLEANING
*Improve digestion by increasing your sense of taste
*cleanse the body by removing Ama and bacteria from your oral cavity
*increases clarity of the mind by reducing heaviness and Ama from the head
------When your physical and emotional bodies are balanced it can expand spiritual awakening------
• Clears toxins & bacteria from the tongue
• Helps remove buildup that leads to bad breath
• Enhances the sense of taste
• Gently stimulates the internal organs
• Promotes overall oral & digestive health
• Increases your awareness of your state of health

HOW TO ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULTS
*It’s best to when used everyday at each brushing--especially in the morning when you have an empty stomach.

¤hold the two ends of the tongue cleaner in both hands.
¤extend the tongue and place the tongue cleaner on the surface of the tongue, as far back as is comfortable.
¤gently pull the tongue cleaner forward so that it removes the unwanted coating.
¤rinse the tongue cleaner and repeat this action 5-7 times or until no more coating is being removed and your tongue feels fresh and clean.
¤for an extra boost-- add up to 10 or more strokes to further stimulate the internal organs, supporting digestion and healthy elimination.
¤rinse

¤¤Remember to be gentle. If you begin to stimulate the gag reflex you are being too rough!¤¤

Additional herbs for oral health: tumeric, alfalfa, clove, cinnamon bark

Follow-up post to come○○Another Spring Detox - Ayurveda Healing Tip!