ReCentering for Sports and Sanity - 9 - Tippy Top Tongue
ReCentering for Sports and Sanity - 9 - Tippy Top Tongue
Tongue as the ultimate spine fine-tuner
Adapted from “The Primacy of the Tongue” by David Zemach-Berson
Think of the tongue as the tip top of the spine. Its position can, with awareness, bring the spine into refined alignment. Thinking of it from another perspective, it can be the tail that wags the dog. It’s a deep and astoundingly accurate ‘tool’ in the art of ReCentering.
The tongue is effectively the tip of the spine. It’s movements can allow for tiny skull weight adjustments that affect the entire carriage.
The most primitive to complex animals have one thing in common. All have a mouth for catching food, a tongue for swallowing, and a tube for processing. The tongue is that rooted in evolution.
The tongue isn’t exactly attached to the spine. However, with webs of tough tissue and mucosa attaching it to the jaw in the front and the hyoid bone anchoring it in the back, it has a lot of pull.
This may be the most subtle ReCentering lesson yet: test how the tongue affects the skull’s, and thus the entire body’s, alignment.
The lesson is part of the “Liberating Your Neck and Jaw” series, created by David Zeman-Berson, GCFT®. It is a seated lesson, bringing gravity into the equation.
What happens to the spine when you stick your tongue far out? What happens to your balance when you poke your inner cheek with the tongue tip? How do the sit bones and ribs respond to that teensy tip of the skull’s weight? Is your tongue necessary for deep concentration? Tune in for some tipsy-turvy results.
The Voice-O-Meter may not be as easily accessible for this lesson, as the tongue is essential for sound-making, and it is being used here for other purposes.
Set Up:
Sitting on a flat-bottom chair with knees and hips level.
Position chair so it’s easy to stand from sitting, and so the chair can provide some support in standing
Science Nerd Candy - Lots of material from earlier lessons to reintroduce you to the tongue, the jaw, the spine and more:
Liberating Your Neck and Jaw - 2 - Side Slide Into The Ribs: Jaw anatomy, muscles, TMJ joing
Liberating Your Neck and Jaw - 3 - Arch and Open: Video links on full spinal movements
Liberating Your Neck and Jaw - 4 - More Jaw Connections: Descriptions of the face and neck muscles, cervical spine movement
Liberating Your Neck and Jaw - 5 - Untying Your Tongue: Links on how the tongue affects athletic performance, breathing, the alignment of the upper spine, and the muscles of the face (don’t worry, be happy)
Or just jump to these videos specifically about the spine::
Cervical Spin Anatomy | Veritas Health (2:04) How the shape of the neck vertebrae allow neck to bend and twist
Lumbar Spine Anatomy | Randale Sechrest (5:30) How the shape of lumbar (low back) vertebrae keep the lower back stable but bendable
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Amazed at the tongue’s connection to the bottom of your spine, pelvis and ribs; Tuned into how the tongue can change the skull’s balance atop the spine; Tall, elegantly postured; Curious about how the tongue might affect any kind of performance - both large movements and tiny ones; Silly.
BY ZOOM New Students: Register here
$15/lesson, $40/month. Venmo: @Jacki-Katzman PayPal: jackisue@aol.com Check: PO Box 116, Bethlehem, NH 03574