A breakdown of the 5 parts to perfect mewing
The amazing Mew doctors claim that we should be striving to hold the following posture as our resting face posture for at least 4-8hours per day. This is especially critical for growing children, but increasingly, it is becoming apparent that it's important for adults as well.
1. Neck up
The neck is in an upright posture. We want our cervical spine to be slightly curved and upright with the head resting directly above the butt. Without upright neck posture, it becomes a lot harder to open the airway for nosebreathing and lift the tongue up to the palate.
In upright neck posture, the head rests vertically on top of the spine.
The heavy 10lb head we carry around then ends up being more supported by the spinal bones rather than the upper trap muscles.
The neck muscles in the front part of the neck engage to support the head as well.
This is a biggie! Forward head posture is pervasive in our modern society. It’s possible that many people reading this right now have forward head posture. As I write this, I need to keep checking myself so my head doesn’t move in front of the line of my shoulders.
Forward head posture is the enemy here.
2. Nosebreathing
Ideally, we should be breathing through the nose the vast majority of the time. Even when we are exercising! That can take time to get used to for some of us. Go slowly if this is a challenge.
Exceptions include when eating, talking and singing. If you have a deviated septum or a perpetually blocked nose, this may not be straightforward so work towards this gradually.
If you have a deviated septum, surgery may be required.
3. Tongue Up
The entire tongue is pushing up against the hard and soft palate.
When I say the entire tongue, I mean the part of the tongue that resides in our mouth, excluding the part of the tongue residing in the throat
The key is to ensure the back ⅓ of the tongue is in an upright position, pushing against the palate.
Pushing with around 5-10% of maximum effort is a sufficient amount of pressure
Watch this video or this one to learn to engage the back part of your tongue.
4. Teeth Touch (slightly)
The teeth are resting against each other.
The teeth are resting against each other. The key is that they are touching but not clenched.
5. Lips Seal
The optimal position for the lips is to be gently sealed without tension.
There is no gap or opening between the lips unless we are talking, eating, drinking, singing etc.
Crucially, the chin is not the main muscle ensuring the lips are sealed, rather the tongue and jaw are both assisting in keeping the lips closed.
Want to learn more about how to make mewing work for you and how to do it correctly? Ever wonder about trying out a proper face yoga session for yourself?
Join Kari every week for her live online face yoga classes and get real-time, face-to-face instruction, wherever you are in the world!
*Class recordings available upon request.