Tounge scraping is a very simple yet highly effective daily morning practice. It is the first Ayurvedic practice I teach my clients, as it is one of the simplest to add to your routine, and even more importantly, it offers you a boost to your digestive health. No brainer, right?!
Overnight while we sleep, our internal organs go through a detoxification process that ultimately deposits toxins, called ama, onto our tongue. This can come from undigested, unabsorbed, or unassimilated foodstuff we took in through meals the day before. Ama could show up as a brown, yellow, or white coating on the tongue. It depends on the energy of your toxins, your imbalances at the time, and any pathological conditions. If the entire tongue is well-coated, this could be a sign of systematic toxins throughout the GI tract.
A clear sign you didn't digest last night's dinner well would be a thick white coating on your tongue. In this case, a hot glass of water with fresh-squeezed lemon AFTER you tongue scrape and BEFORE you eat is recommended, but if this happens for several days in a row, an Ayurvedic cleanse and further detoxification measures would be your next needed remedies.
When we scrape our tongue, it's like awakening our internal organs and it gives them a gentle massage, stimulating the natural cleansing process of the body and aiding digestion. It also enhances our sense of taste and it clears out bacteria and dead cells.
Scraping your tongue is a fantastic way to check in with the body in the morning and clean off the toxins so that we don't swallow them back into our body. Always do this on an empty stomach in the morning, and avoid scraping your tongue at night as this unduly stimulates the internal organs at a time when they should be getting ready to cleanse.
How-to Tongue Scrape
First thing upon awakening before any water, drink, or food - scrape the tongue from back to front gently 7-14 times.
After each scrape, you need to rinse the tongue scraper with clean water to remove what came off of your tongue before the next scrape.
Then you can follow up with oil-pulling, brushing your teeth, and then a warm/hot glass of water.
All of this will properly stimulate peristalsis for optimal digestion, and it allows you to start the day with a cleaner slate. Now you can enjoy breakfast!
I recommend either a stainless steel or a copper tongue scraper. These are easiest to keep sanitary. Some even come with a little bag for storage. Most health food stores and pharmacies carry tongue scrapers these days, and of course, you can always find one online. They cost anywhere from $7 to $20.
I've included a diagram below to show you where the seat of your organs lay on the tongue. When you scrape over a certain area on the tongue, you're stimulating that particular organ asking it to wake up for the day and you're giving it some extra love and support.
Love your tongue = love your organs & digestive system = love to your body, mind & spirit!
For more ways to naturally bring balance and well-being through diet & lifestyle, follow my blog.
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