As yoga practitioners perform backbends to feel the open heart space or arm balances for power, your tongue can also benefit from regular exercises to strengthen and enlarge.
Tongue stretching training has been demonstrated to increase tongue pressure, the area of the geniohyoid muscle and tongue protrusion during speech in healthy young adults. Furthermore, this exercise will reduce mouth tension and expand vocal range.
1. Increased Range of Motion
Tongue stretching exercises help increase the range of movement for your tongue muscle. They can be performed by protruding it out toward either side or up toward the roof of your mouth, flexing it in an O shape, curling around top and bottom teeth or repeating tongue twisters to stretch out its root.
These exercises should be performed several times daily for optimal results, practicing until your tongue muscles feel slightly stretched out without experiencing pain.
One study demonstrated that performing tongue stretching exercises for eight weeks increased maximum isometric pressure (MIP) measurements on both anterior and posterior tongue. Furthermore, this increase in strength was maintained over a 4-week detraining period, suggesting directional exercise training may be effective at increasing tongue strength for older adults with swallowing difficulties as well. Furthermore, high adherence was noted with this program.
2. Increased Vocal Range
Your current voice and muscle training could allow for increasing your vocal range by an octave or more, depending on how fast or hard you attempt it. Doing this, however, requires patience and could cause damage to the vocal cords if done too rapidly or excessively.
Effective vocal range expansion exercises involve stretching exercises that increase airflow through your vocal folds while at the same time stretching them outward. Scale practice can help build this strength, but you should also employ other techniques to loosen up and train your voice so it moves more easily between higher and lower notes.
One way of accomplishing this goal is through practicing high-range vowel exercises such as siren notes. Simply sing an “ooh” or “ee” note from low to high note and back again in order to create this siren sound. This exercise can especially benefit singers with heavier or chestier voices as it helps thin them as they ascend further in their range.
3. Relieves Mouth Tension
Stressful situations can cause the muscles in your mouth to tighten up, restricting vocal range. Stretching helps release this tension, freeing up more freedom for expression in voice.
To stretch the tongue, extend it as far as possible and press against something flat (e.g. the back of a spoon or tongue depressor). There should not be any discomfort, just an enjoyable muscle stretch. Do this at least once daily – or more frequently for maximum results.
Another simple tongue stretching exercise involves opening your mouth as wide as you can and pronouncing each vowel slowly and elongatedly. Repeat this exercise a few times each day to help strengthen throat and soft palate muscles. For additional resistance, place something between upper and lower teeth that provides resistance.
4. Improves Breathing
Many vocal issues, such as snoring and sleep apnea, result from tongue position during sleep that blocks airways. Tongue exercises help improve tongue positioning to ensure throat and upper airway stay open during restful slumber; one study showed how forcing back the back of tongue against teeth while raising the uvula could significantly decrease OSHA symptoms.
To perform this exercise, position your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth, and gently move it back as far as possible until it touches both jawbones. Do this 10 times.
Another tongue stretching exercise involves pushing your tongue outward to both sides, stretching not only its muscles but also engaging those of your neck and throat. This technique is often employed during voice therapy sessions for swallowing problems or as part of recovery from frenectomy surgery for tongue tie issues.
My passion for martial arts goes beyond practice; it is a philosophy that shapes my writing, bringing a distinctive edge to my narratives and advice. I hold black belts in two martial arts disciplines and have competed internationally, experiences that enrich my storytelling with authenticity and excitement.