Posture Your Tongue for Better (Spiritual) Health
Your tongue is much more than just an instrument for speech or eating, prompting some to ask:
Have you ever thought about how your tongue could be affecting your posture even all the way down to your feet?
What if something as simple as where your tongue rests in your mouth could influence your body’s alignment, balance, and even breathing?
The tongue is more than just a muscle for speaking and eating, it’s deeply connected to the body through fascia, an intricate web of connective tissue that links the tongue to the feet.
It's true. An internet query of a growing body of research reveals that the position of your tongue can influence your posture, balance, breathing, and even facial structure. Here's some of the ways tongue posture can affect your overall health:
POSTURE
- Muscle Tension: Your tongue is connected to muscles in your jaw, neck, and even your shoulders. Poor tongue posture (e.g., pressing against your teeth or lying flat at the bottom of your mouth) can create tension in these areas, leading to misalignment like slouched shoulders or forward head posture.
- Spinal Alignment: When your tongue rests properly — on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth — it helps stabilize the head and neck, which supports better spinal posture.
BALANCE
- Proprioception Boost: Proper tongue posture may enhance proprioception — your body's ability to sense its position in space. This can improve balance and stability, especially in people with vestibular disorders.
- Sensory Substitution: The tongue can deliver balance-related signals to the brain, directly affect equilibrium.
BREATHING
- Airway Support: A tongue resting low in the mouth can block the airway, leading to shallow breathing. Proper tongue posture opens the airway, encouraging nasal breathing and better oxygen intake.
FACIAL STRUCTURE
Palate Development: Especially in children and young adults, resting the tongue against the roof of the mouth helps shape the palate and support facial symmetry. Poor posture can lead to a narrower palate and less prominent cheekbones over time.
So, much research has been done, supporting the theory that the tongue is much more key to the body's overall health than previously realized, again prompting some to ask,
"Could improving tongue posture be the missing key to better posture, core strength, and overall movement efficiency?"
*Click here to watch a video on proper tongue posture.
Well, well, well. Perhaps science is lagging a bit behind Scripture when it comes to realizing the immense importance and power of the tongue — well, maybe not physically, but certainly spiritually!
We are told variously throughout the Scriptures of this and so much more:
"So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. ... But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:5-6,8, ESV).
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" (Proverbs 18:21, ESV).
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless" (James 1:26, ESV).
"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" (Proverbs 15:4, ESV).
Our tongues must take the proper "spritual" posture, or else they can ruin the health of the entire body, and worse, they can be used as a weapon to ruin others! Prompting one to ask ...
"Could improving spiritual tongue posture be the missing key to better health, core strength, and overall spiritual maturity and efficiency?"
The Ways of a Sloth
Yes, it's true. In fact, they can actually hold their breath up to 45 minutes at a time.
Believe it or not, yes! Sloths can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes, while dolphins typically last around 10 to 15 minutes before surfacing for air. Sloths have an incredibly slow metabolism, which allows them to reduce their heart rate and conserve oxygen when submerged. Meanwhile, dolphins, as mammals, need to breathe frequently despite their aquatic lifestyle.
The reason these land-dwelling, super submersibles are so adept at breath holding is due to some unique physiological characteristics:
Their secret lies in their low metabolic rate and unique respiratory control:
Slow Metabolism: Sloths burn energy at an incredibly slow rate, which means their bodies require less oxygen than most mammals. This allows them to hold their breath much longer without experiencing distress.
Bradycardia (Reduced Heart Rate): When submerged, sloths can slow their heart rate by up to one-third, significantly reducing their oxygen demand. This trick is common in diving animals like seals but is unusual for a land-dwelling creature.
Efficient Oxygen Storage: Sloths have a high concentration of myoglobin in their muscles, which helps store oxygen for prolonged periods. This trait is typically seen in deep-diving marine mammals like whales and dolphins.
Minimal Movement: Their famously slow and deliberate movements mean they don’t burn oxygen rapidly, further extending their ability to function without fresh air.
All of these adaptations make sloths surprisingly well-equipped for survival—even underwater!
When it comes to their biology and physiology, sloths are some pretty amazing creatures. Yet these very characteristics — like their unusually slow metabolism and sluggish movements — have given them a pretty bad rap in Scripture.
"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (Romans 12:11, ESV).
"The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back" (Proverbs 21:25-26, ESV).
"But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?'" (Matthew 25:26, ESV).
"So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12, ESV).
And a plethora of other references ...
The message is clear: The sloth may be perfectly acclimated for water survival, but he is utterly unequipped for spiritual survival. The ways of the sloth are not to be envied.
Having Done All, Stand!
Approximately 25% of the bones in your body are located in your feet; each foot contains 26 bones, making up about a quarter of the total bones in the human body. So important are the balance, posture, ambulation, and support qualities of the feet, that some have called these bi-pedal wonders the "starting infrastructure" of the rest of the body.
We are repeatedly exhorted in the Scriptures to "stand firm" in the faith.
Surely, the full Armour of God will both protect us against assualt, as well as equip us to take up the offensive against the schemes of the devil. But when was the last time you saw a great soldier lying down?
The full weight of all that armour can be daunting. As such, it's so important to have a firm and resolute foundation beneath us! That is why the Scriptures call us to, "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith," and to act like men, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV), so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes," and to "be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 610-15, NIV).
Protect your feet! — the foundation upon which all our faith is based! "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11, NIV).
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:10-15, NIV).
"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV).
"Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved (Philippians 4:1, ESV).
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11, ESV).
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1, ESV).
"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel" (Philippians 1:27, ESV).
"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15, ESV).
"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith" (2 Corinthians 1:24, ESV).