Tongue Scraping

Seven days. See what happens.

I know. I know. Just stay with me for a second.

This one sounds a little strange until you understand what's actually happening. And then you'll never skip it again!

While you sleep your body is busy processing and detoxifying everything from the day before. By morning a lot of that waste shows up as a coating on your tongue. In Ayurveda this is called Ama (aka accumulated toxins). When you skip scraping it off you reabsorb it.

Your tongue is also a map. The color and thickness of that coating is information about what's going on inside your body. And over seven days you're going to watch it change.

You need a copper or stainless steel tongue scraper for this one (a toothbrush just moves everything around and doesn't actually remove it). They're inexpensive and once you start you'll wonder how you ever skipped this step.

Five to seven scrapes from back to front every morning before your warm water, before breakfast, before brushing. Thirty seconds. That's all.

What comes off might surprise you. What shifts might surprise you more. 🫶🏼

The Method

When: First thing in the morning. Before your warm water, before anything else

What you need: A copper or stainless steel tongue scraper. Not a toothbrush

How: Scrape back to front, 5-7 times. Rinse the scraper between each pass.

How long: The whole thing takes about 30 seconds

What to notice: The color and thickness of the coating and how it changes day to day. White and heavy? That's Ama. Watch what shifts over seven days.

Watch for: Go gently. You're scraping not sanding. Skip this one if you have open sores in your mouth or broken skin on your tongue.