Someone told me my tongue was in the wrong place and my first thought was, “That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.” My tongue has been in my mouth for thirty-plus years. I think it knows where to go.

Then they told me to try something. Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth — not just the tip, the whole thing — and hold it there. I did it. My shoulders dropped, my chin tucked, and my spine straightened like someone had pulled a string through the top of my head. I was annoyed at how effective it was.

What is actually happening

Your tongue connects to your hyoid bone, which connects to muscles that run down the front of your neck and into your shoulder girdle. When your tongue rests on the floor of your mouth — which is where most people’s tongues sit — those muscles are slack. When you press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, the whole chain activates upward, pulling your neck and shoulders into alignment.

This is called proper tongue posture or “mewing,” and while I am skeptical of most things named after internet influencers, the biomechanics here are real. Physical therapists have been using versions of this for decades.

How to find the right position

Say the word “sing” and hold the “ng” sound. Feel where your tongue is — that back part pressed up against the soft palate. Now close your mouth and keep your tongue there. The tip should rest just behind your front teeth on the hard palate, not touching the teeth themselves.

Your teeth should be lightly touching or slightly apart. Lips together. Breathing through your nose, not your mouth.

This feels weird for about the first day. By day three it starts to feel normal. By week two, your old tongue position feels wrong.

What I actually noticed after a few weeks

My jaw stopped clicking when I chewed. I had TMJ issues for years — nothing serious, just an annoying pop on the left side when eating tough food. That pop is mostly gone now. My dentist noticed I was not grinding my teeth as much.

The posture thing is subtle. You will not look in the mirror and see a different person. But I noticed I was not hunching forward at my desk as much, and the tension I used to carry between my shoulder blades was less intense at the end of the day.

It is not a substitute for exercise or a good chair. It is just one more piece of the puzzle. A free one.