I used to wake up in the morning with bad breath. It’s embarrassing, actually. Because now, I realize that this is easily remedied. My dad has a very ridiculous sense of humor that not everyone understands. Keep in mind while you read on, that I share this bizarre sense of humor. When I was in high school, I lived with my dad, and he’d be up singing and being the bubbliest person alive at 5am. I’d wake up to get ready for school around 6am to him belting out Mary J. Blige or Seal (he loved soulful tunes). I was always entertained to say the least. Even though, at 16 years old everything pissed me off in the morning. I’d go into the bathroom, where I spent an hour before school, putting my hair in some elaborate up-do. He’d ask me to get out of the bathroom 10 times before I could pull myself away, and finally he’d just stand on the other side of the door and knock (jokingly) and I’d storm out, because I was just an angry teen. One particular morning, I said, “Okay! Fine! I’m out!”  The day I said this, he was standing right in front of me and replied, “have you been eating out of the cat box?” He totally caught me off guard, so I snapped back, “what the hell are you talking about?” He laughed and said, “Your breath! It smells like you’ve been eating out of the cat litter box.” I was so offended that I just stormed past him. Later at school, I found myself laughing in the middle of class remembering what he’d said.

I don’t usually share things like this, because I don’t want to try to explain our sense of humor, but there you have it. Enough fuel for me to seek a solution for the litter breath.

Pops and I during a  California visit in Spring 2015
Pops and I during a California visit in Spring 2015

My ears perked up when I heard my Yoga instructor mention, “tongue scraping can help with bad breath.” I did a bit more research. I found that there’s nothing to it! When I wake up in the morning, I just head straight to the bathroom (immediately upon waking), and use a spoon to lightly scrape my tongue from the back-forward, and remove the white film. There’s a million little tools for tongue scraping, but I prefer to use a spoon (that I don’t use for eating).

I began this practice over ten years ago, and I’ve pretty much kissed bad breath goodbye (pun intended). I decided that this was a very important practice to share, when I discovered that it has enabled me to enjoy food more! I can taste food in a completely new way when I scrape my tongue in the morning. I rarely forget, but the few times that I have were rough. There was a distinct difference in the way I connected with my food.

tongue scraping
Joe is in the background wondering why I’m taking selfies with a spoon

Here’s the analogy: would you put your desert on the same unwashed plate that you had breakfast, lunch and dinner on the day before? Didn’t think so.

Your tongue is an incredible, complex sensory organ. If it’s taken care of properly, it is a pathway for deep pleasure. Simple, sensual food Increasing sense of taste also helps digestion.

Try it out! Start really enjoying the flavors that you put in your mouth.

deeply enjoying the flavor of beets and spilling on the floor 😀

The other two tools for keeping your taste buds alive and alert are just as simple as a spoon.

1. H2O: Water washes away bacteria, and keeps your mouth lubricated and moist.

2. Eat more veggies: Green vegetables promote an alkaline environment, and balances out the acid in the body that creates bad breath.

Simple! There you have it, more sensuality in your life with a quick morning practice that your lover is sure to thank you for in the morning.

This might be a silly one to comment on, but please do share in the comments section below if you found this information to be useful, and share it too!