Why do we have to touch the roof of the mouth with our tip of the tongue while doing tai chi and qi gong?

The teacher told men to touch the roof of their mouths with the tip of their tongue and women to touch the roof with hook-shaped tip of their tongues. Why is this necessary?


Also, why is it useful to swallow our mouth fluids during practices?|||It connects your Conception Vessel with the Governing Vessel.





CV is your centerline. It runs along center of the front of your body from your Perinium upward to just about where your bottom lip curls against your gums. It is Yin





GV runs along your spine and begins at your coccyx, upward to your head and down the top-front of your head - it ends at your gums a few mm above your two front teeth. It is Yang





This is done during Qigong practice to create free flowing energy ihhaling inward and down your GV under to your perineum to meet with your CV to your Dantien, where the breath is held during the transition from inhaling to exhaling and up your CV and out through your mouth and nose.





This is called "Circular Breathing" and is the basis of delivering Qi to all the parts of the body and develop what is called "Iron Shirt". You use your "thoughts" to see the breath moving along this "circle".





In case he didn't tell you, you're also supposed to tighten your sphincter slightly for the connection to be complete.





When the circle is complete, you are balancing the Yin and Yang.





You swallow your saliva to lubricate your digestive tract during Qigong practice. This makes sure you are not concentrating too much on what you are doing in the exercise and neglect natural functions of the body.





You might also begin to burp and/or expel gas - aka "fart"! Don't suppress these functions during practice. Your Qi is expanding and helping rid the body of them.|||for one it keeps you from sticking your tongue out during class. its an unconscious thing some adults and kids do. i always use this line in my karate class when i see them with there tongue handing out.





2nd it and the reason your tai chi instructor tell you where to but your tongue, it has to do with your chi flow and help in completing the circle for it to flow. it is also a practice in goju ryu.





the month fluids i have not heard of before. interesting?|||It forces you to breathe through your nose.





Not sure about the swallowing thing, but it sounds more hygienic than spitting it out!