Focus:
Incorporating information from sources we may find odd.
Repetition:
All Truth belongs to The Light.
I recognise Truth in hidden places, even amongst confusion.
The Work of Oscar Patel
This week I want to introduce you to Oscar Patel, a young voice in the facial development and airway world. He takes the idea of mewing and looks at it through the lens of fascia, which I love. His view is that the face, jaw, neck, and skull are not separate parts but one continuous web of tissue that responds to tension, pressure, and the habits we repeat every day. So instead of forcing the tongue into position, he talks about restoring balance in the soft tissues first. The tongue is not just a muscle to press against the roof of your mouth; it is connected to the palate, the hyoid, the neck, and even the diaphragm.
Release Before Effort
The main thing I want you to take from his work is release before effort. If you try to hold “correct” tongue posture while your jaw, neck, and face are tight, you usually end up with strain, asymmetry, or frustration. Poor tongue posture is not a lack of discipline, it is your body telling you where it is holding tension.
Thumbpulling is taught the same way, as a gentle invitation and not as force. Light pressure, patience, and consistency are the whole idea. We are not trying to push bones around; we are softening the tissues that hold the bones where they are, and over time structure follows.
He also looks at the whole body, which fits so well with everything we do here. Posture, breathing, swallowing, and even the emotions we hold in our jaw all play a part. The jaw is a meeting point for the neck, shoulders, and rib cage, not a hinge on its own.
Most of what he teaches can be done at home, with no special equipment, as part of your normal day. And he is honest that this is not a quick fix. Your face responds to what it experiences over and over, not to short bursts of hard work. If you have ever worried about “doing it wrong,” this approach takes that pressure off and replaces it with curiosity.
Sample Daily Practice Plan (Myofascial Mewing and Thumbpulling)
| Time | Practice | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Gentle facial awareness and tongue rest | 5 to 10 minutes | Rest your tongue lightly on the palate without force. Notice any jaw and neck tension. |
| Mid-morning | Thumbpulling (upper palate and facial fascia) | 5 minutes | Very light pressure. Stop before you get tired. Focus on relaxing, not stretching. |
| Afternoon | Posture and breathing check | 5 minutes | Breathe through your nose. Stack your head over your spine. Let your shoulders and jaw drop. |
| Early evening | Tongue movement and swallow awareness | 5 to 10 minutes | Slow, conscious swallows. No clenching or pressing hard. |
| Evening | Light facial massage or fascia release | 5 minutes | Jaw, cheeks, and neck. Gentle touch only. |
| Before bed | Tongue rest and nasal breathing | 2 to 5 minutes | Settle your tongue into a relaxed resting position before sleep. |
This plan is meant to be small. Doing a little every day matters much more than doing a lot once in a while. Please follow his work on YouTube if you need more palate expansion and restructuring. You can also join his courses on Skool and work with him online at oscarpatel.net.
Small, gentle, daily — that is where this work does its magic.