that may be true david. I did however do quite a bit of stretching of the tongue as my job often gives me manny hours on the road with nothing to do to entertain myself so i do recall one such day of stretching my tongue in this fashion for hours at a time.this was after i did my one snip and it did seem to help alot. i may just be lucky though, it is not something that you see many people comparing
report: stretching going well, getting further back. Gagging reflex getting less. Still haven’t touched the opening at the back yet. Able now to meditate with the tomgue back (kechari stage 1?) and leave it there, which I wasn’t able to do before. Im taking it slowly and steadily.
Hi SparkyfoxMD:
A hint that can be helpful: The journey from stage 1 to stage 2 kechari (going behind the soft palate) is actually a thrust forward with the tongue as soon as it clears the back edge. Not up, but forward. The easiest place to do that from (shortest distance to get behind) is on the left or right side of the edge of the soft palate. The tongue can roll right in from either side, while going up the middle takes more length.
Also, keep in mind that the soft palate is not a rigid boundary. As soon as we are behind it, it folds down and forward like a natural trap door. It returns to normal position just as naturally when the tongue is removed from the pharynx. So the idea of the entrance being an opening “way back there” is somewhat of an illusion. As soon as the pharynx is penetrated, the opening expands all the way forward to the edge of the hard palate. See cross-sectional images of kechari here: http://www.aypsite.org/kechari_image1.html
Carry on!
The guru is in you.
Thank you Yogani!
Im just trying to figure out what that actually feels like…I can roll the tongue to the left or right at the back but havent yet figured out the next direction. But I am persevering and I know I will get there soon! Finding your way around the architecture of the mouth is starnge cos Im trying to work things out that are back to front, upside down and the wrong way round…a sense of confusion is prevailing until the big breakthrough…then Im sure it will be…“oh thats it!”
Just to clarify: The tongue doesn’t actually “roll” into stage 2 from the side. It goes in on the side and slides to the center behind the soft palate. A push forward can help once the tip of the tongue has made it behind the edge of the soft palate – that opens the soft palate trap door (it is usually automatic, but pushing forward with the tongue helps it along). No unusual contortions involved beyond just getting there, which you almost have! 
Don’t forget, finger help is perfectly legal, especially in the beginning.
The guru is in you.
Yogani said: Also, keep in mind that the soft palate is not a rigid boundary. As soon as we are behind it, it folds down and forward like a natural trap door.
Another tip with this: breathing in helps open up the tunnel so that it’s easier to get your tongue further in there, when going into stage 2. Hope this helps…
-Scott
Thanks Scott. Im not there yet but agonisingly close. Its just practise every day that will get me there I think.
Hi SparkyfoxMD,
Im not there yet but agonisingly close
I know the feeling…
I wonder if anyone can help. I am in the process of stretching the tongue by pulling it and it is working gradually, but I am taking my time. I think it will take a while before I get to stage 2.
When I curl the tongue back, and back from a side entry, and then push with the fingers, I seem to have a real problem with gagging. Does anyone know, or can anyone suggest a way of overcoming this? Would appreciate your help, esteemed learned AYP’ers!
Dear SparkyfoxMD,
That is just part of the process, and for me I went through a stage of using my fingers and gagging (which wasn’t very nice) before it happened that one day it just slipped into the cavity… At times I had doubts I would ever reach stage 2, and then I tried to let go of the grasping for a result, and thought to myself I will keep going no matter whether I do or not. I let go and prayed for guidance. Just keep perservering and it will happen when the time is right.
Dear Vicki
Thanks, thats very reassuring and very good advice. I will persevere…not that I ever thought of giving up, the prize is too great for that.
Meg,
Make a separate topic of this.
I moved my topic to ‘kechari problems’, as it’s urgent and likely to be missed here. Thanks, Shanti.
Thanks to this wonderful thread I have finally achieved stage 2 kechari. Thanks Victor, David, Meg and others for your encouraging posts (and obviously Yogani 
). I was going too far back for the longest time.
Yogani said “The journey from stage 1 to stage 2 kechari (going behind the soft palate) is actually a thrust forward with the tongue as soon as it clears the back edge. Not up, but forward. The easiest place to do that from (shortest distance to get behind) is on the left or right side of the edge of the soft palate. The tongue can roll right in from either side, while going up the middle takes more length.
Also, keep in mind that the soft palate is not a rigid boundary. As soon as we are behind it, it folds down and forward like a natural trap door.”
This comment made me change my approach which allowed me to enter into stage 2. Now it makes perfect sense.(Thanks Yogani!)
I would also like to mention to others that the stretching really did help alot.
With Peace,
Paul
That’s really great news, Paul. 
Happy exploring!
Thanks Paul,
After you pointed out that you were going far too back… I changed my approach… re-read Yogani’s suggestion above… that really did help… I have found the nasal passage too…
Cannnot enter it yet… my tongue does not fit into my nasal passage 
… but now I know where it is…
Shanti,
If you have found the nasal passage then you should enter pretty quickly. Last Monday I found it and could barely enter using my finger. By Tuesday, I could hold my tongue in for a couple of seconds. By Friday, I was in completly. Saturday I was able to hold it in stage 2 for about 5 minutes. What a sense of accomplishment!
Keep us posted on your progress.
With Peace,
Paul
Wow you lot! Im gonna try and catch up!
I know most of you in this thread are light years ahead of me with kechari, but anyhow…I have finally worked up the courage to snip - and though I was a bit queasy, I survived it!
It’s amazing how even just a little snip can let you go so much farther.
Also, here are some interesting X-Rayys of the tongue placement before and after kechari
http://www.siddhasiddhanta.com/khechari.html
seen this one?
http://gprime.net/video.php/tongueswallowing