I’ve been in full kechari for a while — tongue in the nasal pharynx.
What I’ve been finding is that with my tongue in the pharynx, the gets tender after a while, mildly inflamed. This is the ‘fickle pharynx’ thing that Yogani has been talking about. The inflamed-ness seems to come with the pharynx getting dryer.
More or less as I expected, the amount of time my tongue can stay in there has been increasing with practice. That is, my pharynx has been getting used to the tongue with time.
Another interesting thing is that it seems that the pharynx gets used to the tong bit by bit. I made significant advances into the pharynx in a short amount of time using ‘Tooled Talavya’ and found that the new pharynx territory was not yet used to the tongue and became tender more quickly.
At this point, I can reach the ‘secret spot’ but I can’t stay there for long because of this tenderness.
One thing is surprising though – it takes the pharynx much less time to recover from the tenderness than I expected. In the earlier days I thought that after the tenderness sets in, there would be no more tongue in the pharynx for a whole day. However, I found that even 40 minutes later, it can be OK again.
The pharynx, BTW, also seems to have a mind of its own, independent of the tongue – at certain times of the day it would just be randomly more unwilling to take the tongue than others, even if there was no tongue in there in the meantime.
Not everyone’s pharynx, btw, gets tender like that. It seems that Victor never had any of that tenderness.
I discovered something by accident – drinking orange juice seems to salve the tender pharynx for me, significantly. Drinking a little allows me to continue for much longer.
How does drinking orange juice do this, since no juice gets into the pharynx? I don’t know the details of course, but I think it is something reflexive – I think it may be the sourness, the saliva-generating aspect of the orange juice that does the trick (so presumably lemon or grapefruit juice would work nicely). Maybe that saliva generation starts liquids going in the pharynx also, and reverses the tenderness. I don’t know how it works, but one thing I am certain of – it works very well for me.
A little drink salves it for about ten minutes or so. So occasional sipping during kechari is perfect. I slosh it around in the back of my mouth to get the saliva going…
When we think about it, cold/flu/congestion-congestion-relief is often provided with lemon is probably related and no accident! I think salivation probably relieves tenderness in the pharynx in general, regardless of whether kechari is the cause of the tenderness.
-D
Hi David:
Something else that helps is a drop or two of olive oil on the tip of the tongue before going up.
Apologies for not mentioning this much earlier. I have not used it for many years, and forgot about it.
See? I’m not perfect. 
The guru is in you.
When we sneeze, we get a kind of pleasant feeling. Not in comparison to orgasm, w.r.t to intensity but, something like that.
Is that an indication of some other sexual organ present in us somewhere in pharynx?
The reason many people fail in spirituality is that they try but make no attempt - Anonymous
Oh, there’s a lot that can be said about that. 
One could write a great essay on that.
The sneeze is very similar to the orgasm physiologically. It also has a build-up and point-of-no-return.
I’ve heard someone say that people who love sneezing are very sensual. It might be an indicator that they ‘like sex’.
Some of the organs in the nose seem to have a sexual function. It’s believed that these are largely vestigial, that is had more of a function at other times in our evolutionary history than now.
Some people actually sneeze sometimes as a result of sexual excitement. There is actually erectile tissue in the nose. I’ve heard (from a doctor friend of mine) that at stripteases and the like, you can hear a lot of old men sneezing and blowing their noses. This ‘erectile tissue’ though may have a non-sexual function also. (Check the link below.)
There are various speculations about the reasons for this arousal of the nose. One is that at some point in our evolutionary history, the nose actually swelled during sexual arousal, mainly to exhibit sexual arousal. Another is that the nose was so much involved in mate-selection in the past that the nose was given extra blood around sniffing time… or maybe both reasons…
Another ‘reason’ is, hell, why not let the nose orgasm too during sexual orgasm? If all the equipment is there, put there by the sneezing mechanism, it doesn’t cost much to give it a share in the action…
Or maybe it happened for all reasons.
Check out this link:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s198395.htm
So now we have sex organs in the nose as well as under the upper lip. What’s next - the inner ear?
The one in the upper lip I would just call an ‘erogenous zone’. But what is going on in the nose might deserve a bigger label than that.
This stuff about the erogenousness of the inner nose and the existence of the erectile tissue is not at all new in AYP though — it’s covered pretty clearly in Yogani’s writings …
I see a lot of old ppl using some kind of stimulating powders to purposefully sneeze. For them sneezing is a replacement for sex (lost at old age).
I even read in the novel that during kechari john finds a female-organ kind of thing at third eye. May be thats different.
The reason many people fail in spirituality is that they try but make no attempt - Anonymous
Ah, an interesting perspective on ‘snuff’. Thanks!
John? You sure you aren’t thinking of the moment when Devi discovers ‘another clitoris’? If a good down-home very male American boy found that he had a clitoris in his nose, it might take more than enlightenment to get him to admit it.
-David “no clitoris in my nose” aka “The Blade” Obsidian
Yogani,
I’d hate to mythologize you but you may have been right to omit it. Or, at the very least, it didn’t help me at all; it may even have made the mild inflammation worse.
However, if this helps someone, I’d be interested to hear about it…
-D
Hi David:
It (the olive oil) was helpful to me during a period of sensitivity a long time ago. But it’s obviously not for everyone. Better stick with your citrus, and anything else you can come up with that facilitates your practice. Whatever works!
Make sure to report any additional findings here so others will have multiple options to consider.
Over time, a more accommodating biology develops in the pharynx, stimulated by regular kechari practice. It is not only about saliva. It is also lubricaton (often sweet) coming down from the nasal passages. In fact, it is more the latter. So, the need for aids will gradually become less. It did for me anyway. The development corresponds with rising ecstatic conductivity, which is logical from the point of view of the evolving spiritual biology. It becomes a completely natural process, intimately involved with the rise of our inner experience and its steady overflow into our outer life.
In a very real sense, all that I am doing here is an overflow of That. It looks that way from this side of the screen.
The guru is in you.
I would use a little ghee on the tongue instead of olive oil. Ghee is used in Ayurvedic nasal preperations. It is the oil of choice for nasal medicines. Olive oil, since it has a pungeant quality, can certainly irritate. Ghee on the other hand is cooling and soothing. Sesame oil could also be used for this.
yves
Hi David,
How long does this tenderness last? I don’t think I have the same problem as you did… but my pharynx is very dry and I dread going into kechari the first time (both morning and evening)… it hurts and burns and I gag… I have to make 3 or 4 attempts, by then I have enough saliva in my mouth and the tongue stays in place. After that I have absolutely no discomfort. I was just wondering if this is still a problem for you… or with time this will go away… and if you did find a way around it… OJ or anything acidic … is not my drink of choice first thing in the morning…
I tried the ghee Yves… but that did not help much.
Hi Shanti,
I just try to make sure that I have good saliva flow before entering. I have not had any dryness problems whatsoever.
Hope that helps!
With Peace,
Paul
Hi Shweta
Ditto on the saliva.
When I was new to kechari I experienced tenderness/rawness/discomfort.
What I noticed was as I pushed ahead and explored around (I was excited, roving all over) those sensations diminished. The same process occured as I began to explore the tender nasal passages. Now, the only comfort compromise is due to seasonal allergies. Presently I have to use stage one because of rawness and inability to breathe well thru nostrils. Thankfully the season is almost over as I am missing the full experience during pranayama.
Happy tongue-play Alan
Shanti asked:
How long does this tenderness last? <SNIP> I was just wondering if this is still a problem for you… or with time this will go away… and if you did find a way around it… OJ or anything acidic … is not my drink of choice first thing in the morning…
Hi Shanti,
I seem to experience both a short-term tenderness, and a long-term sensitivity, or tendancy towards tenderness. Like the difference between weather and climate. What I mean is that the short-term tenderness can vary by the hours of the day.
In my case the long-term sensitivity is taking time to go away, diminishing steadily over a period of months; meaning the the frequency and severity of the short-term tenderness is diminishing, as my pharynx gets used to the tongue.
The further reaches of the pharynx in my case seem to need to lose the long-term sensitivity in their own time.
The only thing I found that helps is the acidic things. If you are averse to OJ, keep in mind that you don’t need to drink much at all to get your saliva going. Maybe amaroli might help too (can’t remember if you are practicing it).
Did you try the olive oil? It made it worse for me, but obviously it helps other people…
Regards,
-David
Paul said:
“I just try to make sure that I have good saliva flow before entering. I have not had any dryness problems whatsoever”
Thanks Paul . Yes you are right, I think getting a good saliva flow before kechari will help the tongue enter the nasal pharynx easier… then I wont dread it so much… But my nasal pharynx and tongue itself are very dry… and this causes tenderness… but just in the beginning… it seems to get used to it after a few mins.
bALANce Said:Ditto on the saliva"
Thanks Alan… so you are in stage 4 huh? How did you get your tongue up the skinny nasal passage? My tongue is so fat… there is no way I can get it into my nasal passage.
David,
Gosh! you can be confusing at times… 
OK… I think I am talking about the short-term tenderness… Somehow, once I am in and can hold my tongue in for a few mins… I don’t feel any pain or discomfort… so I guess it is the "weather " I am talking about… not the climate… 
“If you are averse to OJ, keep in mind that you don’t need to drink much at all to get your saliva going.”
Did not think that way… OK will try a little OJ in the morning… lets see how that goes… Olive oil will burn I think… but maybe I should give it a try…
You wrote this post almost a year ago… and you still have tenderness… so I guess it wont go away too soon.
You wrote this post almost a year ago… and you still have tenderness…
There’s less tenderness than last year. Fewer events of tenderness. Less weather. Better climate. Got it?
David, do you mind sharing with us the timeline of your kechari practice, say in this 3 years? Where was your tongue when you started, and roughly when you reach stage 2?? I have been snipping for at least 2 months, and quite dramatically sometimes.(usually I tried to reach the inner connective tissues and stopped til I found really painful if I continue) Yet the progress is very slow. Not yet even in stage 2. It seems that my frenum is even more limiting than yours, or may be there’s something wrong…
One more thing, I am now pretty sure that the connective tissues will re-grow, at least in my case. After may be 2 days of snipping, the extension will be less. It’s not due to inflammation, since waiting for a week or 2 do not help.
Sure, I’ll give a timeline soon. I don’t know it off the top of my head – I’ll have to look it up…
Perhaps looking up the timeline is harsh for you, and may be it’s not as helpful as your strategy. How often do (did) you snip/cut/scrape? I’m experience the same thing over and over again: gain a millimeter or two, but lose that in just two days after the wound heal.
Also, after entering into a certain depth the wound hurt a lot if I continue to snip. I mean, if I go futher into the new restricting fibers. The pain is big but tolerable for me, but I don’t want to take any risk.
Anyone experienced the same thing?