Closing your lips involves bringing the top and bottom lips together, primarily using the muscles surrounding your mouth. Here’s a breakdown of how to do it effectively, based on the provided reference material and common understanding:
Understanding Lip Movement
According to the video reference, the way your lips open and close is crucial, and they are "front biased," meaning that the middle parts of your upper and lower lips are the most important areas for closure.
Steps to Close Your Lips
- Relax Your Face: Ensure your facial muscles are relaxed to allow for a natural lip closure. Avoid tension in your jaw or surrounding muscles.
- Focus on the Center: As the video suggests, concentrate on the middle of both your upper and lower lips. This is where the contact will happen initially.
- Bring Lips Together: Gently bring your top and bottom lips together until they make contact. Aim for a light, comfortable closure, not a forceful press.
- Maintain a Seal: Once closed, maintain a gentle seal without excessive muscle tension.
Additional Tips
- Practice in front of a mirror: This helps you visualize the movement and adjust as needed.
- Pay attention to your resting lip position: Observe how your lips naturally rest when your face is relaxed to maintain this awareness during closure.
- Be mindful of your breathing: It should be easy to breathe through your nose with closed lips.
- Address any tension: If you find yourself consistently tightening your lips, take moments to practice relaxing your facial muscles to reduce tension.
- Speech and Sound: When forming certain sounds like /p/, /b/, and /m/, a full lip closure is required. Be aware of this lip closure while speaking.
By following these steps and paying attention to the way your lips work, you can achieve a natural, comfortable lip closure.
