I’ve had the hardest time with the finer snuffs, it always seemed to get into my throat or lungs, and that is just not good. I love the SP snuffs, but when they go too far, it sends me into a sneezing, wheezing fit. Ugh. Some snuffs are so fine, no matter what I did, it would go too far. Today I just tried something new. Snuffing without using lung power. I’m not sure how I’m doing this, maybe with the tongue against the palate somehow, but I managed to snuff while keeping my lungs out of play. Took a nice group of small pinches of my arch sneezing nemesis, Wilsons SP. The snuff stayed right where I want it. This is cool!
It seems a little bit similar to Didgeridoo playing technique. On of the crucious step in learning circular breathing is blocking your throat (access route to lungs) with your tongue. Hell, why didn’t I think about this earlier.
I sympathise with your situation Sprangalang, I often get snuff hitting the throat or making me sneeze when they are really dry and fine, your technique sounds interesting; can you post a bit more detail so I can give it a go? Unfortunately I owned a didgeridoo years ago but abandoned it when I was unable to perfect ‘circular breathing’
I think he just tries to roll his tongue back, so it is as close as it can be to the throat. Or pushing it. That is a better word. There is also an interesting excercise for playing didgeridoo. Here are some links:
I have a bamboo didge and have been able to accomplish circular breathing. Very useful in nasal awareness though the lungs do drive the snort. For a breathless snort I would recommend closing the nostrils with a grimace while creating a little vacuum in the sinuses. When opened the nose will draw automatically. Repeat as necessary.
I think it is being accomplished by creating a vacuum holding the diaphragm still, and moving the tongue and or mouth, so that a slight draw results.
A very shallow sniff will also do it, I think a lot of people with this problem simply sniff to hard. The best comparison I can think of is using an old fashioned pipette in a lab (long glass capillary tube that you use to suck up fluids from a petry dish) You suck just hard enough to get it into the tube, any harder and you would end up…I’m stopping now as I’m getting unpleasant involuntary images…
I’ve tried Jeff’s techique of closing off the throat, and it works a wonder! Thank you very much, sir.
Juxtaposer said it best, once. You have to learn to close your blowhole, just like a whale.
The tongue against the palate technique reminds me of a suggestion I read in a book from a chapter about prolonging the experience of love making. Lol! It worked, but I’m getting old now, so snuffing is now more enjoyable than having conquests. (Cheaper, too, if you look at the prices of dinner and the cinema, or the end of a political career…) I’m not sure exactly what I did to make Scotch so easy to take today. Part of it is being patient, not trying to sniff all of it in one go and just treating it with a bit more respect. It probably boils down to one thing. Practice. If you continue to persevere, you’ll get it right.
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