Super weird question... How do you gargle?

Last question about me being sick, I swear.

So I have this uber mouthwash with lidocaine that I’m supposed to gargle with. It effectively numbs the back of my mouth, but it doesn’t do much for my throat. That makes me think I’m not gargling right. Am I actually supposed to let the stuff go down further? When I tried, it set off my gag reflex or I thought I was going to swallow it, which I’m not supposed to do.

Am I not gargling correctly?