As a singing teacher who incorporates somatic techniques, meditation, and relaxation practices, I believe that the art of singing is a deeply personal and embodied experience. Singing isn’t just about producing sound; it’s about connecting with your body, your breath, and the space around you. To unlock your true vocal potential, we must step away from the thinking mind and fully inhabit the body.
The Breath: The Foundation of Singing
Breath is the cornerstone of a healthy, expressive voice. Yet, when anxiety or tension creeps in, our breathing becomes shallow and restricted, leading to poor tone, vocal strain, and even injury. Many singers are taught to “breathe from the diaphragm,” but I encourage my students to take it a step further by engaging the pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles.
Pelvic floor breathing involves accessing the foundation of your breath, starting deep within the body. By visualizing the pelvic floor—a hammock of muscles at the base of the torso—you can cultivate a grounded and expansive breath. This technique ensures that you’re not just inflating the belly, but engaging the entire core in a balanced, supportive way.
The transverse abdominal muscles, which wrap around the sides of your torso like a corset, play a crucial role in breath control. By lightly engaging these muscles, singers can stabilize the breath without gripping or pushing, creating a smooth, sustained flow of air that supports healthy phonation. This gentle engagement also helps free the diaphragm to move more naturally, preventing strain and allowing for greater vocal flexibility.
Relaxing the Body to Liberate the Voice
Singing is a full-body experience. When we focus solely on the mechanics of the voice or get caught up in mental self-criticism, we lose touch with the physical sensations that make singing feel effortless and joyful. To counter this, I incorporate somatic awareness and relaxation techniques into my teaching.
Through practices like progressive muscle relaxation, mindful movement, and body scanning, we can release physical tension and bring attention to the present moment. These techniques help singers tune into their body’s signals, fostering a sense of ease and trust. When the body is relaxed, the voice can flow freely, unencumbered by the tightness that often builds in the throat, shoulders, and jaw.
The Peripersonal Space: Singing Beyond the Body
One of the most transformative concepts I share with my students is the cultivation of peripersonal space—the invisible field that surrounds and interacts with the body. This space is not only a physical extension of ourselves but also a psychological and energetic one.
When we sing, we don’t just project sound; we send vibrations into the space around us. By becoming aware of and expanding our peripersonal space, we shift the focus away from the throat and into a more holistic, outward-reaching experience. This external focus alleviates tension, supports vocal resonance, and creates a feeling of connection with the audience or environment.
How to Cultivate Peripersonal Space:
• Visualization: Imagine your voice as a light or ripple spreading outward from your body. Feel the sound filling the room, as if you’re painting the air with your voice.
• Movement: Use gentle arm gestures to “trace” the space around you. This physical engagement helps you sense and expand your spatial awareness.
• Grounding: Anchor your awareness in your feet and pelvic floor, allowing your breath to radiate upward and outward without losing connection to the ground.
Singing From the Body, Not the Mind
Singing is an intuitive, embodied art. Overthinking can interfere with the natural processes that allow us to sing freely and authentically. By grounding ourselves in the breath, releasing tension, and expanding our awareness of the space around us, we can quiet the thinking brain and let the body lead the way.
This holistic approach not only fosters vocal health but also cultivates a sense of joy, freedom, and connection in your singing practice. Remember, your breath is your anchor, your body is your instrument, and your voice is a unique expression of who you are. By embracing these principles, you can unlock a singing practice that is not only technically sound but also deeply liberating and profoundly personal.
