The amount of air you let in and out is directly influenced by the emotional defenses you develop throughout your life, particularly in the early years.
Because of that, the best way to deepen your breathing is by reconnecting with your body and emotions. In this post, I share an exercise to help you breathe deeper, reduce anxiety, and relieve stress.
This is the third in a series of posts to help you develop natural and healthy breathing. Subscribe to the ‘Post Notification List’ to receive notifications of upcoming posts.
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Resources
Before we dive into the content, I would like to mention some resources to help you open your singing voice.
To learn exercises and practical tools to facilitate the opening of your singing voice in cases of trauma and emotional blocks, consider enrolling in my online course.
Here is a free guide to help organize your singing practice in case of trauma symptoms.
That’s my list of books to help open your voice.
Visit this page to have an overview of my work on singing and trauma.
Practice 3: Deep Breathing
Goal: help you breathe deeper, increasing the amount of air you let out and in, effortlessly.
You will begin this exercise in the same position as the previous exercise on abdominal breathing. If you haven’t read the post yet, click here.
✤ Lie down on a mat, bend your knees, and bring your hands to your hips. After a few breaths, produce the sound of the vowel “a” (ahhh) at medium to high volume, sustaining the vowel until the end of the air, but without forcing it.
✤ Now inhale and continue taking a few normal breaths, then repeat the exhalation with the vowel sound again.
You will repeat this exercise four to five times, and each time, see if you can maintain the vocalization longer.
♛ The tip is not to force the sound or the breath because it will create more tension in the body. The lying position with bent legs facilitates the release of air, free of tension. In this position, it’s easy to see how much air you can let out of your lungs during exhalation.
Exhalation is an essential phase of the breathing process, as it is what allows your inhalation to be deeper.
Breathing Patterns and Emotional Defenses
As mentioned before, there is a correspondence between limited breathing and emotional defenses. The capacity of deep exhalation is related to the ability to let go, and deep inhalation is related to the capacity of receiving or letting in. Additionally, vocalizing is related to regaining your right to self-expression.
Doing the exercise with these intentions will help you reconnect with your body and emotional world, as they are closely related, and improve your singing voice from the inside out.
If you would like to enjoy the content in video format, go to YouTube:
Hope you found this content useful – tell me about your experience with this practice in the comments below!
Take care! ❤️
Disclaimer: You are responsible for recognizing your aptitude and limitations when engaging in physical activity, as well as seeking individualized professional advice if necessary. Be aware!
Credits for the images in this post: 1. [featured image] “self-awareness” by John Hain (johnhain) from Pixabay; 2. Carla lying on a mat with hands on her hips: personal archive; 3. “Breathing patterns and emotional defenses” by John Hain (johnhain) from Pixabay.
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