Your Voice is an Extension of Your Breath
In this episode, we delve into the profound connection between breath and vocal expression, emphasizing that breath serves as the foundational element of vocal freedom. I am excited to announce the commencement of my new music and wellness class, Vocal Alchemy, which will take place every Tuesday in Sherman Oaks. This month’s theme, "Awaken Your Expression," will explore how singing can enhance one's life and facilitate emotional healing. Our discussion today will focus on the significance of breath work, illustrating how mastering our breath can alleviate stress and enhance our ability to communicate authentically. Through personal anecdotes and practical exercises, we aim to equip you with the tools necessary to cultivate a deeper understanding of your voice and breath, thus fostering a more expressive and joyful existence.
Takeaways:
- The upcoming Vocal Alchemy class aims to enhance vocal skills and overall wellness through various techniques, including singing exercises and meditation.
- Breath work serves as a fundamental element in singing, facilitating vocal freedom and expression, which is essential for effective communication.
- The Hawaiian concept of 'Aloha' encapsulates the significance of breath, representing a connection between individuals and a shared life force.
- Understanding the interplay between breath, emotion, and voice is crucial for overcoming anxiety and promoting self-expression in both singing and everyday interactions.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Foreign welcome to Music is my mantra podcast.
Speaker A:Welcome back.
Speaker A:It's March and that means that I've got an entire new series just for you guys.
Speaker A:This month I'm going to start teaching a music and wellness class called Vocal Alchemy in Sherman Oaks at a beautiful new space called Pure Heart Collective.
Speaker A:If you're in the Los Angeles area, this class will be every Tuesday from 6pm to 7pm we'll be working on the voice, working on our mindset, some limiting beliefs.
Speaker A:I'm going to lead the class through different exercises of singing as well as guided meditation and hypnosis therapy to just bring about more joy and more regulation of the nervous system throughout your life.
Speaker A:It's going to be really fun.
Speaker A:I can't wait to have this community experience all of the different types of medicine that I've learned that's really helped me on this journey.
Speaker A:The theme for March is awaken your expression.
Speaker A:We're going to go into all these little micro lessons of singing and how singing can help to improve your life.
Speaker A:This will really be tied into some of the work that we'll be doing at the Vocal Alchemy class every Tuesday at Pure Heart Collective.
Speaker A:Some of the topics I'll cover this month are releasing stuck emotions using sound, overcoming the fear of being seen and heard, which is huge, how to find your very own authentic voice, and the healing power of intention.
Speaker A:But today I'm going to be focusing on the breath.
Speaker A:Your voice is an extension of your breath.
Speaker A:You might not know this, but breath work is actually the key, one of the number one foundations to singing.
Speaker A:Have you ever noticed that when you're nervous your voice starts to sound shaky?
Speaker A:Or maybe you've been in a situation where you feel very comfortable and confident and your voice is grounded and present and loud and clear?
Speaker A:Your voice is not just sound, it's breath in motion.
Speaker A:Today we'll be exploring how the breath is the foundation of of vocal freedom.
Speaker A:I'm excited to share a few other fun perspectives as we go through the episode.
Speaker A:To start off, I'll share a little bit of a personal story.
Speaker A:You might see me speaking through YouTube here on the podcast or in my reels in real life or on social media and think that I'm a very confident person.
Speaker A:Maybe you've been to my shows and we've had a lot of fun together, but in reality I've had to build the this confidence over time.
Speaker A:When I was younger, I would spend all my time outside of school and sports either singing or talking to my friends about boys.
Speaker A:I'M looking back at old photos.
Speaker A:You know, there's a lot of things that point to me not being very confident.
Speaker A:One of them is posture.
Speaker A:You know, like hiding like this, thinking that I was, I don't know, cute still.
Speaker A:But I don't.
Speaker A:I don't think that's very cute.
Speaker A:Today I would watch rom coms with my girlfriends.
Speaker A:I would talk about boys all the time to my friends.
Speaker A:And then when I actually had the opportunity to walk home with one of them or sit on the bus next to one of them, I would totally freeze.
Speaker A:I would lose all sense of myself, all my words.
Speaker A:I didn't know what to say.
Speaker A:I was so afraid to speak up.
Speaker A:I thought that I would be judged or say something stupid.
Speaker A:So I said nothing at all.
Speaker A:I guarantee you this is partially because of the way that I grew up with my dad, not really always being there for me.
Speaker A:So I felt very uncomfortable around people that I thought would give me attention.
Speaker A:I wanted the attention, but I had no idea how to handle it.
Speaker A:I digress.
Speaker A:Aside from growing up in that situation and having these learned behaviors, I came to the conclusion and realization that I was holding my breath.
Speaker A:This, obviously it didn't help with getting any kind of communication out because I was so caught up inside over the years.
Speaker A:Learning to practice music, learning to be in my body, learning how to do breath work, really practicing deep breathing.
Speaker A:I started to find my voice and really was became more comfortable with experience speaking to people.
Speaker A:And now I can speak to anybody.
Speaker A:If you're watching this and you're thinking, why are you sharing this story about being a teenager and being boy crazy?
Speaker A:Like maybe you can relate to that, maybe not.
Speaker A:I think it's just a very simple, relatable story.
Speaker A:Because when we're nervous around people or we're excited or a combination of both, because nerves and excitement come from the same place, we tend to hold our breath.
Speaker A:The more that we can relax into our body and breathe, the easier it will be for words or any kind of self expression to come through.
Speaker A:This is the same thing with singing.
Speaker A:Growing up back even further into my childhood, I had the privilege of going and living in Hawaii for a little bit.
Speaker A:My dad moved out there.
Speaker A:I had my aunts, my grandpa, they all lived on Oahu, between Arizona and Hawaii.
Speaker A:I got a decent education of native practices, let's say.
Speaker A:So for example, in Arizona we would learn about the different Native Americans, their art and history and the way that they lived.
Speaker A:In Hawaii, I got to take hula dancing lessons, learn some of the language.
Speaker A:I just Think that that's a really unique experience because not everybody gets to learn about indigenous people.
Speaker A:Their culture is so rich and it's really based on a level of understanding.
Speaker A:They, they really consider the spirituality of life when it comes to their understanding of the world.
Speaker A:I'm sharing all of this because I think there's a really beautiful perspective about breath in the Hawaiian culture.
Speaker A:This is a word that you've probably even said before.
Speaker A:Aloha.
Speaker A:Aloha is hello and goodbye.
Speaker A:I love you.
Speaker A:And it can have many different interpretations.
Speaker A:But what you might have not known is that the ha of aloha is actually the term for breath.
Speaker A:It is the life force, the sacred energy that connects us to spirit and each other.
Speaker A:So aloha doesn't just mean hello or goodbye.
Speaker A:It means the presence of, of breath and sharing that breath with one another.
Speaker A:In Hawaiian culture, to breathe together is to be in harmony with each other.
Speaker A:I remember multiple times when I was out there as a kid and as a teenager, people would just break out into song.
Speaker A:Everybody seemed to know how to play the ukulele or the guitar or the drums or just know how to sing.
Speaker A:And I just felt so at home in that space because, I mean, now looking back, it can tell you a thousand reasons why.
Speaker A:At the time I just thought, wow, this is really cool.
Speaker A:Like, these people are just so connected.
Speaker A:And that's part of it, right?
Speaker A:Is because when we sing together, we're harmonizing our nervous systems together and so we're co regulating with each other.
Speaker A:We can feel safe in the fact that we are taken care of in this group and in this community.
Speaker A:If you've ever had the privilege of spending time with native Hawaiians, they are just the most joyful, loyal people.
Speaker A:And I, I really believe it's partially because it's just built into their language.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm just scratching the surface of how awesome I think that their culture and their stories are.
Speaker A:But I also don't even feel like I, I can do the whole thing justice because I'm, I'm not Hawaiian.
Speaker A:Breath is something that we just take for granted so often in today's world where we're rushing.
Speaker A:Everything about today's culture tells us that we need to be on top of our game.
Speaker A:Rushing, working hard, being intense.
Speaker A:Sometimes when you get stressed, if you're just constantly on this grind and working for the culture of the world, instead of tapping into the spiritual side, which allows for that rest and for our nervous systems to come together and to harmonize, to share the aloha, then we're not living a fully present and embodied life.
Speaker A:This comes back to singing because our breath is the foundation of the voice.
Speaker A:Right now, I'm using my diaphragm to create sound to make words with vowel shapes.
Speaker A:And that's the same thing with singing.
Speaker A:It's all about controlling our breath.
Speaker A:Now, your voice carries your breath out into the world.
Speaker A:And when you hold back your breath, you hold back your expression.
Speaker A:When you relax and you breathe deeply and fully, your voice naturally flows.
Speaker A:Here's a fun little pause before I go into the rest of the episode.
Speaker A:I want you to take a deep breath in and we'll say aloha.
Speaker A:Aloha.
Speaker A:See if you can embody the meaning of that word.
Speaker A:The breath of life.
Speaker A:We're also just sighing.
Speaker A:Sighing is a really good way to regulate the nervous system because it taps into our vagus nerve.
Speaker A:When we're making a sound with our vocal cords and using our breath, it's a sign to relax.
Speaker A:Here's a few reasons why the breath is the foundation for your voice.
Speaker A:If you are singing and you don't have enough air or support in your diaphragm, then your voice can sound thin, it could sound weak, or even shaky.
Speaker A:And if you take a nice, deep, full present breath, then it'll sound round, big, bold, powerful and steady.
Speaker A:I am generalizing right there's.
Speaker A:Your voice is a muscle, so you do have to exercise it as such to be able to fully express in a way that you might want to.
Speaker A:But in general, the breath is the foundation for everything.
Speaker A:Now when we're stressed, we tend to hold our breath.
Speaker A:We tend to not breathe because we are physically, literally trying to protect ourselves.
Speaker A:It's like shrinking to not be seen or the fear cripples us.
Speaker A:This could be from fear, it could be from any kind of anxiety or just day to day stress.
Speaker A:Have you ever been at your computer and like, you know, working on a deadline and then you realize you're not breathing?
Speaker A:Because I've done that so many times.
Speaker A:The more aware of our breath we can become, the easier it is for our body to become unstressed and to be able to get back into that relaxed state whenever we want to or need to.
Speaker A:Because some stress is good, you know, some stress helps us to get things done.
Speaker A:If we drink a lot of caffeine, we're actually making our body a little bit stressed so that we can have that adrenaline rush.
Speaker A:It can propel us to be more focused or be more awake feeling.
Speaker A:If you have done a lot of work around your nervous system.
Speaker A:You might already be able to sort of sit back and relax and take breaks throughout the day to come back to your breath.
Speaker A:But again, the culture of the world doesn't really allow for that.
Speaker A:My story is more so like, give me six cups of coffee, let me sit there all day non stop, no breaks, and knock it out.
Speaker A:And that's doable for a little bit of time.
Speaker A:But very early on, I started getting burnt out.
Speaker A:One way of preventing burnout is just coming back to your breath, allowing yourself to have breaks throughout the day to take a 10 minute walk around the office or outside on the street or in your neighborhood.
Speaker A:If you work from home, when you are walking, your body starts to get into a natural rhythm and your breath follows.
Speaker A:And that's why they say that, you know, you should go on a walking meditation because it's very easy for your body to naturally fall into this regulated breath while you're walking.
Speaker A:And this is similar to singing.
Speaker A:If you're listening to a rhythm or a beat, you can feel that rhythm and you can start to regulate to that beat.
Speaker A:You can count in, you can count out, you can start breathing in and exhaling.
Speaker A:When you're trying to sing along to a song, you oftentimes will start exhaling slowly because when you're singing, it is a slow exhale of releasing the air.
Speaker A:If you don't know how to control that air, you might run out of breath quickly.
Speaker A:Maybe you need to learn where to place breath moments within the song.
Speaker A:But just getting into the rhythm will already start to make your body calm down because you're regulating with the rhythm of the song.
Speaker A:Let's take a little breathing moment.
Speaker A:While we're talking about breath, if you are standing up or sitting down, see if you can put your feet flat on the ground.
Speaker A:We're just going to do a quick little breath called box breathing.
Speaker A:Now, I've done this in other episodes, so if you've already heard this, this will be a refresher for you.
Speaker A:Box breathing goes like this.
Speaker A:Inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four.
Speaker A:And if you want to set a little timer, you can do that.
Speaker A:Now in class, I'm going to teach a lot of different exercises for singing, but just to become familiar with your diaphragm and remembering your breath.
Speaker A:This is a really, really great way to start breath work.
Speaker A:If you've never done this before, and if you have done this before, let's do it again.
Speaker A:We'll just do a short version here.
Speaker A:I'm going to clap it out.
Speaker A:Ready inhale, 2, 3, 4.
Speaker B:Hold, 2, 3, 4.
Speaker B:Exhale, 2, 3, 4 dot Hold, 2, 3, 4 dot Inhale, 2, 3,4.
Speaker B:Hold, 2, 3,4.
Speaker B:Exhale, 2, three, four.
Speaker B:Hold, 2, 3, four.
Speaker B:Inhale, 2, 3rd, 4.
Speaker B:Hold, 2, three, four.
Speaker B:Exhale, two, three, four.
Speaker B:Hold, two, three, four.
Speaker A:Relax.
Speaker A:Shake it out.
Speaker A:Shake it out.
Speaker A:Hi.
Speaker A:That was just a little taste of breathing.
Speaker A:If you're anything like me, if you want to improve, you want to do your best, you want to show people that you're working hard and you care about being successful, you forget to breathe sometimes.
Speaker A:This is a good place to start.
Speaker A:If you have one of those little apps on your watch or your phone to set an alarm to remind you to take a deep breath, I highly recommend you do that.
Speaker A:Because there's so many times throughout the day where we don't even realize we're holding our breath or we're breathing really shallow because we're nervous or anxious.
Speaker A:If we can control our breath throughout the day, we have a much better, higher capacity to regulate our nervous system and to react when emotions come in that we might start to feel something.
Speaker A:And so to bring it back to seeing, this is the same thing for singing or speaking.
Speaker A:If you don't have good control over your breath or you're trying to control it too much, then you're actually going to strain your throat.
Speaker A:If you don't have enough control, then it might sound airy, it might sound thin, and then too much control.
Speaker A:It can sound forced, it could sound scratchy even.
Speaker A:There's a balance between having that control and letting your voice ring out in a free flow.
Speaker A:And it's all starts with the breath.
Speaker A:When you can find that balance between breath, control and freedom, depending on the emotion that I'm holding, the voice will portray that.
Speaker A:So let's use a simple phrase.
Speaker A:I'm going to take the trash out.
Speaker A:If I'm angry, it might sound something like this.
Speaker A:I'm going to take the trash out.
Speaker A:If I'm super excited and happy, it'll sound totally different, right?
Speaker A:I'm going to take the trash out.
Speaker A:Learning to control your breath means learning to control your nervous system.
Speaker A:Because your emotions are deeply intertwined with your nervous system.
Speaker A:And when you start to feel a certain way, your nervous system will react and your body will respond.
Speaker A:If you're really nervous starting to sing or being seen while you're singing or being heard, then your nervous system is going to change your body.
Speaker A:You might start, you know, hunching over or trying to hide or your gut gets really tight and then you don't have that capacity to relax and open up.
Speaker A:And now if you could control that, you might feel that nervousness or excitement, but you can easily shift it and move through it and start singing without any nerves coming through your voice.
Speaker A:Now, a fun fact that you may or may not know is that excitement and nervousness comes from the same place in the body.
Speaker A:The subtle difference is that nervousness is more associated to fear, whereas excitement you might think of as being a joyful state.
Speaker A:Whenever I would go on stage and still when I think about if I start feeling butterflies or getting a little, like, sweaty or tingly or something like that, I immediately think, wow, I'm so excited.
Speaker A:And I just let that joy come over me.
Speaker A:And it's much easier for me to relax into joy than it is to relax into fear.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:If you ever start thinking, I'm so nervous, just change the words, I'm so excited.
Speaker A:It's easier to control excitement than fear because the stimulant to both is different.
Speaker A:If we're fearful of something, then it could put our mind into a spiral to make things worse.
Speaker A:If we're excited, we're anticipating something to happen, we might be a little bit afraid also.
Speaker A:And like I said, it is the same part of our nervous system that's responding.
Speaker A:If we're excited and we are looking forward to something, then it's more expansive than the retreating that fear and mind spiraling can bring you.
Speaker A:Earlier I mentioned the vagus nerve.
Speaker A:The vagus nerve is one of the longest nerves in your body.
Speaker A:It's directly connected to your nervous system.
Speaker A:It runs through here.
Speaker A:And anytime that you're humming or singing or speaking, your vagus nerve is being affected.
Speaker A:So one thing you can do is, when we were practicing exhaling earlier, is put your hand on your chest and exhale with sound.
Speaker A:So the vibrations of that sound and the exhale trigger the vagus nerve to relax, and humming will stimulate the vagus nerve.
Speaker A:Stimulating the vagus nerve sends signals of safety to the brain.
Speaker A:And the more safe that you feel, the more free you will feel to express yourself after listening to this episode.
Speaker A:If you haven't mastered box breathing, an even easier way to stimulate the vagus nerve and get yourself into a state of relaxation is by singing or even more simply, humming.
Speaker A:Hum.
Speaker A:When you hum, take a moment to feel where those vibrations are in your body.
Speaker A:Most likely it's going to be in your chest, in your throat, unless you're singing way up here, and then you might be able to feel some vibrations in your head.
Speaker A:Voice, but most of us talk in our chest force.
Speaker A:If you're not sure what that means, stay tuned because I will be teaching way more singing tips and tricks over the next month.
Speaker A:It's going to be really fun.
Speaker A:So let's try humming one more time.
Speaker A:We're going to feel the vibrations as we exhale with a sound one more time.
Speaker A:Next time you're feeling stressed, try this.
Speaker A:And remember, when we regulate our breath, we can calm our nervous system.
Speaker A:When we calm our nervous system and feel safe in our body, we can freely express ourselves.
Speaker A:When we're holding on too tightly to control out of fear or anxiousness, anxiety, then everything collapses and we have no more space to expand.
Speaker A:Can you think of a time when you were trying really hard to control something?
Speaker A:Think of how stressful that situation was.
Speaker A:Think of all of the different emotions that it brought on.
Speaker A:Maybe all of the stories that were triggered in your head that may or may not have been real.
Speaker A:Now imagine if you were to take a step back and breathe into it and relax and surrender and hum it out.
Speaker A:If you were able to let go and use your breath to flow into the situation, how much different might that have gone?
Speaker A:So I'm going to give you a little challenge for the week ahead.
Speaker A:Before the next episode comes out, I want you to try one once a day to remember to use this technique.
Speaker A:You can either do box breathing or try humming out loud.
Speaker A:And you don't even necessarily have to be in a stressful situation to remember this.
Speaker A:In fact, you probably won't remember this when you're stressed until you do it a few times to then be able to recall it and bring it up to use as a tool.
Speaker A:So just try this when you remember it at least once a day.
Speaker A:Maybe make a note in your phone, maybe put a note in your calendar.
Speaker A:Deep breaths, Humming.
Speaker A:Sigh.
Speaker A:Relief.
Speaker A:You can either sigh it out with your voice, you can hum it out, but as you release sound, feel for the vibrations and repeat this three times with deep belly breaths with your feet on the floor and then see if you feel a shift.
Speaker A:I can't wait to hear from you and see you in my DMs.
Speaker A:Next week I'll be talking about releasing stuff emotions through sound.
Speaker A:If you want to learn more about the voice in singing and how you can use your voice to transform your life, check out my new class every Tuesday at 6pm at Pure Heart Collective in Sherman Oaks.
Speaker A:Or DM Me.
Speaker A:Maybe we can do something online.
Speaker A:Until then, thanks for listening.
Speaker A:Please subscribe, like and share and I will see you next week.
Speaker A:Stay healthy, wealthy and wise.
