.png)
As a singer, there are a few things we require in order to perform to our optimal potential:
Strong core and pelvic floor muscles
Good posture
Breath awareness
Strength in our lower body
Freedom in out upper body
It's useful to regularly check in with yourself on these points. I'm going to share with you two of my favourite ways to reconect and sync back with myself - Yoga and meditation...
What Is Yoga?
Most people believe it's about being as flexible as possible and mastering circus-like moves but it is in fact soley about connecting with your body, mind and breath; where physical achievements is an additional bonus to your practises. How far you push yourself is down to you, although, I reccomend focusing on being present and enjoying something new rather than adding more pressure on yourself of another goal to 'master downward-facing dog'.
The breath is crucial when it comes to sinigng, and before learning about all the technicalities and how to control it for different sounds we need to at first - and the very least - build up our connection to it and the support the lungs have. Where does the support come from? The body! And yoga can bring your attention to both in a gentle and progressive way.
Poses To Try:
Cat/Cow
Childs Pose
Elbow Hold (Standing Forward Fold)
Lion Pose
Upward Facing Dog
Learning to engage our muscles is just as important and learning to relax them. In other words, being able to switch certain ones on and off is a very beneficial skill to have. Meditaiton is a great way to improve the control you have in your mind to dissengage areas of the body.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is the practise of using techniques like mindfullness and focus in order to train attention and bring awareness to the present moment, achieve mental clarity and restore your emotions to a calm and balanced state. By noticing your breath and sensations in your body you help to eliminate cloud of thoughts to see everything more clearly and reduce stress which can result in better physical and emotional wellbeing.
How To Meditate:
You can use guided meditations (these aren't just for beginners) found on various platforms to help you and walk you through step and step. How long to practise is up to you - five, ten or twenty minutes is better than nothing and you will see the benefits. I highly recommend Insight Timer because not only is it free, but it allows you to easily track your sessions, thoughts, feelings and results!
The Benefits:
To summerise, both of these types of practise can help reduce anxiety (or offer management of performance anxiety) and also promote mindfullness. Singers can use these tools to improve their performance abilities and adapt the use on them in their lives. They can aid vocal range, breath capacity and stamina; offering a way to balance the body and mind. Above all they can help reduce stress which is one of the biggest factors causing us to fall out of tune with ourselves, but less stress can assist in freeing your voice!
Comments