Diaphragmatic breathing draws in oxygen with little effort. Adequate oxygen is of course what all your cells (including those in your brain) need for optimum function.
When re-learning diaphragmatic breathing the following position is helpful:
How do you feel now? If you’re more relaxed you’ve demonstrated a powerful principle: how you breathe affects how you feel.
When the body is relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing is natural. But it works the other way too: you can relax yourself by diaphragmatic breathing. The breath is the link between body and mind. If you’re feeling nervous (when you’re just about to perform, for example) or in a situation you find challenging, a switch to the diaphragmatic breath can relax you significantly and give your confidence a valuable boost.
Rapid shallow breathing into the top of the chest works the opposite way. It’s associated with the stress-response (or fight-or-flight) syndrome. And just as stress will make you breathe like this, so chest breathing will tend to make you feel stressed, nervous, or anxious.
The stress-response syndrome is useful in times of danger, but many people are permanently in this state because of their stressful lives. Rapid, shallow breathing can become ‘normal’ unless you break the habit.
When you have the opportunity, become aware of how you are breathing and consciously switch to the diaphragmatic breath if necessary. Help the process by focusing on the rise and fall of your abdomen (you could place a hand there as a reminder). Make sure your shoulders stay down and don’t rise and fall with your breath.
Also, just mindfully being aware of and ‘watching’ your breath will gradually make it slower and deeper without any conscious intervention.
With awareness your body will gradually start switching back to its natural state of diaphragmatic breathing. This will help not only your voice production but your physical health and the way you feel.
Diaphragmatic breathing draws in oxygen with little effort. Adequate oxygen is of course what all your cells (including those in your brain) need for optimum function.
When re-learning diaphragmatic breathing the following position is helpful:
How do you feel now? If you’re more relaxed you’ve demonstrated a powerful principle: how you breathe affects how you feel.
When the body is relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing is natural. But it works the other way too: you can relax yourself by diaphragmatic breathing. The breath is the link between body and mind. If you’re feeling nervous (when you’re just about to perform, for example) or in a situation you find challenging, a switch to the diaphragmatic breath can relax you significantly and give your confidence a valuable boost.
Rapid shallow breathing into the top of the chest works the opposite way. It’s associated with the stress-response (or fight-or-flight) syndrome. And just as stress will make you breathe like this, so chest breathing will tend to make you feel stressed, nervous, or anxious.
The stress-response syndrome is useful in times of danger, but many people are permanently in this state because of their stressful lives. Rapid, shallow breathing can become ‘normal’ unless you break the habit.
When you have the opportunity, become aware of how you are breathing and consciously switch to the diaphragmatic breath if necessary. Help the process by focusing on the rise and fall of your abdomen (you could place a hand there as a reminder). Make sure your shoulders stay down and don’t rise and fall with your breath.
Also, just mindfully being aware of and ‘watching’ your breath will gradually make it slower and deeper without any conscious intervention.
With awareness your body will gradually start switching back to its natural state of diaphragmatic breathing. This will help not only your voice production but your physical health and the way you feel.
