Restricted breathing can be a symptom of chronic muscle tensions in response to emotional conflicts throughout the person’s development. This has an impact on the voice. The process of increasing breathing capacity is an opening to life. In this post, you will learn an exercise to expand your breathing capacity and understand the connection between deep breathing and inner balance.
This is the fifth and the last in a series of posts to help you develop natural and healthy breathing, connecting with the wisdom of your body. I invite you to read the previous posts.
Psychosomatic Factors for Restricted Breathing
Holding the breath and contracting the throat is a strategy used in stressful situations to stifle sensations and feelings. However, when they become chronic, they limit the person’s ability to fully enjoy life.
In psychosomatic terms, difficulty inhaling deeply is linked to issues in receiving and actively reaching out to the world. On the other hand, difficulty in exhaling relates to giving, letting go, and trusting that you will have enough. Additionally, tension in the abdominal muscles is related to difficulty in accessing your deepest feelings.
The Opening Process
Expanding your breathing is a process of opening to life. It involves pausing, listening to your body, and allowing the emotions through breathing, instead of contracting. Observe, and accept your feelings.
An example of how letting emotions flow releases tension from the body and promotes deeper breathing is crying. Crying is a natural way to release tension.
The next exercise is a wonderful tool to spend time with yourself, release tensions, and increase your capacity to let the gentle flow of life in and out.
Practice 5: Increase Your Breathing Capacity
Goal: expand breathing capacity and find your inner balance
✤ Stand with your legs slightly semi-flexed and feel your feet on the ground. Your arms can stay along the body. Now start breathing deeply. Inhale… Exhale…
✤ After a few breaths, breathe in and then produce a very long vowel sound, an ‘oh’ or ‘ah’ until you empty your lungs. Before breathing in again, keep your lungs “empty” for a few seconds, then take a few deep breaths. Repeat this long exhalation producing a vowel alternating with normal breaths three times.
✤ Then, breathing calmly, curve the upper body forward with the semi-flexed knees and leave your hands and arms in front of you very loosely. Tilt as much as you can. If possible, touch the floor with your fingertips. Continue breathing in this position until you feel completely relaxed.
✤ Now slowly return to the standing position and feel how your breathing becomes wider and you now achieve greater respiratory expansion.
You can practice every day, and I recommend doing this exercise before your vocal warm-up when you practice singing.
You will notice that it helps the breathing quickly return to a deep, natural flow. Vocalizing is an excellent way to release tension in the throat that inhibits breathing, and leaning forward with your arms hanging loosely helps your entire body relax. This exercise is also a good stretch and increases body awareness.
I hope you found this content useful – tell me about your experience with this practice in the comments below!
If you would like to enjoy the content in video format, go to YouTube:
Take care! ❤️
Disclaimer: You are responsible for recognizing your aptitude and limitations when engaging in physical activity and for seeking individualized professional advice if necessary. Be aware!
Credits for the images in this post: 1. [featured image] man with open arms by Jonh Hain from Pixabay; 2. man silhouette and feelings/thoughts names by Jonh Hain from Pixabay; 3. seated person silhouette with names by Jonh Hain from Pixabay; 4. two images of Carla doing the exercise: personal archive.
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