[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Have you ever noticed how a little kid breathes? They\u2019re amazing, unencumbered little breathers. They breathe with their whole bodies; even their legs seem to move!<\/p>\n
As those children grow up, stand up and start spending their lives wearing tight clothing, working on computers and driving cars, their breathing becomes more and more restricted, and they lose that beautiful and natural \u2018whole body\u2019 breathing they once had.<\/p>\n
You might wonder what on earth a child\u2019s breathing has to do with speaking and the voice. Well, in fact,\u00a0breath is the voice<\/em>, and I\u2019d like to teach you how to improve your voice by learning to breathe fully and deeply from your diaphragm so that, in a sense, you\u2019re speaking from your diaphragm.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Have you ever been told to \u2018use your diaphragm\u2019 when you speak? Or perhaps to speak \u2018from your stomach\u2019?<\/p>\n What people mean when they say these things is that they want you to breathe low and deeply, as if into your belly, and use that breath to speak.<\/p>\n Of course, you can\u2019t actually breathe into your belly. You can only breathe into your lungs, and what enables you to do that is your\u00a0diaphragm<\/em>.<\/p>\n The diaphragm is a muscle attached to the bottom of your rib cage; it looks a bit like a silky parachute, and it divides your body in two. It\u2019s attached to your rib cage all the way around.<\/p>\n When you breathe in, your ribs move outwards, and your diaphragm moves downwards. When that happens, the organs underneath the diaphragm are pushed out of the way, which gives that feeling of breathing into your belly. As you breathe out, the diaphragm releases upwards, and your belly moves inwards once again.<\/p>\n So, although air can only go to your lungs, you can (and you should) actually\u00a0feel\u00a0<\/em>each breath in your whole body.<\/p>\n Your diaphragm is the key to breathing, and breathing is the key to your voice.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s important to keep in mind that there is no one correct way to breathe. You breathe differently according to the situation and the activity. But when it comes to speaking, diaphragmatic breathing is essential.<\/p>\n Breath is so important for the voice because it\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the voice. Try this; put your hand directly in front of your mouth and read the following out loud:<\/p>\n The sound I\u2019m making now is created by breath passing through the vocal folds, causing them to vibrate.<\/em><\/p>\n Did you feel the breath on your hand? Without enough breath, your vocal folds will never vibrate enough to make much sound. So, it stands to reason that to have a powerful voice, you need to take a powerful breath.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Do you think you tend to breathe fully and deeply, using your diaphragm? Or are you what we call a shallow breather or a chest breather?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s do a quick self-assessment. You can do this while sitting at your computer if you like.<\/p>\n Your observations are telling you how you\u2019re breathing, which parts of your rib cage are expanding nicely and which are fixed or tense.<\/p>\n You can try the same exercise in front of a mirror. Ideally, you\u2019ll see movement in your belly, but if you see movement mostly in your throat or shoulders, this is a red flag that you need to do some work on your breathing, if you\u2019d like to have a powerful voice.<\/p>\n Another little exercise \u2013 this one is particularly good if you\u2019ve discovered that you\u2019re not feeling your breath right down to your belly \u2013 is to lie down on your back and pop a tissue box on your belly. When you\u2019re lying down, you\u2019re not holding yourself upright or holding your belly tight. See the difference as your belly raises the tissue box up and down effortlessly with your natural breath. This is what it is to breathe low and deeply, and this is the feeling you want to continue when you stand.<\/p>\n If you regularly practice yoga, you might think that you\u2019ve got this breathing business all under control, and you\u2019re half right. In yoga, you\u2019re taught to\u00a0control<\/em>\u00a0the breath \u2013 in with a pose, and out with a pose. Conversely, when you\u2019re speaking, you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>want to control the breath; you want it to be natural and free-flowing.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve realised that you\u2019re not breathing as low and deep as possible, the bad news is that you\u2019re missing out on accessing your best natural voice, the one that commands attention and conveys authority.<\/p>\n A shallow (or chest) breather only uses a small part of the lungs, and not enough breath for the voice means<\/p>\n To demonstrate what shallow breathing is doing to your voice, imagine you\u2019re lifting something heavy\u2013imitate the strain of lifting.\u00a0 Do you feel how the tightness comes all the way into your throat? Now try to speak while you\u2019re \u2018lifting\u2019 the object; do you hear the acute tension in your voice?<\/p>\n Alternatively, try sucking in your stomach in and talking. It doesn\u2019t sound like your best voice; does it? You might consider thinking twice about the pants you choose for your next presentation!<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve discovered that you\u2019re not breathing in the optimum way, don\u2019t despair. We can work on this, and the good news is that there are some solutions you can implement right away.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Diaphragm movement is involuntary. You can\u2019t control whether it moves or not, but you\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0control the abdominal wall, and as you\u2019ve learned, this needs to be flexible in order for the organs to make room for the diaphragm to move down and allow for the influx of air to create a lovely sound.<\/p>\n Think about all the things you do in a day: You\u2019re at a desk. You\u2019re on a computer. You\u2019re driving. You\u2019re looking at a device. Most things we do involve having our hands in front of us, which often results in our shoulders rotating forward and slumping, leading to our bodies being restricted and our breath staying up high in the body. This isn\u2019t much of a problem at the time, but it becomes an issue when you stand up and walk into a meeting or presentation because you continue breathing like that, and it\u2019s terrible for nerves and volume.<\/p>\n This is a classic problem my lecturer clients have. They sit and read and write for hours, then hop up to present to a room of hundreds of students, and unsurprisingly, find they have no power in their voice.<\/p>\n Luckily, there is a relatively quick and easy fix! Before you need to go to your meeting or presentation \u2013 and you can do this while you\u2019re still sitting \u2013 put your hand on your belly, and breathe to your hand. Take 30 to 60 seconds of deep belly breathing to prepare your body. It\u2019s a transition from being in one frame of mind to another.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n When you are relaxed, at ease and breathing effectively, you will feel a state of balance in your body. You won\u2019t be leaning forward or backwards. Your weight will be evenly distributed over both feet, and if you\u2019re sitting, you will feel both seat bones on the chair. If you\u2019re not in alignment, your ribs will not be flexible on both sides.<\/p>\n Consider your posture as well. If you\u2019re slouching forward, your front ribs won\u2019t be able to open, and you won\u2019t be able to fill up your lungs all the way. If you tend to bend a little backwards or if your back is tight, your back ribs might not be moving at all. Any tension limits the flexibility of the ribs, and ideally you want your ribs to be flexible and be able to expand.<\/p>\nWhat does \u2018speaking from your diaphragm\u2019 mean?<\/h3>\n
Are you deep breathing with your diaphragm? Try this test.<\/h3>\n
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So you\u2019re a shallow breather\u2026<\/h3>\n
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What you can do today to learn to breathe fully and speak from your diaphragm.<\/h3>\n
Posture, balance and the ease of correctness.<\/strong><\/h3>\n