FLOW

On a bitterly cold winter’s evening, the memory of the walk to and from an eating establishment between rehearsal and concert comes to mind.  I remember bracing myself to return to the concert hall, clamming up my whole body to protect myself from the wind and sleet - with little success I may add.  A colleague with whom I was walking gave a poignant piece of advice from her therapist : let the wind blow through you.  I don’t think I had the courage to do so 100% but it gave me plenty of food for thought.

The phrase has become even more poignant as time has gone on - for singing and for life.  Keep the motorways open, no blockages, I have advised when it comes to the vocal mechanism.  Holding the breath back is never recommended, whichever pedagogy one follows.  There is an abundance of articles to be found recently, regarding the gut and the brain…… that the gut informs the brain.  When we tighten up we limit the smooth running of our incredible human condition.  Where there is blockage there is often illness, or something that means one is not functioning optimally.  The vagus nerve is cited as a crucial connective nerve in this regard……… Janice Chapman* recognised this long ago in relation to singing; our distant ancestors recognised this in relation to hunger….a basic primal instinct.

There are many competitive sporting examples we hear about - runners tightening up in their effort to catch the front runner, tennis players tensing their wrists on the serve when putting themselves under pressure on a match point.  We expect so much from ourselves which can lead to tension and constriction.  This doesn’t mean that we should not strive for our goals, but we should be aware that the body/voice cannot function at its best when we are holding tension.

To counteract tension, try well known breathing and relaxation techniques, but do give yourself the time to do this with focus and concentration.  Read my previous blogs and contact me if you need to know more.

Sarah Harris, a wonderful speech therapist, gave me a lightbulb moment as, despite my determination to vocally rehabilitate, she recognised my inner tension getting in the way.  I’ll for ever be grateful to her :

Kath, let the air flow.

• Janice Chapman TEACHING AND TEACHING SINGING, a Holistic Approach to Classical Voice.