Building Vocal Presence Through Circular Breathing

I think one of the most empowering aspects to voicework is the opportunity to explore and observe our own relationship to our breath. How we breathe, where and where we don’t breathe is vital information for us on the path towards getting vocal and expressing our authentic voice in the world. I think most of us, myself included don’t often realize how limited our breathing can get until we experience some other form of limitation, such as back pain or digestive challenges. Breathing deeply effects every aspect of our life experience in each given moment.

Breath is known as prana by the Hindus, chi in Chinese, pneuma by the Greeks, and ruach by Hebrews. In India, creation of the universe is described as the “great breath,” and the words inhale and exhale have within them the word hal, which means “wholeness” (D’Angelo, 2000, p. 30). It is interesting to note that The Greek word psyche, meaning soul, shares the same root as psychein, which translates as “to breathe” (Newham, 1998, p. 107). American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “The human voice is the organ of the soul” (Maine Historical Society, 2010). Don Campbell (1997) wrote that breath is “the life force on which the voice rides” (p. 87). 

After years of working with students and noticing the pattern of how people would arrive at my vocal studio literally out of breath, I developed a handful of exercises to assist people in slowing down and deepening into their bodies, even before we would begin making sound. Circular breathing is a breathing technique that I developed over the years. This exercise is usually done either in a circle of people or standing facing another person. Read more...

When we circular breathe we begin by putting our hands on our navel and expanding our stomach, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Once the awareness of expanding the stomach is awakened, one’s hands move to the ribcage and a person is invited to expand horizontally. From there, people are asked to place their hands on their lower back and to fill that area gently with fresh, clean air. Once they have inhaled and exhaled from all sides, they are then guided to hold out their arms in a large circular shape in front of them and breathe simultaneously from all sides, their arms expanding as they inhale and contracting as they exhale. This is the full circular breath. Inviting a person to identify with their body as circular can be a gentle invitation out of the mind and into the body. Paul Newham (1998), who also used spherical exercises with clients, commented on the spherical and cylindrical nature of the human body:

The fetus, when fully grown at approximately 36 weeks, is a terrain of spheres and the human body remains spherical for the duration of its mortal existence before decomposing into the spherical atoms and molecules of ashes and dust. On the outside, the human body is composed of spherical and semi-spherical surfaces which, at points of protrusion, are convex and at point of indention are concave. . . . The inner environment of the body is also modeled on the sphere . . . a vital network of spherically-walled cylinders. . . . Air passes through the cylindrical trachea and bronchi into the semi-spherical lungs whilst blood flows through the cylindrical veins and arteries, pumped through the semi-spherical heart. The body contains no cubes and no planes, only curves and cylinders.(p. 106) 

I find that guiding people to imagine their body as a circular instrument allows them to breathe in new ways, not only expanding their lungs but also their mind. In “Opening to Breath,” Lisa Sokolov (2009) wrote about the importance of breath work within voicework. She observed, “The opening of the breath activates an innate movement towards balance. Breathing settles us into the experience of being in the moment. Breathing opens us up to our present feeling” (p. 43). When people use circular breath, I have observed that it supports them to come back to the present moment and in that returning they connect to their body, their original instrument, and we can begin safely to make sound.

The next time you’re standing in line or need a stretch in the middle of your work day, try taking a circular breath. Imagine your body, your instrument, expanding from all sides. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out, dropping your jaw, relaxing fully. Visualize expanding beyond your body. Often our presence or lack of presence in our voice comes from our own belief or story that we must stay small. Perhaps someone told us not to sing, or not to be loud in our life and so we’ve stayed at the same volume out of fear. Giving ourselves permission to step beyond habits of playing it small, expand and liberate our breath can lead to the freeing of our voice, our power, our possibility. 

References

D’Angelo, J. (2000). The healing power of the human voice. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.

Campbell, D. (1997). The Mozart effect: Tapping the power of music to heal the body, strengthen the mind, and unlock the creative spirit. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Newham, P. (1998). Therapeutic voicework, principles and practice for the use of singing as therapy. London, England: Jessica Kingsley.

Sokolov, L. (2009). Opening to breath: An examination of breath and process in embodied voice work. In R. Azoulay & J. Loewy (Eds.), Music, the breath and health: Advances in integrative music therapy (pp. 43-53). New York, NY: Satchnote Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct
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