Exercises for the Vessel
The Body is your vehicle, your vessel, your instrument. You only get one a lifetime and it is your responsibility to care for it. Tuning it is your job…. how can you sing/act/live with a body out of tune???
You don’t have to spend hours, but you do need to be aware so you can catch it when it’s out of balance. A check in the morning when you wake up and at night before you drift off to sleep…. a scan to all the joints & to the belly to soften them. It’s very empowering to be aware of yourself this way and here are a few simple things I do daily…..
EXERCISES:
THE CHAIR -
First and foremost we want to open up the belly. When it’s tight, EVERYTHING tightens. Easiest way I find to do this is to bend over a chair that rests just below the belly button. (I”m always doing this in the wings before an entrance :)
The belly holds all unresolved feelings and they won’t leave until they are recognized and resolved, feelings we need to unearth & work through to get to the level of vulnerability necessary for authentic performance……so…. might as well get on with it! Coraggio!
THE TENNIS BALL(S) -
These simple little guys get into all kinds of nooks and crannies in your body for a lovely release. I use them on the jaw, the legs, thighs....everywhere I tend to hold & hoard tension. When this tension is lessened and/or released it allows for a more opened vessel (body), for more space, resonance & support....for your true, authentic voice to be heard!
YOGA -
Are you familiar you w/yoga? Poses are very natural and even the simplest moves are beneficial. The shoulders hold tons of crap…..that’s where all your sense of responsibility goes…..so you can imagine. Look up ‘The Plough’ online…..we’ll do it in class. It lets go of every ounce of tension once you grow more comfortable in the pose. Also sends lots of blood to the throat to keep it healthy.
The Lion Pose may be one of the most ferocious looking poses, but you stretch the roots of the tongue…you have NO IDEA how tension there screws up your comfort level while singing or speaking……LEARN IT & give your voice a rest!
REFLEXOLOGY -
Did you know every organ & gland has nerve endings in your hands & feet? And by massaging those little points you send fresh blood to the corresponding organ or gland and give them a positive jolt of blood flow & energy. You start clearing the pathways so that they are more nourished by circulation. You can be sitting & watching TV and be massaging the base of your big toe & actually feel the energy going to your throat. It’s a great tool and all the details can be found online under reflexology, or acupressure. You can cure yourself of a whole slew of issues if they are not too advanced.
THE STRAW TECHNIQUE -
So I pretty much covered this in the Master Class Info I sent, it’s great. Understand that the voice reacts to everything you experience everyday…it is so highly sensitive & vulnerable…it’s YOU, your expression! So it’s easy for it to get stuck, tight, misplaced, disconnected from your breath. The Straw Technique reminds you of healthy placement. You simply are not able to make unhealthy sound using a straw. AND….it doesn’t stress your voice when you vocalize this way. (I cringe hearing some people wailing, pressing, screaming out vocal exercises…..ugh!) Use a thinner straw. I’ll demonstrate when we work together, but it couldn’t be simpler and the video link I’m attaching demonstrates it well:
Vocal Straw Exercise - YouTube
There’s also BODY BALLS that work on pressure points in the body, especially the back, to get into those spots that are elusive to release. There’s TAPPING which are a series of accupoints on the face, arms & torso that help balance cortisol (adrenaline) which helps us release fear! Very powerful work. Check out ‘The Tapping Solution - Nick Ortner’ if you find your nerves are getting the best of you in performance.
FOOTSIE ROLLER, HAPPY MAN MASSAGE TOOL - think Whole Foods has these. The Footsie hits EVERYTHING in your feet….you gotta go soft here…. lots of accupoints in the feet, lots going on here, but ohhh boy, it feels good when you stop. Happy Man is just a lovely tool, his little feet take a lot of stress out of your body…
I’ve used QUARTZ CRYSTALS all my life. I am what I call a ‘high sensitive’ as are so many in the arts. I just seem to take on a lot of the energy around me and it seems to house in my gut. So to get the day out of my body, I use a crystal at night before I sleep. I massage my belly (I have a large one that must weigh 2 lbs) it lifts energy (tension) right out of you and it feels magical in your hands…different crystals for different purposes. Some for grounding, some for meditation…. you have to do a little homework or just go to a crystal shop and pick out then that ‘speaks’ to you.