Voice & Body Connection: Voice is a Body Process
How often do you stop and think about how your voice works and how you could help it work better? Most of us tend to think of our voice as something that just happens; there is something we want or need to say and so we say it. But in thinking of our voices as simply an outward extension of our thoughts, we miss a key point:
Our voice is a body process
We often notice this fact when our voices get tired from talking all day, or from shouting to a friend over coffee in a loud and overcrowded cafe, or when we get sick and struggle to produce sound. So long as our voices are functioning well enough we don’t pay much attention to the complex sequence of impulse and movement that occurs within our bodies to create our ability to speak.
Speaking is an embodied process. Therefore, practices that connect you to your body also have the potential to connect you to your voice, and vice versa. This might include practices you already have - like yoga. Deepening your awareness of your body will bring you closer to your voice - especially if you invite your voice to join in. Why not let that sigh out on sound?
Here are a few more ways to deepen your voice/body connection throughout your day:
Tuning Into Sensation…
When we really take the time to check in with our body and notice what we’re feeling and sensing, we create pathways of awareness that allow us to let go of muscle tension and notice sensations we may not have been in tune with. A body scan is a great way to create those pathways.
Simply take a moment wherever you are and bring your attention to your toes, noticing how they feel, where they make contact with the floor or your shoes. Then draw your attention to your feet, then your ankles, then your shins. Take your time as you work your way up to the top of your head, checking in with each part of your body. Don’t change anything as you bring your attention to it— just notice. When you’ve finished, check in with your breath. What did you learn about yourself? Has your breathing deepened? Do you feel more relaxed? How do you feel in relation to the space around you? Are you energetically more present?
Inviting breath to be part of your experience…
Inviting breath to be part of your experience doesn’t just connect you to your own voice and body, but it also makes you more present with others. What would happen if you regularly practiced checking in with your breath as you moved through your day? Do you notice moments when you’re holding - or minimally breathing? What happens if you let yourself breathe more fully in those moments?
You might find that softening and breathing make you feel more vulnerable. That’s ok. The tension and the holding might be part of old patterns you no longer need. Practice bringing breath into the big and small moments of your day-to-day life. Notice how that changes your experience.
Hummmm-Sigh….
Once you’ve practiced checking in with your body and breath, bringing your voice into the mix can start to integrate the processes of breath and sound production.
Start with a sigh of relief. Breathe in and let out a full, oozy, gooey sigh. The kind of sigh that feels oh-so-good. Let all the tension you are carrying leave your body on your outgoing breath. This kind of sigh signals to your nervous system that you are safe. After a few of these sighs, notice how your body feels. Next, check in with how you are feeling. If you could pick a word to describe how you’re feeling - what is it? Now sigh-speak the word. How does that feel? Has there been a change in you? Do you feel more present, more at ease, more centred?
To connect even more with your voice, try sighing out on a hum. Feel the sound fall forward into your lips and face. Let your jaw soften (so there’s space between your upper and lower teeth) and feel your vibrations as your hum resonates in your bones and sinus cavities. This might even tickle! See if you can enjoy the feeling of your voice, playing with it as it travels through your body. How does this affect your connection to your body and breath?
Voice is a body process.
It’s worth repeating that a few times given it is so easily forgotten. But by developing a simple practice of body and breath awareness, we can strengthen our relationship not just with our voices, but also with ourselves.
Are you ready to discover and deepen your voice & body connection? Would you like to find an embodied confidence that radiates from you when you speak? Join the waitlist HERE for the next round of Freeing Your Voice. Next session runs late fall 2023.
