How Sound Affects You: Singing For Health
May 02, 20235 ways to Sing for Health
You don’t have to be a professional singer to take advantage of techniques used for singing for health and well being. Most people are shy about singing in front of others, and even if they are alone. Free yourself from self-limiting beliefs that you are not a singer and begin to enjoy the sound of your voice with some simple techniques you can do at home or on the road. Build confidence and improve your health with some simple steps.
Hum
Think of humming as an internal sonic massage for the body. You can hum a familiar tune, a static note or play with your voice in an improvisational fashion. Follow your instinct as to what sounds good to you. While listening to music or meditating, pick a note that feels and sounds right to you. Concentrate on the ‘mmmm’ sound.
Scan Your Voice
The sound of scanning the voice is similar to a slide whistle. Start at the lowest point of your voice and slowly glissando up to the highest point of your voice you feel comfortable with. Then, slide your voice back down. Scanning is often used as a vocal warm-up by singers and it also helps in releasing stuck emotions in the body. Notice if your voice breaks, gets stuck or if you find it hard to go high or low. Sound healing practitioners use this technique to identify places in the body where there may be stuck energy and work further.
Audible Breaths
During your daily meditation practice, a time when you are focusing on the sound and speed of your breath, release any sound or tone that naturally comes out. This can be a sigh, an ‘Om’, an ‘Ah’, even a guttural or snore like sound. Connect with your meditation music by exhaling a pitch that you hear. Any audible sound connected with breath can help release tension.
Toning Vowels and Syllables
In my interview with Jonathan Goldman about his Chakra Tuner App (link), we talked about how specific vowels affect different parts of the body. ‘U’ sounds are for the lowest part or energy center, followed by ‘OO’ for the belly or solar plexus, ‘Ah’ for the Heart or Chest, ‘Ai’ for the throat and ‘EE’ for the Head. Experiment with these sounds to see if you can feel them in those areas. Add a consonant like ‘H’, ‘N’ or ‘D’ to help attack the vowel sounds.
Sing in the Shower or Car
Put yourself in a good mood by singing in the shower. Beat traffic stress but singing your favorite song instead of shouting profanities at other drivers! You’ll help lower your blood pressure and enjoy getting through those mundane activities of life that we all share.
Do any other ideas come to mind after reading these singing tips? I would love to read them in the comments section. Share your ideas for the benefit of everyone who is interested in exploring their voice.
Written by Lynda Arnold
Originally Published on Ask.Audio
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