Remembering to Breathe

If you were with me last month, you might have learned that I suffered from pneumonia at the end of April. It was rough. I was lucky to have a mild case and get the medical attention I needed. Two days into my antibiotics and I was feeling human again… mostly.

As a singer, the thing that really kicked my butt was my breath capacity (or lack of). I had already canceled 2 gigs a week before and was reluctant to cancel a 3rd since I still had groceries to buy and I truly was feeling better.  This inspired me to put together a guided breathing exercise.

The track takes you through four exercises (5 min long)

1. Slow inhales and exhales

This is the time to get mentally centered on your body and breaths, taking notice of any tension you might be holding and releasing it.

2. Inhale Hold Hiss

Here we are working on controlled breathing to a count, working on holding our breaths without tension, and using the hiss for a controlled release, similar when vocalizing.

There are a total of 3 cycles, each done twice.

In-4, Hold-4, Hiss-8 (x2)

In-4, Hold-4, Hiss-12 (x2)

In-4, Hold-8, Hiss-16 (x2)

3. Pulsed Exhales

This exercise focuses on the engagement of those core-area muscles in short pulses. We rely on these muscles while we are vocalizing to help relieve any tension in the upper body or to prevent unintentional overly breathy tone.

4. Free Humming

This is a time to apply your breathing to some vocalizing. This is meant to be more meditative and improvisational, meaning you can sing intricately or keep it to a single pitch. Just make sure you’re still breathing deep and keeping your body relaxed.

That’s it! Bookmark it and throw this on right before your practice session, during your commute or before you decide to fire your drummer…