Each of us takes between 12 and 20 breaths every minute and for the most part we don’t give it any thought. Good breathing technique an essential component to singing well and singing well, in turn, will do wonders for your overall aerobic fitness.
Learning to control and lengthen our outward breath.
Warming up our lips and controlling out outward breath while warming the voice at the same time.
Making the most of all the space in our lungs through belly breaths. Recognising the diaphragms role in singing.
Meditative and Relaxation techniques that help to improve lung strength and breath control.
The power of your nose!
You will notice in the above exercises I encourage you to breath in through your nose. The nose does a wonderful job of filtering the air, arming it and adding moisture before it reaches the lungs. As a result the air breathed in through our noses is more efficient at oxygenating our blood. While we cannot sing through our noses, getting in to the habit of breathing through our nose during exercises, will increase oxygen uptake.
If you wish to find more materials to assist in promoting health through singing, NHS Highland are currently working with a Glasgow based charity called the Cheyne Gang. They offer free weekly activities and breathing exercises online. More information can be found here.
Ailsa Villegas 