|
|
Breathe
In
Finding Your Voice
Dielle Ciesco
|
Within you is the greatest
and most powerful self-help tool in the world. You don’t
need to spend a fortune to get it or spend years in psychotherapy
to develop it. You don’t need to travel over many continents
to find it. You don’t even have to be a holy and spiritually-evolved
person to use it. As a matter of fact, you were born with it.
Picture this. You hold an infant in your arms. It coos and gurgles.
Then after a short time, it begins to whimper in an expression
of hunger. Suddenly, wails rip through your eardrums as the baby
hollers for its dinner. Then after being fed, it happily mews
and blows bubbles. The sounds it makes are nonsense, yet complete
and very clear messages. What power has that baby got that the
majority of us take for granted? An authentic voice!
The voice is an amazing tool; with it we can uplift and inspire
or curse and condemn. Yet how many of us ever give it a second
thought? We carelessly fling words around, agreeing when we don’t
really, complaining and gossiping, or carefully choosing each
word to manipulate others into doing what we want without having
to ask, lest we face rejection. At the same time, we are clamping
down on our expression, holding things in, careful not to overreact
or say the wrong thing. As a result, we bring so much stress and
disease upon ourselves.
It is time to take a lesson from the baby. It doesn’t wonder
who might get upset if it cries too loud. Its sounds aren’t
calculated to injure, manipulate, or destroy. Babies simply express.
They haven’t learned about “holding your tongue,”
that children should be “seen and not heard,” and
they have no fear that they cry “off key.”
Reclaiming that ability to express yourself freely may feel awkward
at first, but the benefits are real and worth every effort. Give
yourself the gift of ten minutes to work through the following
exercises each day. It will make a big difference in how you feel.
It’s best to experiment some place safe and private, even
in your car when you are driving.
WARM-UPS
Most people typically store stress in the neck and shoulders.
This can greatly impact your ability to “tone”
as these muscles pull upon the vocal mechanism. Roll your
shoulders gently forward and back, then lift them to your
ears and drop them down gently pressing toward the floor.
Now open your mouth as wide as possible to stretch the muscles
in the jaw, then pinch up your face tight. Relax and repeat.
To quickly warm up the voice, softly hum a favorite tune.
Do Re Mi, the old Sound of Music tune, is a perfect choice,
which will also help to align your chakras or energy centers
of the body. |
SOUND
OFF
Your body is filled with unexpressed stored sounds, all those
noises that a baby would make uninhibitedly, but sounds that
we censor for various reasons. The next step is to give yourself
the space to let those bubble up and come out your mouth.
Oooh and aaahs. Gurgles and nonsense. Feel silly? So what!
If you feel unsure about it, start by feeling into your body
where it is holding tension. Allow the tension to become a
sound by groaning and moaning. If you can connect to your
gut and let the sound arise from there, you will release more
satisfying sounds. As you become more comfortable, your range
of sounds will become freer. You may even try having conversations
with yourself in gibberish. |
| TONING
Now you are ready to create some yummy and delicious vibrations
by singing various vowel sounds below. They have both short
and long sounds, and you can play with any or all of them.
Pitch doesn’t matter. Just be gentle and surrender.
• A as in “hat” • A as in “mate”
• E as in “bet” • E as in “meet”
• I as in “it” • I as in “nice”
• O as in “octopus” • O as in “hope”
• U as in “up” • U as in “unite”
Sing the vowel for your entire exhalation. Don’t force.
Relax! Then breathe in and tone again. Keep this up as long
as you like but for at least five minutes to build up a
noticeable vibration all around you. |
SILENCE
Now, simply stop
and breathe. Feel the energy that is pulsating around and
within you. Listen to the stillness within your being. Ahh!
By the time you work through these simple steps, you will
notice that you feel different...dare I say, reborn? Stress
will evaporate like fog. You will feel lighter, freer, more
at ease. You can do it anywhere, anytime. And it doesn’t
cost a darn cent! |
Dielle
Ciesco lives in Asheville and offers private and group experiences
in Vocal Alchemy. Those interested in going deeper are invited
to a free online MP3 library of the history of toning and various
exercises to free your voice. Go to www.livebyheart.com/voice.htm
or you may contact Dielle at 828-254-4909.
Back
to New Life Journal..
|
| |
|
Send
us your sustainability and healthy home questions!
|
| |
| |
| |
Business
Listings
Your guide to health practitioners
and sustainable businesses in Asheville, NC, Atlanta and Athens,GA, Greenville,
SC and the Southeast
NATURAL HEALING
massage, acupuncturists, energy medicine, herbalists, yoga centers,
natural medicine, healers, alternative therapies, healing workshops
NATURAL FOODS
health food stores, restaurants, nutritionists, whole foods chefs,
natural foods lectures & programs, organic farmers, caterers
MIND & SPIRIT
therapists, churches, workshops, retreat centers, support groups
BUSINESSES
sustainable businesses in the Southeast
GREEN LIVING GUIDE
eco-friendly builders, architects, supplies and products, communities,
landscape designers and services, realtors and real estate
|
|
| |
|
