Before reading this post, I recommend that you read the page "Introduction and Exercises".
Practicing peripheral vision, something that I have discovered only recently, in August 2020, is a must. I shall go back on it in a new post on singing and vision. The freedom it brings to the soft palate and the easiness that ensues are just miraculous. You might be interested by this video.
Here are my other four favourites of the moment. They strengthen in particular four muscles, or part of muscles, which are very instrumental in good posture and breathing, two elements which in turn play an essential role in balancing the autonomous nervous system. As a result of its stimulation, they also have an effect on the soft palate, opening the space at the back of the nose and throat and therefore enhancing resonance.
These muscles are the latissimus dorsi, the pectoralis major, the upper part of the rectus abdominis and the transversus abdominis.
And now the exercises, done in a standing position:
- While leaving the arms hanging relaxed, with an open chest, bring the right shoulder forward and the left shoulder backward; then the left forward and the right backward; repeat ca. 10 times. You shall start to develop a consciousness of the upper part of the latissimus dorsi muscle, the part that attaches itself to the upper arms. It is a very important place to feel when your are breathing in.
- Lift up your ribcage, ca. 10 times, while pausing in your breathing. There, by developing the pectoralis major muscles, your shall enhance the mobility of the upper part of the ribcage (the shoulders should stay down, they are not concerned by this exercise).
- Bring your stomach in, well above the navel, ca. 10 times, also in a breathing pause. Training the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle is very beneficial for your diaphragm. You can associate this movement with a sideways expansion of your ribcage.
- Lift your right hip, keeping the leg straight at the knee, then the left hip; ca. 10 times each side. With that exercise, you train the transversus abdominis muscle which helps to support the lower part of the ribcage.
I usually end this series with a short moment of body consciousness where I close my eyes and relax them, while breathing in through the nose and concentrating on the relaxation of the pelvic floor, more specifically the levator ani muscle.
Here are my other four favourites of the moment. They strengthen in particular four muscles, or part of muscles, which are very instrumental in good posture and breathing, two elements which in turn play an essential role in balancing the autonomous nervous system. As a result of its stimulation, they also have an effect on the soft palate, opening the space at the back of the nose and throat and therefore enhancing resonance.
These muscles are the latissimus dorsi, the pectoralis major, the upper part of the rectus abdominis and the transversus abdominis.
And now the exercises, done in a standing position:
- While leaving the arms hanging relaxed, with an open chest, bring the right shoulder forward and the left shoulder backward; then the left forward and the right backward; repeat ca. 10 times. You shall start to develop a consciousness of the upper part of the latissimus dorsi muscle, the part that attaches itself to the upper arms. It is a very important place to feel when your are breathing in.
- Lift up your ribcage, ca. 10 times, while pausing in your breathing. There, by developing the pectoralis major muscles, your shall enhance the mobility of the upper part of the ribcage (the shoulders should stay down, they are not concerned by this exercise).
- Bring your stomach in, well above the navel, ca. 10 times, also in a breathing pause. Training the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle is very beneficial for your diaphragm. You can associate this movement with a sideways expansion of your ribcage.
- Lift your right hip, keeping the leg straight at the knee, then the left hip; ca. 10 times each side. With that exercise, you train the transversus abdominis muscle which helps to support the lower part of the ribcage.
I usually end this series with a short moment of body consciousness where I close my eyes and relax them, while breathing in through the nose and concentrating on the relaxation of the pelvic floor, more specifically the levator ani muscle.
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