Introduction and Exercises

Voice production is immensely dependant on the vagus nerve, the tenth of our twelve cranial nerves.

The vagus nerve is a very important nerve of our parasympathetic nervous system (schematically, our "rest and digest" system), and three of its branches, the pharyngeal branch, the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the superior laryngeal nerve are responsible for such fundamental elements of singing as the movements of the soft palate, the movements of the back part of the tongue, the opening and closing of the vocal cords and their tension and elongation. Here is a detailed article on the vagus nerve and its relation to singing. Other nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system also play an important role in singing: some other cranial nerves, as well as the pelvic splanchnic nerves.

If we optimise our parasympathetic nervous system, we automatically have a positive influence on voice production. If we achieve calm and relaxation, if we practice benevolence towards ourselves and others, we shall sing better. See here an article on the "vagal tone", a concept which is now becoming popular to express a state of balance in the autonomic nervous system, of which the parasympathetic nervous system is part.

But this is not enough. The vagus nerve can be impaired at different places on its way out of the skull down into the lower abdomen, and back, when it is surrounded by tight muscles, for example in the soft palate when stress causes "tunnel-vision", or when it has to go through a narrow passage, for instance in the neck or the diaphragm. It is important to realise that an impairment of any part of it negatively influences its general function.

I recommend some simple bodily exercises that will help to attain an overall free function of the vagus nerve and shall benefit your singing. Here they are (the length of the exercises is arbitrary, it is a minimum):

- Freeing the vagus nerve in the upper face with the practice of peripheral vision: looking in front of you, move your hands sideways for thirty seconds while catching the movements with the corners of your eyes. For more details, you can also watch this video

- Freeing the vagus nerve in the upper and lower face with this exercise: eyes shut, smile ten seconds with your mouth shut, teeth together, while breathing through the nose

- Freeing the vagus nerve at the bottom of the neck in the region of the clavicles and the first ribs, and in the chest, with three exercises: put your hands together at the small of the back, thrust your chest up and out ten times, shoulders down; alternate moving one shoulder forward while moving the other one backward ten times, with the arms hanging relaxed; bring ten times your shoulder blades down alternately

- Freeing the vagus nerve at the level of the diaphragm with two exercises: pull your stomach in ten times while expanding the ribcage sideways; breathe out and stay up to ten seconds in apnoea

- Freeing the vagus nerve in the lower abdomen and the pelvic floor with two exercises: standing, tilt your pelvis ten times forward; sitting on a chair, press your heels ten times in the floor

You can then practice a moment of body consciousness, trying to feel alternately a few times a relaxation in the area of your eyes, the space at the back of your nose while breathing in, your pelvic floor, your knees and your feet. This often results in a deep breath that comes of its own. You may then feel a lovely tingling in the whole body, from head to toe

These exercises can be accompanied by some common signs of optimal parasympathetic activity, such as fluid salivation, moistening of the eyes, a slightly runny nose and sometimes yawning, along with a sense of calm and contentment.

I recommend frequent and daily practice for the best results! I personally practice elements of the series at least ten times a day.

It has now created something totally new and quite wonderful:

- My breathing has changed, has become super easy, a pleasure each time I concentrate on it. My rib cage is extraordinarily supple and the feeling of space at the back of the nose has become delicious, together with an also delicious feeling of deep relaxation of my upper face. This state makes thinking easy, no anxiety, I am in the here and now.

- If I lose this wonderful state, it is very easy to find again, I can recover it in a few seconds of body consciousness.

- And it makes singing super easy!

Here some other exercises which all deal with balancing the autonomic nervous system. Most of them are short and should be repeated a few times:

- Massage your temples, your forehead and your skull
- Close your eyes and relax them, while opening the mouth and bringing the tongue slightly forward
- Massage the articulations of your jaws just under the ears
- Massage or rub your ears
- Breathe in through your nose while feeling the space at the back of it, breathe out through your mouth while feeling the pelvic floor

- Bring your shoulder blades down, alternately or together
- Bring your shoulder blades together

- Wriggle your toes
- Move your knees apart and bring them together again (in a sitting position)
- "Walk" on your sit bones (in a sitting position)
- Contract and relax your buttocks

- Contract and relax your calves or the back of your thighs
- Massage your lower tummy, your groin and the top of your thighs
- Join your hands on your lower abdomen and try to feel this area, well down into your pelvis, then further down in the legs

For more information, you can consult the following sources:

- On "tunnel-vision", which can impair the good function of the soft palate and can be corrected by the practice of peripheral vision, see this article.

- On how much the vagus nerve can be trapped in the neck and at the base of the neck, see this article.

- On Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) and exercises to help with it.

NB: At the moment, I have scientific backing for only a few of the exercises I give on this page.  With the others, I notice specific effects which I associate with parasympathetic activity, but it is still empirical. But more and more studies are being done and I update this page regularly.