How to Breathe with the Diaphragm (and why you should!)

‘Recovery of voice begins with recovery of breathing. lf I am interested in rediscovering the authenticity of my voice and thereby a deeper authentic self, I must start with an awareness of my breathing habits.’

-Kristin Linklater

Sing and breathe to open your entire being. Through the breath and the voice you are able to root, to rise and to create a spaciousness inside of yourself and outside of yourself that may have been unimaginable. There is not a better time than now to begin the work of discovering your authentic voice and unlocking the strength and confidence that moves through you.

Any kind vocal work begins with the breath, but not just any breath. To discover, feel and embody diaphragmatic breathing it takes time and awareness to how you breathe. One of the main secrets in unlocking the potential of your voice is to unlearn the breathing patterns that were bestowed upon you from a young age and remember those full deep body breaths that filled your body as an infant. This is work of reconditioning and breaking habitual patterns.

Often times the difficulties that arise with diaphragmatic breathing stem from not allowing the breath to enter the entirety of our body. So often we breathe too quickly, too forcefully and the air seems to make it only into our chest. This breath is shallow and causes tension to arise around the chest, neck and shoulders. Not only does this tension interfere with vocal production and in actually freeing the voice as it causes us to push the voice even more forcefully. This way of breathing increases the stress that we feel. To begin to access your ground and to feel grounded, allow the diaphragm to drop down, contracting as the stomach and lower ribs expand. So many muscles are at work, alleviating the pressure from the lungs.

When the breath has been allowed to enter into the body with the support of the lower breathing apparatus, it is then possible to access the grounded support of your body for your voice. Feeling the support of the ground and the pelvic floor as you support your voice with your breath allows the voice to open up and tensions around the neck and vocal chords to release. The goal is to alleviate any scratchy, irritated feeling in the throat and allow the air to be supported by your body so that no pushing is done from the vocal chords.

Diagram of Human Respiratory System

The easiest way to feel and see your diaphragm working at it’s full potential is by laying down on your back and breathing. Allowing the breath to enter your body, feel as though your body is receiving the breath. No force, no strain, just allowance. The breath leaves by a willing release, just naturally moving out of your body as the cycle begins again.

If you are having difficulties in finding this rhythm of the stomach and ribs expanding on the inhale and and dropping on the exhale, place your hands over your navel and breathe into your hands. Breath and voice work are very subjective and it helps to use your body and images to guide you. This is step one in rediscovering the entirety of your respiratory system. This exercise is calming and connecting. To challenge yourself, it is fun to place a book on your stomach (or a stack of books) and see if you can move the books up with each inhale.

As you breathe, you may think of the lovely poem by Thich Nhat Hanh:

In, Out

Deep, Slow

Calm, Ease

Smile, Release

Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

May you breathe with ease and feel the support of your body and breath with each word you speak and song you sing.