En-Richening The Voice: Permit Your Treasures to Unfold

Regardless of the natural characteristics of your voice, it holds many treasures of expression waiting to unfold to the world.

Throughout our lives, all of us have experienced certain misinformation about our voices: by quality, by dimension (depth or height), by scope, by strength, by purely subjective judgments, or even by ourselves. The reality is that each voice, as each person, is wholly unique and a gift to be celebrated. It is literally an expression of our Inner Selves-- that is one of the most easily connected. It is an instrument of our intent; and can be just as defined and detailed—and just as rich and limitless.

To understand the wealth freely offered by the voice, it’s first important to understand the basic mechanics of breath itself. And this entails some observation, first outside of yourself and then experienced and embraced within you.

As a pure example, if you can, observe how a baby person or an animal breathes in its sleep (or simply visualize it or remember it if you don’t have access to such). Watch how at peace they are, so conductive of their pure breathing. In detail, observe how their “belly” easily blows up and contracts like a warm balloon. This is the sometimes-elusive muscle called a “diaphragm” in play (I say “in play” because it is not perceived as work but simply is allowed to happen). When beings are born, their innate celebration of the simple act of breathing is already happening—each breath being precious and pleasurable. Each breath is allowed to “play” about the body and the environment with abandonment within that celebration, that Gratitude. Mechanically, it is as if the breath simply falls in and falls out, with no effort. What peace and contentment that must help to generate! And, playing across the vocal cords, what pure expression transpires! It is instinct to action, with no “messing around” in between.

And yet, for most of us, our voices have come into a “messy” state indeed. Far from the pure effects of connected Breath itself, we have imposed ridiculous conditions on our precious Voices: stress, social pressure, fear, resentment, subjective judgment, substance abuse, pollution—the list goes on. It’s in the state of peace, Joy and contentment that we find our True Voice—as a pure conductor of that first Breath. For some, it may take some practice and exploration to “unwind” that mess of constrictions that, over the years, you have unwittingly placed on your Voice. For others who immediately connect to a transcendental state (as with meditation or deep contemplation), the Pure Voice can be practiced right away. It really comes down to our Intention for our Voices and the belief that we can and should permit EVERY intention for its use. Our Voices are as multi-faceted as the purposes for which we desire to use them. What a wondrous tool that is! Even if you experience physical conditions that affect your Voice, it still possesses an abundance that needs to be allowed—much as with breathing itself. Connected directly with pure Breathing, any Voice will be expressly experienced.

Now, there is another “limitation” prescribed for voices by the medical and scientific community called “vocal cords.” If we limit our thinking to say that our precious Voice is produced merely by the vocal cords, we are missing the target. Elementally, our Voices are “vibrating” matter, generated and sustained by pure energy. This pure energy is conducted through Breath, which mechanically resonates across our vocal cords. The Voice is not exclusive to the vocal cords, but IS exclusive to energy to Breath—as generated with intent from our Inner Selves. Ultimately, the Voice does not even need the vocal cords to communicate and evoke an experience from others—but, for the purposes of an intent to pursue more standardized uses for our Voices, we’ll continue to play that across the vocal cords.

How DO we connect Voice to pure Breath? Ever listened to an accomplished individual “chant”? Have you wondered how they achieve all of that resonance, that quality, that tremendous range of tones and colors? The answer could be found in something called “chakra toning” or “sounding the chakras.” These are energy points, found within different physical levels in each person’s body, that are generated from “the source” and are directly related to various elements of our bodies: the heart, the mind, etc. For a less complex and perhaps a more direct understanding of Voice potentials, please think of this: our Voices are elevators that travel freely and intently up and down a warm shaft spanning the center of our bodies from our abdomen to (and out the top of) our heads. [This concept originated with and is explored further by “The Alexander Technique.”]

Step one: Energy generates intention which then stimulates the diaphragm.
Step two: The diaphragm reacts with expansion, stimulating the lungs to expand to pull in oxygen (sparking the energy of the intention even further).
Step three: The diaphragm contracts, with this intent energy, driving the Voice “elevator” up the shaft on a column of Breath.
Step four: The Breath flows across the vocal cords, setting them into vibration. Simultaneously, the Voice “elevator” is inclined to follow the Breath—but, by intent, it can be focused to have effect specifically elsewhere in the body and resulting environment (to be discussed later in this article).
Step five: Air molecules (and matter) are co-vibrated with the vibration of the vocal cords from the Breath, resulting in sound that is focused and emitted via a manipulation of its environment with intent by the Voice “elevator.”
Step six: Our soft palates and all components of our mouths mechanically respond, with the same intent, to mold the sound into appropriate forms of communication.
This process effectively includes all aforementioned “chakras”; but with a more utilitarian vocabulary.

We’ll explore the manipulation of that magical “Voice elevator” soon—but first, let’s explore breathing techniques.

With the image of a baby back in mind, the ease and contentment of the process of Breathing can be explored lying on you back, arms at your sides, palms upward, with all muscles relaxed. And try to clear your mind as well, picturing pure blackness. If you have difficulty relaxing your muscles, try gently breathing in and “toning” with a hum a few times into each of the tense muscles and envisioning them “melting” like butter. Once relaxed, mind clear, focus on allowing air to simply fall in and out of your body—filling your body deeper and deeper still with each Breath. Think of breathing with Love, with Joy, with Gratitude. Picture yourself, as a baby again, safe and warm in your crib—or within the womb, if it serves you better. This peace, this contentment will allow your Breath to continually fill you deeper, further, with great ease. Now, to come into a more defined experience of your deeper Breathing, place one hand gently onto your abdomen, palm down, and feel the growing and shrinking warm balloon there that is your diaphragm acting. Realize the grace AND the power of it. Once you are satisfied with the “ballooning” experience, experiment with using this diaphragm muscle to “shoot” out long Breaths and then a succession of short Breath “blasts”, each time simply allowing air to fall back into your body, to your diaphragm to “play” some more. Speaking of “play”, let’s play with the comparative experience of “force”: give your hand and arm permission to gently press the diaphragm to “force” breath from your body, allowing your vocal cords to resonate with these “forced” breaths. Then, remembering this “forced” invasive power of your diaphragm, remove your hand and place it back to your side. Go back to simply allowing air to fall in and out of your body with Joy and Gratitude. Then, energizing your diaphragm with an intention, permit the diaphragm alone to do the work (what was “forcing” in the previous exercise). Experience the Freedom of this ability, this power—and realize its Magnificent Potential.

Now, to practice the actual freedom of Voice.

With the same Breathing process as before, allow the vocal cords to vibrate, sympathetically, with both the intention and the Breath. Play around with various intentions, then various volumes of sounding. Next, playfully experiment with various pitches of sounding, imagining your Voice to elevate and to fall effortlessly. If you find your throat becoming tense, stop these exercises and try some easy “yawning”; making note of how the throat expands with the yawn, almost like a balloon itself. Once you are open and relaxed again (or never left this state), play around with Vocalizing with your jaw extended forward and then contracted back into its usual position. Try this repetitively. If you aren’t satisfied with the extension of your jaw, have tension or discomfort; take a break to gently massage its muscles, under and behind the cheekbones, allowing your jaw to simply drop open. As you continue these vocalizations, take note of where your body vibrates the most with each intention used. Try low to high tones and note where it reverberates the most in your body.

Time to take the “Elevator.”

First, realize that the area of the most vibrations you experienced in the last exercise is approximately where your “elevator” will let your Voice off (like on which floor or department, if you will). But, unlike the expressions and resulting vibrations of pure intent of the last exercise, your “elevator” will bring you actual Control of Where and even How your Intent is expressed or “departs.” As you walk through the previous exercises of Breath to Voice, add the image of your Voice as a passenger on your “elevator”, freely running up and down along your central, internal “shaft.” Then, imagine this “elevator” generating from your Intent and flying effortlessly up your “shaft”, then back down again. Relax now, still lying comfortably on you back, generate your “elevator” with an Intent, generate Breath to Voice (as assisted by that always-present diaphragm)—having you Voice as a passenger on your “elevator”; and let it ride effortlessly up from your diaphragm to your head, powering it warmly and Joyously on its way with your diaphragm muscle. Play around with this. Take a few runs. Then, imagine your “elevator” starting at your ankles and running all the way to the top of your head, without thought or effort. Revel in the pleasure of its vibrations, its power, and its simple beauty. If you’d like to “ride” further, imagine your “elevator” as not only vertically capable but horizontally as well, effortlessly moving the Voice to your front and to your back, from heels up to your forehead almost like a swing. Celebrate that motion, emotion and strength. You are also well on your way to better understanding the Healing Abilities of the Voice as well. Blessings!

Next destination: Give your “elevator” a full sense of mobility by STANDING—and walking or running through the previous exercise. Now, you are gaining connective knowledge of practical aspects of Performance—especially when you add in the mobility of your body (while sitting then standing, stepping, walking to perhaps even running or dancing). As you can see, this constructive practice builds on itself; like our bodies, like the universe and matter/energy itself!

There are limitless more play and experiments that can be tried and practiced; but once you understanding these basic support systems and technique for your precious Voice, you can customize it for your unique characteristics, desires or needs and—even the sky is no limit for your Voice! Celebrate it, treat it with warm Love and Joy—it will be there to tell of You.

(Whisper, bellow, shout) Namaste!