Listen to and/or download the practice tracks below.
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Learn to sing like you speak with power and confidence. Unique training to set your voice free for beginner to professional in New York.
Listen to and/or download the practice tracks below.Note: To download without automatically playing the file – right click over the word “download” and chose “save link as” or “save target as.”
Oh, I’m so happy to hear this! The Meditative Breathing is like a massage from the inside.
breathe,
Sally
Hi Sally,
In Meditative breathing exercise # 3, I find it very difficult to release the back muscles. I have scoliosis in my lower back. But the more I practice, the more I can feel those muscles releasing. I have had extensive massage therapy on those muscles since January plus epidurals.
This exercise is so good for me.
Hi Norma,
Think of it logically. When you say an F your bottom lip touches your top front teeth. The breath moves through there to create the F sound. Can’t make an F with the mouth closed. Love your questions!
breathe,
Sally
Hi Sally, in Meditative breathing exercises #1 and 2, when I release the fluffy fffffff, is the air supposed to come out both the mouth and nose? Could I practice with mouth closed and just feel the air coming from my nose or is it better to feel it coming out my mouth?
Good for you, Norma. I love the ah-ha’s you are getting. You really know how to dig in and learn a process.
breathe,
Sally
How cool is that?! Yes, let the ’emotion’ come through you, through an open instrument. Fantastic!
breathe,
Sally
Ex # 4 has moved me to tears. It is the first time that I have been able to feel what it is like to breathe through an open instrument and I know now how to put emotion in my voice. Thank you.
Hi Sally. Thanks for saying the Ffff is to open the ohzone. In exercise #2, I heard you say release the Fff into your head. Now that Makes sense to me. I have been letting the sound all out my mouth, but now I can feel it in my nostrils. It does open that area.
I’m so glad you find value in the meditative breathing exercises! I would challenge you to explore the differences between the FFFF releases you mentioned. Remember that the purpose of the F exhale is to feel the Oh Zone opening. The important thing is that you keep exploring – and keep using the low abs. Let me know what you discover!
breathe,
Sally
I love these meditative breathing exercises. In exercise #5, is the fffffreleased on a fluffy f or an active puff or just a slow strong fffff?
Great question! In the meditative breathing exercise I ask you to feel the muscles working – pressing down into the power source – as you exhale. Feel the natural function of the muscles in the meditation and then see if you can feel the same muscular action when you release the air to speak/sing.
breathe,
Sally
Sally, in meditative exercise #5 you say, “feel your bottom in chair. Press down on bottom. Press down into power source as you exhale.”
My question is: when you release the air to sing/speak, do you press down into the power source?
Release – think of gently holding a butterfly in your hands. How do you release it? Open your hands and let it go.
You will feel your muscles working. Observe that and let it go. You may feel yourself pressing down into the power source but do not make that the focus. Natural function of the instrument is the focus.
breathe,
Sally
Hi Sally, In Meditative breathing exercise #2, when I release the fluffy fffff, should I be pressing down into the power source?
Your mouth is simply forming an F. Say “fun” elongating the beginning F. That’s the position.
breathe,
Sally
What position should the mouth be in when you puff out the air on an fffffffff sound?
Yes! By relaxing the lower back muscles you are actually keeping the diaphragm lower lending more support to the breath and sound movement – WITHOUT using force WITH using natural muscular function. Cool!
breathe,
Sally
In meditative breathing number 3, you said to expand the lower back muscles. Then to concentrate on releasing the lower back muscles must mean letting them relax to help the breathe move out. Is this another aha moment for me?
Release requires letting go. Never squeezing the muscles. When you release the muscles know what to do. They will work to help you. Never squeeze because that will only constrict the voice and prevent it from releasing!
breathe,
Sally
Using the power source, pressing down into it, as you sing gives you power as well as keeping the focus in the power and away from the throat and other places singers love to grip and push!
breathe,
Sally
In meditative breathing 5, you say press down into your power source. Is this how you get the energy/power to sing? This is an aha moment, I think.
In Meditation number 3, you say to actively release the breath, so do you mean squeeze in the lower muscles so breathe releases quickly?
I’m so glad that you can feel the lower back and its’ wonders for your singing!
breathe,
Sally
Yes, you have a to form a relaxed ‘F’. Just the bottom lip gently touching the top front teeth.
breathe,
Sally
Actually you release breath all the time without thinking about it. Whenever you breathe normally, you open the body to inhale and then release the breath. Your muscles do the work that they know how to do naturally.Naturally. That’s the whole premise of SLYS! The body knows how to produce sound, how to breathe, etc. it’s when we try to manipulate that process because we think it’s not enough that we make bad habits.
Observe the muscles working – they know what to do. The strength of those muscles needs time and attention to build. Then yes, they are enough to sing.
Trust!
breathe,
Sally
Will you explain exactly what happens to release the breath? I can feel my lower muscles pulling in, but that it not enough power to sing is it? Do I have to help them?
In meditative ex 2 do you make an adjustment with the mouth to exhale the F sound?
Concentration on keeping the low back muscles open works wonders. Thank you for all the small details of opening the instrument.
Hey Travis,
You’re so welcome! Yes, it does take patience to change your current thoughts and muscle memory around singing to a sense of freedom. Keep going!
breathe,
Sally
Would like to thank you for these exercises. I am loving the results I am feeling in my singing daily. I never knew it took so much patience, but it’s true.
You’re so welcome! Part of becoming a great singer is to know your instrument intimately. The meditative breathing exercises are the first step in ‘getting to know you’.
breathe,
Sally
Low back / loose jaw is amazing Thankyou this is such a healthy process. I love meditating & to think it’ll greatly assist my vocal instrument is a wonderful awareness.