How to breathe properly for singing
How to engage your body to breathe properly
By improving your technique, you can create a more confident and supported sound in your music. Whether it's singing or playing an instrument, learning to breathe is fundamental to developing as a musician. If you are taking singing lessons, this is one of the first things you should learn to do.
Breathing with intent is a very good skill to have, regardless of what you play. The act of breathing while engaging your mind and body is not only good for creating a richer sound, but relaxing your mind by taking time to breathe deeply, consciously, and with confidence.
1. Roll your shoulders forward and backwards for 30 seconds.
Roll your shoulders forward for 15 seconds, then roll them backwards for 15 seconds.
2. Relax your shoulders
After rolling your shoulders, let them fall while allowing them to roll backwards a bit. This will help with establishing good posture.
3. Stretch your neck
Using the weight of your head, stretch your neck. Start with your head falling to the right, stretching the left side of your neck. Then, slowly roll your head to your chest, your left, and backwards.
4. Pull your chin to your chest
From the backwards neck stretch, pull your head slowly upwards. Focus on pulling your chin towards your chest in order to keep your neck relaxed.
5. Rest your head on top of your spine.
Imagine your head is held up by a thread connected to the ceiling, pulling your head gently. The thread is is just the right length to tug on the top of your head. Use this visualization to balance your skull on top of the highest bits of your spine.
6. Steady your stance
Take your feet and move them to be hip width apart. This helps maintain the posture that was just established.
7. Push your stomach out and pull it back in.
Engage your core by pushing and pulling your stomach and the muscles surrounding it. Push out your stomach as far as you can, then pull it back in as if you're tugging on your belly button from your back. Do this for 30 seconds.
See more about making this cycle conscious.
8. Take a deep breath while pushing out your stomach.
Breathe deeply through your mouth and push out your stomach while doing so. Focus on the feeling of the air entering your body; imagine the air is filling your stomach.
9. Exhale while pulling in your stomach.
As you let that breath go, pull your stomach into yourself. By doing this, you begin to train your body to use your core to support your breathing.
10. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Continue to work on these steps and deep breathing will be second nature before you know it. Use this knowledge to create a healthy habit of deep breathing for yourself!
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