You can fall down singing: The benefit of diaphragmatic breathing

I have performed as a soloist for a choral group several times in the past. Every time I sing classical arias or art songs, I get nervous because they demand the most difficult vocal technique. That is why I felt astonished when a person approached me after a concert and said, “You looked so relaxed and joyful when you were doing those coloratura passages. How did you manage to stay calm?”

I was grateful for her compliment. Her comment also made me think. Was I feeling really calm as she observed or was I just pretending? The answer is somewhat delicate. The closest to the truth will be, thanks to my practice of deep breathing, my breath was guiding me into the deep center of my whole existence despite the obvious nerve.

We have all seen a stuntman jump out of the 5-story building in a making-of after a feature movie. He goes out and falls way down toward the ground. 

He won’t break his leg; we all know there will be a thick mattress waiting down there to catch him. Another example could be that you are on a roller coaster. The moment the ride slides down the 75-degree slope gives you a jolt of fear. But you know you won’t be harmed because the whole thing is designed with utmost safety (Well, I sure hope so!)

Deep breathing during a performance gives me the similar kind of sensation. I feel nervous, frightened even, but I know I will be all right so long as I keep singing with deep breath. I willingly fall into the gentle but firm support of air. It is a form of surrender to a bigger power.

Our emotional state or mental condition is deeply related to how we breathe. When you panic, you hyperventilate: you take rapid short breaths, breathe shallowly from the upper chest (for the more information about how to avoid hyperventilation, visit http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hyperventilation-prevention 

and http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Hyperventilating).

When you are angry, your face gets red because you stop breathing momentarily. When you are afraid, you also hold breath; the palms of your hands turn cold and your limbs feel numb due to the lack of blood circulation. Usually the more someone gasps for the air, the less he gets it.

This also sounds like stage fright, which I heard about often from my students. Some singers feel extremely dreadful about singing in front of a large audience or in front of complete strangers. They get so nervous that they cannot pay attention to music or surrounding. They miss one note, the whole place melts down into a hell of self-blame. I would tell them that singers must learn to avoid creating such an environment in their mind. But of course, it is difficult thing to do. (Please visit my other blog and read: How to overcome the fear of singing, dated Nov. 27 2013.)

Let’s do a deep diaphragmatic breathing exercise. 

1. Stand with the feet shoulder width apart. Relax your shoulders. Pull up your spines toward the back of your head so that you are aligned from head to toe.

2. Put your right hand on your upper chest. Put your left hand on the navel.

3. Breathe through the nose. You will likely to witness the right hand move up with the inhalation, and not much movement around the left hand. That is called chest breathing. That is how most of people breathe on daily basis. 

4. This time, try NOT to move the right hand. Breathe deeply into the lower abdomen and see if the left hand rolls outward and downward.

5. Practice this deep abdominal breathing several times. Breathe in, the stomach gets big (like a baby's belly). Breathe out, the stomach goes in flat. 

First, it will be difficult to practice this method of breathing. You might likely push in your stomach instead of out, but keep trying. After several in-out breaths in this manner, observe how you feel physically and mentally. You have worked your abdominal muscles harder than before, but you should feel calm, grounded and centered. 

I will recommend practicing deep breathing everywhere you go, whatever you do: while you are watching TV, doing dishes, driving, solving difficult problems, typing at the computer, talking to an upset person.

Make this into your natural habit. Then try this with singing. I will talk more about how to use deep breathing with singing soon. Good luck!