The foundation of the voice is breath. We take in a breath and carry it from our lungs to our cells. When we breathe out, we release what is toxic, yet trees can use it for nourishment. Symbolically, we release our thoughts and emotions through our voice to others, and it can be nourishing to their mind, body, and spirit. In many religions, breath implies spirit. The English word spirit comes from the Latin word “spiritus,” meaning breath. As we realize ways to conjure the spirit through the voice, we begin to create coherences with our breath, the movement of our body, heartbeat, and brain waves.

Deep breathing is involved when you correctly sing, which neurologically triggers the vagus nerve. What is the vague nerve? The vague nerve is the 10th cranial nerve that branches out from the brainstem into the chest and abdomen to regulate many visceral organs. When stimulated through deep diaphragmatic breathing, it promotes positive states of relaxation and social engagement; positive emotions of joy, satisfaction, and love, which expresses itself in positive social activities with friends and loved ones. Ventral activity dominates in a situation of feeling safe — and likewise promotes a continued feeling of safety.

Developing your breath capacity will strengthen your voice. The human voice is a phenomenal instrument of healing. We access the larynx, the mechanical structure in our throat that produces the sound and is a part of the breath pathway. The slightest utterance massages muscle tissue in the upper body and cause it to vibrate. Developing a solid diaphragm is one of the keys to proper singing so that you do not run out of breath when singing.

Another aspect you have to develop when learning how to sing is posture and correctly using your diaphragm. You have to have release tension from your jaw, neck, torso, hips, and legs. Every movement of the body, in turn, affects the way we inhale and exhale and so has an impact on our voice. Your breathing pattern will be unrestricted so that singing your favorite songs will be joyful and easy.

Practicing conscious relaxation in certain muscle groups to the point where you don't have any tension will help you pronouns your words when sing. You should try to make sure you're singing in the key of your music with the pitch and rhythm is mesmerized as you sing. The more you practice singing with your body in the correct position, the easier it will be to sing the entire piece correctly. The time you take to relax in this area will depend on the nature of the part and the level of attention you pay to it. For example, if the song is speedy and you have to sing it accurately, you will need to concentrate a little bit more on pronunciation than if your part is slow and you're trying to relax into it. Your overall singing rhythm in this area will affect the quality of your voice. You'll know when your rhythm is good because the music will sing through you and be exhilarating to sing. Continue to pay proper attention to your body so that it can open up in response to how well your rhythm is working.

In the book “ The Mozart Effect,” Don Campbell writes about Dr. Irene Kessler’s work with women with compulsive eating, bulimics, and bulimarexics. She ran her program using Newham’s system of voice movement, combined with other expressive arts.

The early phases of treatment included movement exercises. Then the participates started to sing and tone, which made participants more relaxed. Their willingness to interact and enjoy their voice markedly increased, and soon afterward, they could begin individual vocal work. Irene massaged their upper extremities, such as their neck and shoulders, to help open the women’s voices up.” It was apparent at the start that there was a lot of difficulties maintaining the sound,” says Kessler. "They had a difficult time during midpoints of the such. Though they could express their emotions with their voice, their bodies could not acknowledge them until they were more specific. At the same time, they held feelings back: ‘I know I had one tear, but then it stopped,’ they say. Overall, the exercises brought a sense of release, emotional detoxification, and more ease in the body.

After about ten weekly two-hour group meetings, enormous changes began to occur for the women. They were able to express their emotions and felt their passions reignite easily. Coincidentally, their eating habits improved, and they enjoyed cooking healthy food, managing work stress, and consistently exercising. A year later, the group members continued to benefit from a tremendous change in self-esteem, emotional balance, and physical health.

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There are many ways to find your expression for your thoughts. When you sing, you release emotions you have suppressed. Singing helps you release emotions you have repressed. We all hide things we are not proud of or just too painful to acknowledge. To release our emotional repressions, we make music. Emotions can be hard to express sometimes if you are the type of person to hold them in. Writing and singing a song that you deeply connect with can create a mindset to easily express your emotions.

In conclusion, sing any time you feel stuck emotions in your body. I hope you enjoyed learning about how singing affects your brain, diaphragm, behavior, and posture. Now you can focus on learning how to use it to the best advantage so you can express emotions and feelings while singing your heart out.