True Voice

We work up so much tension in our tiny visual and speech muscles that eventually the feeling of tension becomes the norm. Haven’t you caught sight of your face in the mirror and been surprised at the grimace? This frequent frown can come from something as simple as harsh light or high-decibel noise or your need for new glasses or a hearing aid. Or the frown may be an involuntary physical expression of intense concentration or concern.

Tension in these small and complicated muscles interferes with your breathing and, therefore, the quality of your voice.

1. Say your first name aloud several times and memorize the sound.
2. Then, relax your tongue as if it were asleep on the floor of your mouth.
3. Let go of any abdominal tension and loosen the “drawstring” muscles that circle your mouth.
4. For several breaths just concentrate on the slow steady “tide” of your breathing.
5. Inhale slowly and deeply and then as you exhale, say your name aloud again. Note the change in the quality of your voice.

Be well. Breathe (and speak) beautifully.

Size Matters!

The tape measure does not deceive! Remember that deep lung tissue is dedicated to the delivery of oxygen and the dumping of garbage gases like carbon dioxide. Lung tissue cannot breathe all by itself. The miniscule delicate air sacs that make up your lungs are at the mercy of respiratory muscles.

The muscles sandwiched between adjacent ribs (intercostals) and those stretched across the floor of your ribcage (diaphragm) are designed to pump and squeeze air in and out of the chest. All breathing muscles need to remain pliable and unobstructed if they are to work effectively. The passages between your nose and your lungs need to remain open and free.

What, you ask, does this have to do with a tape measure? When was the last time you actually measured your neck, your chest, and your waist? Like so many of us, you may have been squeezing yourself into clothes two sizes too small for so long that strangulation now feels normal! Don’t hang onto your college measurements when you buy a new necktie, belt, collar, or bra.

When you restrict your windpipe, your neck, your rib muscles and your diaphragm, you have distorted and inhibited breathing. Go get the tape measure. Update your clothing sizes. Your lungs will thank you. You are gorgeous at any size!

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

The Way We Breathe

Diminished Sense of Smell

Your nose has a lot in common with the nose of your caveman ancestor. Your convoluted nasal passages filter out microscopic garbage. They warm and moisten the incoming air so it will be user-friendly by the time it reaches your delicate lung tissue.

It is probable that man’s sense of smell has diminished considerably over tens of thousands of years. It is difficult to know to what degree the nasal nerves (responsible for evaluating odors) have diminished in size and number over the ages. It’s a good guess that the brain “map” assigned to command your sense of smell is smaller now than it was in primitive times.

Once upon a time man’s survival depended heavily on a highly developed sense of smell. His nose told him the food was tainted, the water was polluted, the grass fire was dangerously close or that elephants were nearby. Members of the same tribe could probably recognize each other by their familiar smell.

Today we rely on the FDA to validate our food and water. We scrub off our individual odors (I’m not complaining) and trowel on the deodorant and aftershave. Energy gravitates to our busier parts and our eyes seem more important than noses these days.

EVEN A DIMINISHED SENSE OF SMELL CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. You still automatically SNIFF when faced with an unknown odor. This tiny exploratory breath samples the air without actually filling your chest with potential toxic gases. You have a few seconds to back away safely.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.

Tension Increases Pain

Make a tight fist with your dominant hand and hold it tight while you count slowly to 20. How does it feel now? How does it look? Nothing has changed except for the addition of physical tension.

Most tension is OPTIONAL, destructive and painful. Of course, there are times when you must tighten muscles briefly to accomplish a specific task. We run onto the rocks when a tension “knot” has been there for so long that the brain accepts the knot as normal.

Does the tension accomplish something or is it just hanging around? Chronic tension strangles veins, arteries and nerves and pulls your bones out of alignment. It doesn’t serve you to put up a tension dam that slows the river of oxygen that flows through your body. The hurt you feel is your brain sending you an alarm that you are doing something very wrong.

The length of an EXHALATION is an ideal time to let go of unnecessary tension as if you are letting air out of a balloon. Let’s play with your jaw-hinge muscles first. Sit up comfortably straight. Relax your belly so you can drop your breathing down into the lower lungs.

Imagine that during each exhalation some of the tension drains out from the jaw muscles leaving them soft and loose. This usually takes only three or four breaths. Experiment with dropping your shoulders with each outbreath. Work your way through the body, releasing tension as you go.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.