Breathing from the Diaphragm

Singing and speaking from the diaphragm is so easy that a baby can do it.  Then why do so many voice students spend thousands of dollars and many hours on lessons trying to learn how to do it and many, despite years of practice still never fully learn the skill?

Let's first look at a few reasons why we lose this skill.  When babies are born, they instinctively breath from the diaphragm because it is the most efficient way to breath and it is natural. That is why you can hear a baby babble across a crowded church yet can barely hear some members of the adult choir from ten feet away.

What is the first thing a parent will say to a child who is making loud noises?  Shhhhh . . . quiet . . . shut up. Infants and toddlers quickly learn that being heard is wrong so they stifle the natural process of breath support in an effort not to be heard. Likewise, teens and adults who are insecure, self conscious and don't want to stand out suppress the natural mechanics of support so they are less noticed.  This also causes people to slouch, bring their shoulders together, bend their neck or close their throat.  Another reason is that proper breathing comes from the belly region and nobody wants to make their belly look bigger.  Fear of what other people think of us is very stifling to creativity.

Finally, gravity pulls down on the body and people instinctively think that raising the shoulders is how we breath because that is what they think it feels like to breath.  Breathing doesn't come from the shoulders or lungs.

Let's first look at our anatomy.  The lungs are beneath our ribs and right beneath the lungs, still under the ribs, is a parachute shaped sheet of muscle called the diaphragm.  When we breath, we pull down on the diaphragm muscle which creates a vacuum in the lungs and air simply falls down or is sucked into the lungs.  Our chest and lungs are not necessarily directly involved in that process.  There is no need to raise the shoulders although, maintaining an expanded chest allows more air to fill the lungs.  Bigger expanded lungs means more space for more air intake.  Every good soldier knows to "STICK OUT YOUR CHEST.  SUCK IN THAT GUT!"

When you exhale you push the diaphragm muscle upward and it pushes the air out of the lungs.  If you only breath from the upper chest and shoulders you will only use half the air in your lungs causing you to run out of breath or have other issues with your vocal production.  If you use the diaphragm, you will use all the air in all of your lungs.

Expanding the chest and only breathing partially through the diaphragm is also the secret to the dead man float.  The lungs are like balloons and if you expand and fill up the upper lungs with air, then only breath through the lower lungs, you'll float without effort. 

Let's do a few exercises to show you how effortless, natural and efficient breathing from the diaphragm can be.

Let's start by lying on the floor.  Bend your knees if you like.  Breath naturally.  Feel that your breathing comes from the stomach area.  That's it.  Simple.  Now let's try a few things with your voice.  Cough.  Notice from where it emanated from.  Pretend you are a fire engine making siren sounds and get louder and higher each time you sound the siren.  Yell "HEY" like you just caught someone stealing.  Yell "Bad" as if your dog just messed on the floor.  Yell "GIT" to a cat in your trash.  Call for help three times with increasing volume as if no one can hear you.  Say "BOO" like you are jumping out from behind a door to scare someone.  Now, playfully say "Woof!" as if you are a puppy trying to entice its owner to play.  Now get on all fours and pant like a dog.  Where does it all come from?

Do you see how easy and effortless all that was?  The challenge now is to stand up and continue to breath that way after years of training your body to accept ignorance, misuse and abuse as normal.

While you are still on the floor, try not to breath from the stomach and only breath from the upper chest.  After five minutes of breathing properly and effortlessly, can you now feel how wrong it is to breath from the chest and shoulders?  Proper movement always makes improper movement to feel bad, like it really is.

I have included a video link to an example of what it looks like to breath properly.  This clip is taken from the movie ROCK STAR starring Mark Wahlberg or "Marky Mark."  Notice that he takes his breath from his stomach then pushes in or contracts his muscles to expel the air.  If we had cameras from his back and side you'd also see expansion there, too.  There are intercostal muscles between each of the ribs and because of the intensity of what he is singing, he is expanding and contracting those, too.  Also watch the swimming competitions at the summer Olympics and pay close attention when the swimmers get out of the water or do interviews immediately after competitions.  They are  trained to breath from the diaphragm.  Some of them may raise the shoulders but they are at least instructed properly otherwise.  The professional dancers on Dancing With the Stars are well trained in breathing since they are also reprimanded for raising the shoulders.  There are many great examples all around us in our professional athletes.  Musicians need to remember that they too are athletes and can sometimes benefit more by a few lessons from a sports coach than a singing coach.  Singers will also benefit by singing WITH the lost, lonely, homeless, dying and the sick.  Technique is worthless if it is not connected to an emotion.  Too many of our trained singers are also devoid of soul.

I will add that if anyone is suffering from any form of COPD, this type of breathing can prolong their life and also rescue them from a shortness of breath panic attack.  Diaphragmatic breathing also increases oxygen in our blood stream which aids in healing, repair and clear thinking because  oxygen is needed for brain function.

So, new moms, please think twice before saying to you infant "Shhhhh . . . "  At least, if you have to say "Shhhh . . . " do it from the diaphragm.

Breathing for Life: From the Diaphragm

No preamble.  Let's just jump into it.

Get on the floor or on your bed.  Lie on your back with your knees bent. 
Take a couple of deep breaths.
Notice that you are breathing from your stomach area.
Make several high pitched fire engine siren imitations, each time going higher and louder.
Notice that you are breathing and pushing from the stomach area.
Notice that your shoulders are not going up.
Notice that your chest may not be going up.
If your chest did go up, good.  Keep it there.
Keep it there as if you were in the Army and your drill sergeant barked at you (from his diaphragm) "STICK OUT YOUR CHEST!  SUCK IN THAT GUT."
Now cough.
Notice it came from the stomach area, or diaphragm.
Yell "NO.  BAD." as if your dog is about to void on your new white carpet.
Notice it came from your diaphragm.
Yell "FIRE."
Yell (quietly-in case someone hears you) "help."
Whisper "Awwwww . . ." while thinking about a new born baby.
Where did you feel it?
Notice that in order to project both loudly and quietly, it came from your diaphragm.

These are all great exercises to awaken you on how to breath properly.  Now for the hard part.  Stand up and try it.  You may succeed a few times but as the day goes on, you will most likely lapse into shallow upper chest breathing again.  That's okay.  Perfect practice makes perfect.  Get back on the floor and keep in mind your drill sergeant's instruction: Stick out the chest (to make room for air) and suck in the gut (to push the air out).  What goes in must also come out, so, in order to breath again, your diaphragm or stomach must expand.   Breathing while on your back is how the machine of your body is designed to operate.  Maintaining that mechanism while standing takes a little bit of work.  The stomach expands to let air into the lungs so the stomach must pull in to push the air out.

The summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are not until 2016 but this summer, if there are swimming competitions on TV, watch them.  Professional athletes are not only trained to breath from the diaphragm but by nature and physical demand, they do so naturally.  Watch the swimmers when they get out of the pool.  Look at their stomachs.  Most will be breathing from there.  Sure, a few shoulders may rise and a few chests may collapse but keep an eye on the stomach.  That is where all the work is being done.

Professional singers are not always good to watch because many do not breath properly.  Isn't it ironic.  Some of them think they know what they are doing but don't, while others are more concerned with how they look and won't expand their stomachs.  Another hindrance is that their clothing may hide the true action of the diaphragm.  That is why shirtless athletes are easy to learn from.

Many teachers who teach singing from the diaphragm fail because they either don't truly know what they are doing or are too afraid to look at or touch their students out of fear of a sexual harassment charge.  You will often see singers touching their own stomachs to assert or verify they are breathing properly but that isn't necessary for, if you are breathing properly, you feel it in your voice, head and whole being. 

When you blow up a balloon, it doesn't fill up just on one side but, the entire balloon fills up.  Your whole upper body must do the same.  Someone looking at you from behind should be able to see your whole upper body expand from the back, sides and front.  When you take a breath, imagine your whole body is a balloon and you are filling it.  Your ribs are designed to expand, let them.

Breathing should be effortless.  To take a breath, we need only to relax the diaphragm and the air should fall into our lungs effortlessly.  To exhale, or yell help or fire or bad or hey, that takes pushing or pulling in.  If we find taking the breath requires effort, that is because we are trying to breath in and push out at the same time.  You can't inhale and exhale at the same time.  If a singer runs out of breath on simple phrases, chances are they are trying to take in more air before they used up or pushed out what is already inside them.  You can't fill what is already full.  You need to empty first, completley.  Get back on the bed for more practice.

Mark Wahlberg does a great job demonstrating proper breathing in the movie "Rock Star" where he spends most of his on stage scenes shirtless and you can see him breath properly.   Even though many pop stars and rappers run around the stage shirtless, I advise not watching them for, many of them are breathing from their chest and shoulders.  Anyone who runs out of breath, cracks or wavers is doing it wrong.  Don't try to learn from them.  Well, learn what not to do.

Breathing properly is good for oxygenating the blood.  Oxygenated blood gives you energy, promotes healing, helps with clearer thinking and is beneficial for overall health.  You can't heal or lose weight or think clearly if you are not breathing properly.  If you ever develop breathing issues from smoking or some disorder such as COPD, you'll be glad that you took the time to learn how to breath fully.

So everybody, for your homework, go to bed.

How To Warm Up A Choir

I am not a fan of "warm ups."  Any athlete or pianist will tell you that isolating a single part of the body to "warm it up" is not effective.  The whole body must be warmed.  A pianist who plays in a warm room will play much better than one who attempts to "warm up" his hands by blowing on them in a cold room or playing an hour of scales.  Warming up is a whole body experience.

Vocal exercises are excellent tools if used for educational or instructional purposes but "warming up" comes from a different place.  A choir director who runs meaningless scales is just wasting everyone's time, especially if there is no educational purpose behind them.

Warming up the voice and the vocal apparatus is much the same as warming up the whole body but with a few additional parameters.  First, many choir rehearsals are held in the evening and the singers have already been walking, talking, breathing, eating and drinking during day.  Most likely, their voice is ready to sing.  However, there are usually a few components missing.

Imagine that a child is about to run out into the street and a car is racing toward him.   In an effort to save his life you would yell "STOP!" or "NOOOO!" or "Billy!"  Did you need to warm up to do that?  The force, confidence and conviction for that vocalization came from your brain because you knew little Billy was about to get smooshed.  It also came from your heart (the emotional one) because you knew little Billy was about to get smooshed.  Your diaphragm naturally rose to the occasion and your soft palate also raised in sympathetic response to the brain and heart in order to convey the message as fully, open and forcibly as possible.

What if your dog were to pee on your new $1,000 carpet?  If you are an owner who believes in negative reinforcement, you might yell "NO!" or "BAD DOG."  Did you need to warm up first?  No, because it came from your brain that the dog was about to soil your new carpet, it came from your angry heart because your dog was about to soil your new carpet and as a result, your diaphragm and soft palate unequivocally made your angry intention known to your pooch. 

A friend has a new born baby and it is sleeping in her arms.  With your best stage whisper you comment on how it is the most beautiful baby you've every seen and you ask to hold him.  You can whisper loudly because your brain knows the baby is sleeping and your heart doesn't want to wake him so your diaphragm and soft palate do what it takes to convey your message with delicacy in hushed, dulcet tones.

You go to a birthday party and everyone sings "Happy Birthday." The whole gathering of well wishers erupt into a rousing and full throated rendition - including two or three part harmony.  Did anyone need to warm up first?  No, because the brain and heart automatically engaged the diaphragm and soft palate with earthy bon ami.

Whether you cough intentionally to get someone's attention, sigh on "arrrgh," in frustration, groan at a bad joke, say "awww" at a cute kitten, jump out at someone and yell "BOO," "Ho-ho-ho" like Santa, or bark like a dog; your diaphragm and soft palate will naturally and fully engaged without warm up because the vocalization comes first from the brain and emotional heart.

All these body parts and mechanisms are already in place and will work on command if we beleive what we are doing, singing or saying.  The first job of any choir director is not to engage the choir in meaningless warmups but to give our text meaning and purpose which should be the primary task of any director. 

I'm not saying that our church choirs don't beleive but, if they need to warm up, something else is missing.  Why can't we automatically sing songs of adoration to God the way we would vocalize the first time we see a loved one who we haven't seen in ten years as they get off an airplane?  Why can't we sing in contrition they way we would if we broke our mother's prized antique vase and bellowed "I'm am SO sorry.  I WILL replace it."  Why can't we sing songs of thanksgiving to God the way we would profusely thank someone who just returned our lost wallet with all the  attendant money intact?  Why can't we sing songs of supplication to God they way someone would beg for a significant other not to leave them?  If the answer is that we need to warm up first, something else is missing. 

Why do so many choir directors have to trick their choirs into engaging their soft palates and diaphragms through the use of warm ups?  The answers can be many and varied.  Maybe we don't beleive in God.  Maybe we don't know how to beleive in God.  Maybe we are afraid to express our belief in public.  Maybe we don't have the conviction to beleive in God.  Maybe we have directors who don't beleive in God.  Maybe we have directors who beleive in music.  Maybe we have directors who are only regurgitating what they've been taught.  Maybe we have directors who just haven't figured it out yet.  Maybe we have directors more concerned with the notes rather than the words.  Maybe we don't know or believe that our music has purpose, meaning and power.  Comprehension does not imply belief and without belief we can't fully activate our bodies.

The solution then, isn't to do warm ups.  It is to network our emotions with our bodies and that takes effort not related to music but - is wholly related to music.  At a job interview once, a member of the search committee, who made sure I knew she was a Juilliard graduate and a soloist in the church, asked me if I did warmups and I spouted to her an abbreviated version of this blog and then I told her that I do lead sung prayer before every rehearsal and she asked, "What does any of this have to do with directing a choir?"  My reply was more advanced than a mere Juilliard grad could understand; I'm not a choir director.  I am a pastoral musician who trains the choir to be music ministers and, that music should not be their ministry but a vehicle to ministry.  Directing a choir has a great deal to do with reversing foreground and background.

First and foremost though is to support what the text and music itself is saying, not to necessarily inflict our own views and emotions on it.  The last thing we need to do is sing and play as if our feelings were being injected into the music.  That happens a lot in church choirs.

Ultimately, the universe has given us everything we need to vocally do what we need to do.  The only thing that stands in our way is ourselves.  I know many music directors will disagree with me and that is okay.  Just remember that no agnostic ever burned anyone at the stake or tortured a pagan, a heretic, or an unbeliever.  If you disagree that fervently, chalk it up to differences of opinion. 

If you'll excuse me, I need to go warm up gravity because I am going jogging and I want to make sure every time I take a step, my foot will return to the ground.

The Act of Breathing

All living things require oxygen in order to sustain their lives.  Besides simply maintaining life, breathing and breathing properly is also essential to the body’s natural growth and healing process.  Singers, athletes and actors all depend on proper breathing for clarity, control, projection, purity and functionality.  Any professional who requires maximum breathing efficiency may never achieve all his or her potential dreams because time was not spent on the most important of all skills.  Likewise, the average person who takes breathing for granted may not live their full life to its maximum comfort, health or standard of living because a lifetime of optimum maintenance had not been observed. 

Healing, prevention from disease and efficiency of the human body is maintained by a lifetime of  richly oxygenated blood supplied to the organs, structures and systems.  Many symptoms of poor health have their root cause in the fact that oxygenation and circulation of the blood is poor.  It is then that the internal organs, muscles, nerves and glands are not sufficiently nourished, digestion and circulatory systems are stressed, the excretory system does not function properly and the whole body is affected.

Proper breathing is instrumental in maintaining mental and intellectual health, too.  While aiding digestion and energy levels, we will be able to work longer hours and be more calm and relaxed while dealing with the daily stresses of life.  Unfortunately, most people employ shallow, upper chest breathing which is not as effective and beneficial as diaphragmatic breathing.  Breathing from the upper chest and shoulders is inadequate, lazy and very seldom is the blood sufficiently oxygenated.

We are always compressing our diaphragms which diminishes our lung capacity.  Poor posture, no training, lack of dedication or understanding of that training, too much sitting and slumping at our desks, tight fitting clothing, or, the fear of looking fat causes this lack of efficiency.  Likewise, people with an inferiority complex may draw their shoulders forward, pressing their chest together, further perpetuating the habit of inefficient oxygenation.

During breathing, air is drawn into the lungs where it fills tiny air sacs called alveoli which then  feed the air to a sinuous network of blood vessels.  The blood absorbs the oxygen and transports it to every cell in our bodies.  As the air is absorbed, carbon dioxide and other waste products are released from the cells back the lungs, then into the air.   Exhalation is just as important as inhalation.  There needs to be a balance between the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood for both health and control purposes. 

The Diaphragm.  The diaphragm is a muscle system.  It is fastened to the lowest ribs on the sides, the bottom of the sternum, and to the back at the top of the lumbar region.  Its primary function is as an inhalation muscle.   The diaphragm is not weak.  It cannot be.  It is used every minute of every day.   There is no exercise that can be done that isn’t already being done, to strengthen it.   No matter your body size and condition, your diaphragm is strong.  In order to breath more efficiently, what is needed is to learn to control the diaphragm and the secondary muscles that aid in moving the ribs and lungs.

Upper Chest Breathing

Quite often, when someone is out of breath, they are not actually out of air.  They have merely lost control of the air they already possess because of a collapsed diaphragm.  When the ribs or shoulders raise during inhalation, this is called upper chest breathing and is insufficient because only a small amount of air reaches or enters the lungs.  The full capacity of the lungs is not realized.  The person who engages in this type of breathing tends not to be able to sustain long breaths because they don’t have enough air in the lungs to begin with, and, when they expel that air, they collapse their chest and lower their shoulders causing the air in the lower lungs to become trapped.  Breathing this way can actually cause you to gasp and run out of breath even though you are trying to breath more.  More air will begin to be trapped in the upper chest, too.   Increasingly, the mechanics of breathing are thrown off and accessory muscles of respiration such as shoulders and neck are called into play.  These muscles are only meant to be used in emergencies.  Alone, they are inefficient.

The lungs are meant to be filled lengthwise, not widthwise.  By breathing from the upper chest, only the widened sections of the upper lungs are accommodated with air.

Abdominal Breathing or Belly Breathing.  The diaphragm is one of the largest muscles in the body and is designed to perform maximum work with minimal effort.  When the diaphragm is lowered, the base of the lungs are filled with air to their capacity.  As the shape of the diaphragm changes, it stretches the lungs lengthwise and distributes air evenly throughout the lungs.  When the diaphragm muscle contracts, it creates a vacuum which effortlessly draws air into the lungs.  When you stop contracting, the lungs deflate passively.  If you are gasping for air, you are doing something wrong.

Breathing Exercises (best not done after a large meal)

Lie down on the floor, facing up.  Relax.  That is very important.  It allows you to conserve energy by slowing your body’s metabolism and in turn, reduces the amount of oxygen your body requires.  Inhale normally through your nose.  Remember that the nose helps to warm, filter impurities from, and moisten the air you inhale.  Notice that your shoulders and neck are not needed for breathing.  The trick is to maintain that form while standing.  You may experiment by putting a Kleenex box or book on your chest and seeing if it goes up and down.  Place another one on your stomach.  The one on your stomach should achieve the most elevation as you push it upward with your stomach muscles and draw air into your lungs.  Don’t be alarmed if your chest expands a little, too.  The ribs have small muscles between them called intercostals.  They aid in contracting the chest to aid in moving the air out of the lungs.

Stand up.  Place one hand over your chest and the other hand over your abdomen.  As you breath, push from your abdomen.  Notice that your abdomen hand moves outward.  If your chest hand moves out, you are still chest breathing.

Picture a dresser with three or four drawers.  You don’t want to open the top two or three.  Imagine that you are opening only the lower one.  That is what your breathing should look like.

Now, ideally, your chest doesn’t collapse, but stays slightly expanded.  By having an expanded chest, you are creating more space for oxygen to effortlessly fill.  By collapsing your chest with each exhalation, you have to use valuable energy and time to re-expand.  That is one of the reasons why some singers drag or are late on entrances.  By the time they force their chest back open, a fraction of a beat has already gone by.  But for now, until you know how to breath from the diaphragm, try not to move the chest.

Learning to breath from the abdomen is the key to breathing easier.  It may take time and effort to master, but once you do, you will discover that you can breath easier, more efficiently and you will have more energy.

Other Ways to Aid In Breathing

General Body Condition.  The key to breathing more efficiently is conditioning.  More specifically, endurance.  Not in the lungs or lung function but in the body’s general musculature.  Muscles are in charge of oxygen utilization and carbon dioxide production.  If they are inefficient, unconditioned, or have not had endurance training, they can slow down the amount of oxygen the lungs can filter into the bloodstream.  This too can lead to a shortness of breath.  Flexibility and increased mobility of your muscles and joints are necessary components to overall health.  Muscle toning, strength building, and endurance building exercises are a key component to any breathing program just as proper breathing is a key component to muscle maintenance. 

Posture.  Whether standing or sitting, you must be in a position that helps your breathing muscles work most efficiently.  Essentially standing or sitting with proper posture will be taking the load off of you other muscles that are not designed to be involved in the breathing process.  

Experiment with posture while you sing or breath.  Start by standing up straight and tall with your feet spaced at your shoulder width.  Take a few preparatory breaths.   Now hang your head forward with your chin touching your chest.  Try singing or breathing while paying close attention to how your throat and chest feels.

Perform the same exercise, beginning with good form, but try it with your shoulders raised.  Then with your shoulders forward.  Try it bent over.  Try it looking sideways.  Try it while slouching in a chair.  Try it slumped over a table. 

Doing it the wrong way is often a good method in discovering the right way.  Try each position slowly and be sure to alternate between good posture and poor posture each time so that your body gets used to feeling good and right.  Then, always do it right.

Making your own lungs.

To further your understanding of how the lungs work, you may wish to build your own lungs, chest and diaphragm.  Here are the materials you will need:

-A clear plastic bottle.  Preferably made with thick or stiff plastic.
-One large balloon.
-Two small balloons.
-A two way or “Y” copper pipe.  These can be found in the plumbing section of any hardware store.
-Molding putty.
-Two rubber bands.

Cut the bottom of the bottle off.

Attach your two small balloons to the “Y” pipe.  You may wish to wrap the rubber bands around them to ensure that they stay on.

Insert the “Y” pipe into the bottle with the “Y” pointing down.  Use the putty to seal and stabalize the top of the “Y” pipe which should stick out the top of the bottle.

Cut the bottom off of the large balloon.

Tie a knot in the neck of the balloon.

Stretch the cut end of the balloon over the open bottom end of the bottle.

Gently pull on the base balloon (your diaphragm lowering).   Notice how the internal balloons (lungs) fill with air.

You can find these instructions on YouTube.   Here is one example of one model in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsGCbvFJ8I