Hi, so you are watching this video because you want to know how to strengthen diaphragm.
Everybody talks about the diaphragm.
It seems like it's the holy grail of singing.
So, in this video, I am going to share 3 secrets about the diaphragm and you may be actually
very surprised what I am going to tell you about strengthening the diaphragm.
So keep on watching.
Hi, my name is Katarina and I am the creator of How 2 Improve Singing and also the founder
of Breathing Academy for Singers.
So let’s talk about the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is the biggest breathing muscle.
It’s a dome shaped muscle and it separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.
Everyone talks about the diaphragm but it is not the holy grail of singing.
Let me tell you 3 less known facts about the diaphragm that you probably don't know.
Secret #1 You cannot sing from the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is active on inhalation when we breathe in.
The diaphragm moves down and flattens.
Contrary to the popular belief, the diaphragm is not active when we exhale.
Yes, it's not active when we sing or breathe out.
The diaphragm returns and relaxes to its dome shaped position during exhalation and it is
very difficult to control a muscle in the state of relaxation.
Secret #2 You cannot touch your diaphragm.
You cannot touch, feel or directly contract your diaphragm.
It’s not like a biceps that you can strengthen by lifting weights.
Yes, you can pause breathing, you can slow it down, you can speed it up but by manipulating
your breathing you are not affecting only the diaphragm, you are affecting the whole
system.
The diaphragm is the biggest breathing muscle but it's not the only part that participates
in breathing and singing.
Our instrument is our whole body.
It's not just one part of your body.
Yes, it's true that the basic sound is created in your larynx, your voice box but if we isolated
this basic sound, this fundamental frequency from the rest of the body, from the rest of
your instrument, it would not sound pretty.
Secret #3 Finally, and I am sorry to disappoint you,
you cannot strengthen your diaphragm.
Some people may suggest that the diaphragm can be strengthened by sit-up exercises.
The muscles targeted by this exercise are the abdominal muscles, more specifically
the rectus abdominis muscle (or better known as your six-pack).
Some people may suggest that breathing exercises will strengthen your diaphragm.
But the diaphragm is strong enough for speaking and singing, unless you suffer from an illness,
respiratory or muscle illness.
Maybe some people suggest that a strong diaphragm provides strong support for singing.
But do not confuse the concept of “strong support” with a strong diaphragm.
So called support in singing is a coordination of muscle action in your body and it involves
many other muscle groups, not just the diaphragm.
So the goal of a singer is not really to strengthen the diaphragm but to learn to coordinate different
muscle groups during breathing and singing to achieve an efficient movement.
So instead of looking for answers to the question how to strengthen diaphragm for singing, ask
the right questions.
For example, how to coordinate muscle action so that you can produce sounds with ease or
how to breathe efficiently for singing.
Also invest some time and learn about the design of your vocal instrument – about
your whole body.
And believe me it will not be a waste of time.
This knowledge will help you recognize myths about singing and it will allow you to cooperate
with the instrument that you already have in a very natural way.
And that's it for today.
You can check out my other videos to learn more about your vocal instrument.
If you found this video interesting, click the like button and don't forget to subscribe
for more videos every week.
If you want to continue conversation about breathing and singing, you can join our free
Facebook group callled Breathing Room for Singers.
You will find a link in the description below.
Click on it and request access to our group.
Thank you for watching and I will see you in the next video. Bye.