Do you experience vocal tension or throat strain during or after you use your voice?
Then, learn how to release that feeling from your voice with these two easy vocal exercises.
Hi!
I am Katarina, speech language pathologist and here on this channel, I share practical
tips about using your voice in a healthy way.
So, if this is a topic that interests you, consider subscribing to this channel and hitting
that bell notification icon so that you don’t miss any of my future videos.
I work with many people who experience vocal strain and tension during or after they use
their voice.
For example, in the last year or so many people have been spending a lot of time talking over
Zoom and similar platforms and at the end of the day, they feel tightness in their throat
or a scratchy and uncomfortable feeling.
They often describe it as heaviness or a lump in the throat.
Are you experiencing similar difficulties?
Let me know in the comments below.
So, how do you get rid of this feeling?
Let me show you 2 great and very easy vocal exercises to release tension from your tight
throat.
Exercise #1 Deep sad cry
There may be several places in your vocal mechanism that are conspiring against your
vocal freedom and one of them may be the position of the larynx.
Very often, people who complain about throat tension, have their larynx stuck in one position.
The muscles that move the larynx upward get overworked and they tighten.
This muscle contraction then keeps the larynx in one position and more often than not, it’s
a high position of the larynx.
This deep sad cry exercise will reposition your larynx into a lower place.
When you move your larynx down, the whole vocal tract lengthens, but it also widens
at the same time.
So with this simple sound, we are creating a lot of space in the throat that counteracts
the constriction or tight throat muscles.
Ok.
Let's do this exercise.
Put a hand on your throat and swallow.
You will feel your larynx move up and then down.
The place where your larynx lands is probably somewhere in a more neutral position.
Do that again.
Do you feel where your larynx lands after a swallow?
Good.
Now, start counting in your normal voice and notice where your larynx moves.
Is it going up or is it going down?
Neither of these are wrong, it is just useful to notice where your larynx likes to move
when you speak.
People often talk with the larynx slightly higher than their neutral position of the
larynx.
Some people talk with their larynx slightly lower and some people talk with the larynx
in the neutral position.
Ok.
So now, still with your hand on the neck, let’s move your larynx down with a deep
sad cry.
Imagine that you’ve been working on a computer all day long.
You spent a whole day writing an important document and suddenly, you clicked the wrong
button and the document disappeared.
Poof!
Just like that!
You feel like crying: I cannot believe that I lost my whole document.
I spent a whole day here on my computer and where did it go?
When you use this type of voice, you are creating more space in your vocal tract by moving the
larynx down and widening the throat.
Your voice is deep, it’s sad, it’s quiet so there is low breath pressure and very little
strain on the vocal folds.
You are counteracting the work of the muscles that keep the larynx in the high position.
You are engaging the muscles that bring the larynx down.
You can practice this type of voice on counting or saying anything.
If you are a singer, you can use this type of sound for cool-down exercises after a vigorous
vocal practice.
You can use your usual scales or arpeggios for this exercise to bring the larynx down.
Simple but effective.
If you are experiencing vocal tension, strain or even pain when you speak, and you are ready
to work towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our Vocal Freedom
System coaching program.
Check out the link in the description below this video.
Moving onto:
Exercise #2 Sirens
Sirens are easy and fun vocal exercises to release tension from your larynx.
If you use a light NG sound in your comfortable range, your larynx will move through several
positions so that the muscles that hold the larynx in one position will release.
Let’s try that together.
Put your hand on the neck so that you can feel your larynx move.
Then, put your tongue tip behind your lower teeth.
The back of the tongue will be high in your mouth, like in the middle of the word FINGER.
So, start the sound on NG lightly in your comfortable range.
You don’t need to be loud.
Then move up in your range but keep the sound small.
Don’t push more air as you go higher in your range.
Then come down and go up again.
And repeat a few times.
Do you feel your larynx moving up and down?
Good.
The biggest rule here is that you don’t feel any tension or constriction as you go
higher.
This exercise is not about breaking records but about releasing tension by moving your
larynx.
So, if you are starting to constrict as you go higher in your range, stop.
Don’t go as high, stay in your comfortable range.
It is better to go through a smaller range than try to cover two octaves and constrict.
That’s counter productive to our main goal - easing the throat strain.
Bonus Exercise: Laryngeal massage
Laryngeal massage, which is a hands-on approach to reduce tension from your throat and neck
muscles, is a wonderful tool.
My video about laryngeal massage is one of the most popular videos on this channel because
it is really effective in releasing throat tension.
I highly recommend that you check it out.
If you feel vocal strain or throat muscle tension during or after you use your voice,
try a gentle laryngeal massage.
You will love it.
I am a big believer in self-applied massage because you can use only as much pressure
as it is comfortable for you and you can stop any time if it doesn't feel right.
You can also download a handout to guide you through a simple and short version of the
laryngeal massage.
Click the link in the description below and download your copy.
If you found this video helpful, click the like button and share it with your friends.
Check out the video on how to do laryngeal self-massage.
I hope to see you soon.
Bye.