Additionally, it is important to realize that your entire body is also a larger instrument in & of itself. When using your VOICE in the most optimal & free way possible, you are using your entire body and mind and spirit. Your feet ground you, your legs support you, your lungs expand with air to fuel the vibration of your vocal folds, and 360 degrees of core activation enables you to speak with power &/or maintain a softer tone without fading away. Your musculature supports your skeleton, which promotes good posture (essential for good voice production), your resonators & articulators create YOUR unique vocal sound, & your mind & heart provide the “feel” behind your voice & the beautiful intrinsic “story” & emotion you can use to share & authentically connect with others.
There is a beautiful, flexible, natural, powerful, & expressive coordinated connection between the breath, the body, the voice, & emotion. Since it is easy to understand the voice does not “stand alone”, it should also be easy to see that exercising the physical body can profoundly impact the voice and its function, quality, support, & stamina. Exercise uplifts overall mood (endorphins!), releases stress/tension, & improves energy (and it is essential to have sufficient energy with the least amount of effort/tension possible to produce a well-supported and dynamic voice that is reliable & successful in the “work” setting). Working out can improve the voice by increasing cardiovascular strength, improving lung capacity, increasing muscular tone, & improving overall stamina. In addition, it can provide a "letting go" of the mind and body, as well as a stretching of the mind and body, which promotes release of tension & relaxation. Just like we experience bodily or mental fatigue if we perform a task we are not conditioned for, our voice can also experience fatigue if the body is not working together to support it or if it has not been trained or strengthened properly. This prolonged vocal fatigue can result in physical vocal injury & possible changes in neuromotor planning related to voice use. "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness" (Edward Stanley).
Stay tuned for Part TWO where we further discuss some specifics and research related to the positive impact of “working out” on the voice.
