Awareness plays a huge part in learning how to improve your singing.
Before you say “Oh Arden, you’re jumping on the awareness bandwagon too??” let me admit to already being a full fledged rider of that bandwagon for many reasons, not the least of which is that awareness is the number one tool I use as a singer and teacher to inspire the biggest improvements in singing technique for myself and my students.
In my own life lately, this awareness has expanded in a very cool way and I’m excited to share it with you here.
I find myself completely aware of how things that seem to have nothing to do with how to improve singing, actually have everything to do with how to improve singing!
My latest epiphany occurred in yoga the other day.
As many of you know, I’m a devoted yogi. One of the basic poses in yoga is called Tadasana, or Mountain Pose. Tadasana is the foundation for all standing poses in yoga. The basic structure of Tadasana consists of standing with your feet together and your arms by your side with your palms open facing out – nothing more then that.
The other day I was in yoga class doing Tadasana, listening to the teacher talk us through the energy of the pose in our body. She said “root to rise” meaning, root your energy down through the soles of your feet as you rise at the same time by sending energy up the cervical spine out through the top of your head. It’s a feeling of dynamic opposition that lengthens the body. As I did this, it hit me like a lightening bolt:
This is exactly the same energetic direction and body usage that any singer needs in order to access their most efficient support for a powerful, resonant, healthy sound.
Throughout that whole week I brought the idea of Tadasana and “root to rise” into my studio and introduced it to my students as a tool. WOW! What a difference it made!
Check out this example during a lesson with my student Crystal where I explain how to utilize the idea of Tadansana while singing.
You can really see and hear the difference in Crystal’s sound.
Once you’ve watched, I’d love to know. . . . .
Did you try Tadasana in your own singing?
How did it work? What did you feel?
Let me know in the comments section below.
I hope this idea and accompanying video gives you one more tool for your tool box so you can achieve all the singing success you desire and are so very capable of!