Throat Passage

heart-voice-thought

There is something mystical about the throat; a cavity in the neck tissue, a passage-way for our life’s breath, a pathway for truth, a bridge between heart and mind.

It is interesting to notice when my throat feels constricted versus when it feels spacious, when my neck and shoulders are tense and braced versus when they are loose and lubricated.

Equilateral triangle / Fear/silence triangle (?)

heart-voice-thoughts

voice - heart - thoughts

thoughts - voice - heart

etc.

There is an undeniable connection between the state of our hearts and the state of our voice. Singers know this intimately…the heart has to be engaged in the singing in order for it to touch and move people.

But what we often don’t look at is the kind of environment our thoughts are creating in our heart-space. If we think fearful thoughts, the heart will brace and the throat will constrict. If we think encouraging and loving thoughts, the heart will soften and aliveness and flow will return to both the breath and the voice.

This is the difference between an alive and sensitive approach to singing versus a technical and mechanistic approach… a soft and feeling heart.

How can we create a softening in the body whilst engaging in the activity of singing? How can we create the feeling of safety that allows the body to soften whilst engaging in the activity of singing?

So much embodiment work boils down to whether we feel safe enough in our body to experience sensation.

Side-note * I also think that this triangle gives an interesting framework for considering our relationship to truth… many spiritual wisdom traditions tell us that having a clear energy in our throat is deeply tied to our ability to know, align with and speak truth. The triangle above reminds us that the that the sensing heart, not just the analytical/cognitive function of the mind must be engaged in order for truth to be known and communicated. *

This week I have been tracking fear in my heart that has been creating a tension in my throat and a constriction in my singing. But instead of getting frustrated and telling myself “I’m bad at singing” which would have been my habitual response in the past, I have been focusing on acknowledging and transforming the fear that’s causing the constriction. This looks like mental-reprogramming work; consciously changing my fear-based thought patterns so that my heart is no longer feeling under threat / punished and my throat can open again.

It’s OK if what I’ve written makes little to no sense to you. It’s really simple (but not easy) soften your heart, clear your mind / set a clear intention, breathe, sing! <3