Irritants and the voice

Is it irritating to be a Diva?....the importance of nose breathing.

The subject of voice and irritants arises, often amongst professional voice users, such as teachers and singers. Not for who is irritating to listen to instead speaking of irritants in our environment. Teachers, Actors and Singers can work in environments with dusty, dry and sometimes chemically laden air.

I have had clients who have suffered from sudden (and often violent) allergic reactions, from aeroallergens and irritants such as cedar trees, perfumes, grasses, spray'n'wipe amongst others. Most people, understandably,  get a fright when they realise that they can't breathe.
Most people try to talk while they are still coughing. Often not pausing to inhale again, concentrate of the breath and relax more fully. For some, it is almost as if the cough is in itself an irritant, and, by pushing through it, it will just go away.

There is a great article on aeroallergens and the voice. The difference between Asthma attacks and Vocal Cord Dysfunction is explained well here. 

So if we are afflicted with a sudden change of breathing, we might think  "G*sh, I don't know what this is, but its making it hard to breathe, and I'm coughing" Do we stop? Do we push on and keep talking or singing?

I was in a group voice class the other day. It was utterly delightful. There was a free and open feeling in my voice aided by incredible ease of lung expansion and long and easy breaths. I found my range exhilarating, and it was one of those beautiful times where everything felt wonderful. I was in the zone. There had been noise of construction outside the studio space all morning, and suddenly the smell of burning tar entered the building. It was intense. Before I could "breath in through my nose", I had open-mouth inhaled air laced with the smell particle of hot, burning asphalt.

What to do? I stopped. It stopped the class. I didn't really want to speak, as I was trying not to cough, so I quietly mentioned the smell. I then started to cough a little. I was grateful for the many hours of sessions as well as professional development i have done on chronic cough as well as keeping the throat open. I was sure there was "nothing" in my throat, despite the urge to voraciously clear the living daylights out of it. So I sat with it. Quietly. Inhaling through my nose, and breathing out through pursed lips, and implementing other techniques as I needed to. It was highly uncomfortable.  I knew that it would pass, and I would have to be patient.

It was the last half hour of class, so I didn't participate. Even though I really wanted to. It didn't feel right. I didn't have my breathing sorted nor my airways feeling easy and open. Breath is the very foundation of our being. It is the floors to our house, our canvas to our paint. I felt a bit "Diva-ish" sitting on the sidelines, whilst the rest of the class continued. And it was that feeling that made me feel uncomfortable as well as the throat sensations. I also was grappling with the 'but it had felt so great, and now it feels so horrible". However not panicking. Breathing.

It got me thinking afterwards. When is it that we push through and keep voicing? I mean in survival situations of course we would have to. It also raises the idea of what you might perceive to be a "survival" situation: If you were in a show and had one of these allergic reactions, would you still keep going? Would it depend upon how much you valued your voice (or how much monetary value it had)? If you were a Diva at LaScala, would you stop and if you were in an amateur chorus would you stop? And who would urge you to keep going? Yourself or the Director? And yes, it does gets complex. Do we place a value on our vocal health? And when is it valid rather than 'overdramatic'? It is a tightrope that we walk on at this time: knowing our body, knowing our obligations, and ensuring we honour both as much as is possible.

These sorts of allergic reactions are largely invisible. Initially for me, there was coughing and shortness of breath, with lingering different sensations. The desire to throat clear was defintely present: If I had entered into a state of guilt such as  "They must think I am putting it on" I could perhaps have indulged in some level of vocal theatrics and throat clearing to ensure that everyone would know it had indeed affected me. And if I had panicked, I might have closed my throat and became even more breathless and sure that "something is in my throat". Instead, I was silent. I moved towards people to speak with them gently and succinctly. I remained mostly silent, sipping water, swallowing.

It also raises the concept of internal versus external circumstances that we can change. Externally, I could have left the space, but would have been confronted by the tar men right outside the door. I went to the kitchen to see if I could get water and boil the kettle to steam, but indeed the kitchen smelt worse than the studio. So I turned my focus to my internal situation. Luckily, I had an understanding teacher that knows about Vocal Health and was supportive of the decision.

So instead, I waited, inhaled, exhaled and repeated this pattern for a while. And eventually, I had a cup of hot water, after I had "steamed" the water from the cup.

So a silent Diva of sorts...



Some practicalities.......
Why is it important to nose breathe?

Well, basically nose breathing warms, filters and humidifies air. The nose acts like a screen against anything unwanted coming into the lungs. Fumes, dry, dusty air, smoke can all be triggers for "irritants" and it usually catches us unawares. For some who have significant reflux, they may have a sudden "meeting" with the acidic taste in their mouth and throat. 

Why is it important not to throat clear?
The same cartilages in the voice box that come together gently for speaking, bang against each other strongly. It can cause swelling and irritation...and the desire to throat clear even more. The analogy of a mosquito bite comes to mind. 

What can I do if this happens to me?
Remove yourself from the irritant if it is possible, or place tour hand or scarf over you nose and mouth.
Breathe through your nose and out through gently pursed lips.
Sip water, swallow strongly.
Try not to clear your throat.
Gently hum if you are unsure and see how that feels to make sound. 
Don't panic!

Is Adrenaline perfect for performance?

I had an interesting conversation the other day about Performance and the role of adrenaline with my vocal Physio. She had asked about my recent performance at my Artist in Residence Exhibition opening: “Don’t you need to be on adrenaline to perform?” when i said I wanted to transition calmly from life into "performance".

I had just heard on the radio that Jonas Kaufmann, the current tenor du jour, reports that he has “no fear” when he is on stage and this filled me with delight, and it also filled me with envy that he could move onto the stage in a state of love so grand that he would be present and attentive and vocally open and transformed. I am imagining no fear would also mean no adrenaline. I am wondering if this is indeed the case.

The role of Adrenaline has fascinated me for a long time. After years of noticing that in rehearsals I was able to sing well, it changed when it came to the performance: my heart would race, I would forget the words in the fog in my head, my hands would shake, my legs would shake and it would be a panicked experience, and I would often leave my body. And yet I continued with singing and performing. On a deep level I knew that there must have been a different way, and I was constantly in search for it.

The work of Catherine Fitzmaurice was personally illuminating for me, and using her tremor work has assisted greatly. It is possible for me to have gotten the “shake” out prior to performance, which has a variety of positive effects for my nervous system. Made recently famous by the words of Taylor Swift, shaking it out is a basic animalistic need that helps us to transition between the Adrenaline system back to our Parasympathetic nervous system, our calm nervous system. It can become inhibited when we do not want anyone to see the extent of our physical reaction, or perhaps hide how deep the emotion was. Children can be taught this by even simple instructions "Don't look so nervous!"

In the conversation I mentioned, I was speaking about my intention to transition to performance without the habitual anxiety and adrenaline fuelling aspects. I was wanting to be in the shibumi state of being calm and alert, not calm and not to vague out. It required me to have my ritual before the performance and to be noticing and observing myself strongly throughout the lead up to the experience, amongst other things

For me, the conversation raised a question about our beliefs about warm up and performing. Is it necessary to have an adrenaline filled journey pre show?  Is it possible to keep the stress hormone quelled and therefore able to reside on the parasympathetic nervous system which is the one we breathe, sleep, talk, eat and move easily on, rather than the tiger filled adrenaline of fight, flight, freeze and flee? Does ritual help? Does being in a performance routine assist or get in the way? I have worked with many newsreaders and barristers that do not want any alterations to their preparation. 

I am curious as to how many performers believe that adrenaline serves them well when they perform. Long term, how do we manage our nervous system and our energy levels? In Eastern philosophy they speak of kidney chi and how adrenaline reduces our kidney chi, which is essential for our life force. Does this lead to fatigue generally, and then perhaps vocal fatigue?

Do we need to question our beliefs about our transition to performance? Do we need to reimagine and revisualise those things that we have always done to find a new and more flowing way of coming into the performance arena? I think it can be helpful, although not done on the day of performing or auditioning!! 

I recently showed some of the Fitzmaurice techniques to my friend’s 7 year old that had been losing the joy of singing, She was clearly shaking when she was singing and tightening the throat leading to her pitch being different to what she wanted to pitch (and didn’t she know it). This is a crucial age where self-criticism can commence strongly, and self-consciousness starts. For any performer, the ideal is to be childlike when performing and at the same time have the adult intellect, concentration and awareness that combines beautifully to bring it all into balance to create magic in the performance.

As I whispered to her what we were going to do, she was eager to do it with me. She knew it hadn’t been feeling good and there was no lying to her about it.  Afterwards, I got her to do a little song and asked her how she felt. She said, “I feel so much better. I like how it feels in my body”.  On another level, there was less tension, more “abandon” and her pitch was now gorgeous. And therein lies the joy of song.

And is that not it. How it feels in our body when we make glorious sound. How sound can vibrate and invite every cell in our body to participate in the joy and positive feelings that we can experience.

As for me, I was able to transition on the night with much less adrenaline. I was able to stay in the room on every level and perform the improvisational song that was waiting to be sung. I had got out of my own way, and I was able to invite the magic of the song in. 

There is still so much to learn about this transitioning. I would be so keen to know of your thoughts around this process. Do you have no fear? Do you perform in spite of your nerves, a la Lawrence Olivier? How do you transition into your performance. Does a ritualistic warm up assist you? How much energy is expended prior to each performance?

Sound in the landscapes- the breath of travel

"In the landscape are the voices of the people that got lost. The spirit of the place involves the people that were saying something and it never got heard. That is what one does as a poet. One allows the place to enter your soul and you speak the place. What you speak is the vision. It's the place"  Susan Howe (poet)

Last year, in Autumn, I returned to sing in the caves in New South Wales. The beauty of the green, the drop into the landscape, the coolness, the shift from the broad plains to the mountains. The change in the air and the sensations moving towards these hidden depths. The autumnal leaves as they changed. The sense of returning to the depth of the cave. The familiarity. The stillness. The coolth.
Listening to the birds, the river, the sounds of mother nature. The stories they were telling with their rhythms and their songs. This year, I had a holiday at home, or a "staycation" as some would say. it was enjoyable and deeply memorable. I still listened to the birds and the trees and nature which surrounded me. It was familiar and it was with a sense of return that I travelled inwards.

"Why travel? We need to travel. If we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull , our world becomes small and we lose sense of our wonder. Our eyes don't lift to the horizon, our experience is restricted, as we pass our days in routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and we find that we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days.... Sure there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone, on an empty road, in icy rain, or when you are ill with fever in a rented bed. But, as the pains come , so too will they fall away. In the end you will be so much stronger, so much clearer and a so much happier person, that all the risk and hardship will seem like nothing compared to the knowledge you have gained and the life you have lived." Author unknown

Nomadic tribes in times of old would sing as they chartered new lands. The idea of the Songlines is well known amongst the Indigenous Australians. There is something about the spirit of moving that is incredibly uplifting in its ability to see the world anew, be amazed at fresh qualities of being that allows melody to permeate through into our everyday being. Melody can also assist us with our internal travel: breathing, making soothing sounds, or sounds that allow the walls to shake. Singleness also allowed us to remember what we were hearing, rather than just being talked at. 


"For all its material advantages, the sedentary life has left us edgy and unfulfilled. Even after 

400 generations in villages and cities, we haven't forgotten. The open road still softly calls, like a 

nearly forgotten song of childhood" Carl Sagan

In our modern day of Instagram and facebook and twiter, we tend to glorify the external journey: where we have been, what we have taken a picture of, which monument we saw and how many countries we could fit into a short amount of time.
I too have been an avid traveller of the world. I always thought that through exploring other peoples lives, customs, pantries, languages, bookshelves that I would somehow know more about my own internal and external life: That I could perhaps understand the human race a little more from glimpsing into the unknown lives that others lead, however humble. The open road is also a sense of timelessness, that we have put time aside to honour ourselves and to give our bodies, minds and spirits a sense of recharging and renewal. 
As important as the external travel is, so too is "internal travel", for it can tell us so much about the world in which we find ourselves. It can be nigh impossible to take a photo of the "inside", but it makes it no less eternally memorable. We are all travellers on the internal planes and it can be joyous and perilous. Perhaps it is here in the deep internal travel that we can travel to far away galaxies and glimpse the divine and find deep peace and relaxation. Like a "staycation" where we pack ourselves up in love and wonder. 

Love is a travel. All travellers whether they want or not are changed. No one can 

travel into love and remain the same" Shams of Tabriz

Hamam songs

The seven lights on the steamed dome roof seemed to call in the seven sisters of the Pleiades. We numbered seven in the room who were singing.

A while I was privvy to an evening of bathing decadence at some outdoor thermal springs in the middle of winter. The moon was waning, and the night sky was darkened. Cloudy at first, and later a glorious web of stars in the sky was revealed.

Might I say that it was not myself nor my 2 companions who started the sound. It was a group of 4 young people: 2 with booming bass notes and 2 girls who sat cross legged as if opening themselves up to the wonders around them with open throated "ahhhhh's". What gloriousness to be spontaneously creative. Was it also due to the dome, the curvature, the essence of water or of the slight vision altering of the steam that made it easy to commune and make sound with people not yet met. The unifying nature of the voice and sound was palpable and powerful. Together we made sounds that luxuriated, reverberated and rejoiced. Hearts full with beautiful intentions of making sound to fill the wondrous space around us.

"Sacred chants paid as much attention to the way the tone was reached as to the tone itself- just as a true lover considers the way he or she approaches the beloved as important as the act of love itself" Rudhyar

The joy of hearing others make sound. The pleasure of making reverberations  enhanced the beauty of the environment. New friends made, new joys shared.

I heard one of the girls say "As she sang... I felt my whole body release"

A special gift from above that said "People want to use sound to be happy, to release, to be social"

Lovers of caves

"The cave that you fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek" Joseph Campbell.

Time indeed takes on a degree of timelessness whilst in the cave itself. It is hard to know how long I had been in there. Sometimes it felt as if lifetimes had passed. Othertimes, it seemed to move very quickly although I had been in there for hours. A true sense of the elasticity of time.

For therein lies the peace and calm. Stephanie Dowrick once spoke of “intra-personal” peace. The space inside ourselves where it is no longer in conflict.  Just being.  Not the doing. Just being. Resting. Eating, nurturing talking, voicing. The parasympathetic nervous system. Where our bodies should reside for most of the time- at least 95%. And how in modern society it generally doesn’t. It often runs on adrenalin. And keeps running on adreanlin. And then we wonder why we are tired, or have nothing "left". Adrenalin is a non-renewbale energy source. The energy from the parasymaptheitc nervous system is renewable, long lasting, and easy. Kinda like the tropical island relaxation one gets when one is well and truly relaxed. It needs to be nurtured, and loved. 

How can we make our bodies reside more in the Being?

“We die containing a richness of lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have plunged into and swum up as if rivers of wisdom, characters we have climbed into as if trees, fears we have hidden in as if caves. I wish for all this to be marked on my body when I am dead.”

― Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient

Freedom from the inner critic

"Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains" Jean-Jacques Rousseau

There is so much information these days on how to manage our inner dialogue. Through our favourite search engine, there are a multiple different strategies. Often our inner dialogue, especially if it is negative, can get in the way when we are performing, public speaking, or even speaking to someone new in a personal setting.

I have done a great deal of work with clients over the last year, especially for performers in the area of the inner critic. I have to observe it in myself as well, otherwise the critic can suddenly explode and can lead to overwhelm and confusion. That internal dialogue of negativity stops us from being open, expressive and at ease with ourselves and our body. It is sometimes the inner critic that usually tends to trigger our adrenaline system. I draw on principles of mindfulness, as well as performance psychology to arrive at the easiest and most successful outcome for those that I see.

When we criticise ourselves, we respond with feeling under attack and our muscles tense. It creates a defence by tightening and tensing muscles. For many I work with, this judgement sits in the mouth and throat area and tightens the jaw, tongue, lips, neck and throat. So when we are looking for an open throat and jaw free from tension to obtain a free voice, it proves to get in the way (to say the least).


"Why do lock yourself up in these chains? No one can change your life except for you" Wilson Philips

Indeed why do we have such a harsh critic? What stops us from being more gentle with ourselves, for forgiving ourselves? Some of the things we might say to ourselves are mean, or nasty, or untrue, or based on something that happened when we were much younger. I often have clients who say that it was their year 3 teacher that told them they could not sing, and they haven't questioned it since!The first step is to be aware of when and why we do it, without criticising ourselves (using many of the mindfulness techniques).Is there a way of getting out of our own way and altering the stress-tension pattern. 

Below is one of the most interesting ways to view "stress"that I have seen. "Stress"is a term oft used and over-used: many of us glorify being "busy". Are we more obsessed  with "outcomes" in our modern world? I read recently that perhaps all we need is one life changing idea and it would alter our life forever. I doubt it would come in if we were frantic and focusing on our lack of time.

"Stress-tension-release-relaxation
 Stress-tension-release-rela
 Stress-tension-relea
 Stress-tension-stress"  King

We are not generally in the habit of releasing, nor relaxing as a general rule in Western society. The art of relaxing and releasing is often lost in our busy world and certainly stating to someone that we have had a great time dreaming and daydreaming lately may be met with considerable disdain. Or a judgement of being lazy....or in some circles extremely lucky. Distractions  and addictions are more common, rather than "releases" and focusing inward and reflecting. We may find that during the week, or during a rehearsal period, we are either at maximum speed or passed out on the couch.  Have we lost the balance?

So, as we focus on the doing in daily life, without breaking the tension, the stress cycle continues to develop and the inner critic rejoices that we haven't stopped, so that we may be successful and productive. I often wonder about some of the young corporate individuals who come to see me, as they often are unable to see that their bodies have any level of "stress". They no longer even recognise that they need to release, and they look at me as if i am quite mad to suggest that they need to actively release, focus on themselves, their breath, become grounded and flow again. How can this co-exist in their life? Especially if they are working 16 hour days, as well as weekends. What makes us then stop? 

For a lot of us, if it remains unchecked,  stress and tension continue to build. For many of my clients it is their voice, jaw or breathing that is affected. For some, I feel that their voice is giving them a warning to address their vocal symptoms. And sometimes, we need to know that we inhabit a space internally where it is safe to let go. For many perfomers and those that are more sensitive, being in a supported space with someone else can allow the release to occur. Sometimes it can feel too big to do on our own, especially if the critic is playing a heavy hand.

Here is a great video on the inner critic as suggested by Joyce di Donato, famous classical operatic soprano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=Mgb-kIZcOI4 She speaks of how everyone who performs has to silence that voice in our head that gets in our way. And it is great for any non-perfomers out there too. 

We have the capacity to tone our nervous system and our thoughts. We do not always have to be busy or stressed. We can learn to re-engage our calm nervous system (Parasymapthetic) We need to target our thoughts and our body and listen to them intently and with compassion. 

So some thoughts on finding more internal space:

How can we luxuriate more? How can we structure less?  How can we thank our internal critic for all it gives us, and then allow it to take a back seat and listen more to our inner voice? How can we give ourselves full permission to discover the walls that confine and bind us? For in that must led to increased freedom and ease.

When we are free mentally and emotionally and physically, then we can resonate vocally. Find flow again, find more freedom, in our voice and in our life.... xx

"The human voice is the organ of the soul" 
Henry Longfellow

Roses...the art of life

"Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,-

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue" John Keats

It is that time of year when we transition into the cold and darkness of Winter. In the garden that signifies many things. Recently my dad and I pruned a multitude of rose bushes. Well he did, expertly, and I was his novice student. He is known for his beautiful roses at home.  My dad has a true green thumb, and spends many hours in the garden. I have been known to be not so handy in my garden travails allowing many a plant to meet an all too soon demise. So  it was with a newfound curiosity and desire to learn the art of green life. 

The pruning allowed us to observe the sound of the gentle rain in the garden. The quietude and stillness made this experience truly enjoyable, coupled with the crispness of the cooler afternoon air. Over the summer, the roses had provided me with hours of glorious scent, of delightful colour. Now, in the waning into true Winter, watching them take their final bow towards their ephemerality was true beauty.  It reminds me of the cycles of life and death, allowing the full nature of transformation to be present, from the arrival of the first blushing bud until the last of the petals fall.

I have been contemplating my new instructions to rose pruning and feel that these lessons may also apply to life. Surprisingly, over the past few weeks, I have given this advice to people who are searching for the ultimate rose pruning. Here are my dad's guidelines on how to prune roses, wonderfully advised in his gentle tone of voice, filled with patience.

Cut away the old flowers first.
Start with what you can see easily and cut them away.Take off the old roses, the leaves, in order to see beyond the wildness of the rose bush. Take time to look at the plant and see how it is structured, instead of being in the midst of the plant. Step back and have a look at it from all angles until you can see the whole of the plant and get to know it and what shape it might take.  
Not to be too hasty at the start when we haven't truly seen what shape it is we would like to develop. Give it the space to allow it to unfold. Being patient that it is the first step in the process and it may not yet be clear what to do next.

Cut away anything that is growing on the inside. We are looking to make the rose bush circular. 

Cutting away the branches on the inside. Some looked so lovely that I didn't want to cut them at first. They were not part of the roses plan to grow into its envisaged shape. Such as when things look beautiful on the surface, but they do not serve us anymore and we need to let them go. They are not for our highest purpose, and may lead us into thorny situations in the future.

Cut away anything that is crossing over into the middle of the bush.

This step entails cutting away that which has grown over what needs to be bare. Cutting a branch that will later interfere with the growth of a stronger branch...a healthier one. In modern times, we often have so many things going on, and not always enough time to have clarity on all that occupies us.  To cut away those things in life that cross us, that keep us "busy" and "doing" and that stop us from breathing and Being. "At this deep level we can then create the life we want especially when all of our "branches" are going in the right direction. We can harness and maintain our energy by being clear of what our intention is.

Prune to a third of its original size. Making a firm cut just above a new bud. This might seem a lot, but roses like a good prune (It might look harsh) They will grow back. And flower.

To me this last guideline is all about trust. A third? Really? It seems a lot. Apparently so. 
There has been many times in my life when I have "pruned" my life. Just after it is done, I have had a feeling of slight discomfort, tinged with regret: "oh, perhaps I trimmed too much-it looks so bare and empty". To me this stage is knowing and trusting new opportunities will enter a vacuum. The roses need it in order to grow anew. And amazing opportunities often replace what had been removed.

Winter is a time of introspection, of shorter days and longer nights. It is a wonderful time to observe what is going on internally and make changes that suit us on a deep level. We benefit from this time of introspection to gain clarity and scope out possibilities for the time ahead.

In life, we need to create space, especially if life feels too full. On a physical level, when we have an internal empty space, it can fill. The breath fully exhaled creates a vacuum in the lungs, creating room for the next inhale. We can then trust the new breath will enter into our body easily. We can surrender fully to this breath as it enters at a profound level.
When there is emotional space, it too creates room for the new, whether it be new romantic love, friends, hobbies, a new passion, or something old that is new again. We cannot always do this from a place of busy, overwhelm or overflow. Creating space for new growth. It is a time for searching what makes us happy and excited and what makes our hearts glad.
Space and release on a mental level is needed too. It is the basis of meditation and mindfulness. It is the clearing out of old thoughts, of becoming aware of what our thought space is doing. New thoughts can arrive, creating feelings of aliveness and inspiration. We benefit from this deep level of surrender. Of lettting go, and feeling into the next transition. Knowing that we will be supported. "Leap, and the net will appear".

Gardening together was a beautiful experience. Metaphorically, it is great to get a perspective on one's own life by a person we trust. Only we can make choices and decisions regarding our inner lives. However, discussion and advice can assist with how to "prune" ourselves in the best direction, and with the most amount of love.  

So in the midst of this chilly Winter, there is hope and trust for the Spring whilst acknowledging that it is still a deeply inward time... a feeling of waiting for the next growth to appear and to be filled by new delights. And the beautiful anticipation of the scent of roses filling the air with joy.

xx