Yoga for Vocalists

Yoga for vocalists, singers and performers, with emphasis on the breath.

Monthly Archives: July 2014


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The Journey

People often ask me: “Have you been doing yoga for a long time? You’re so flexible!”.  Well, no.  I haven’t.  I’m not one of those teachers who have been practicing since they discovered yoga at a young age, spent hours on the mat each day, gone to retreats in India and Bali.

I did come across yoga when I was younger. As a performer (way back then) yoga was offered as one form of the daily warm-up practices we did, intermingled with contemporary dance and ballet classes, a sprinkling of pilates and whatever training was deemed useful for the production I was in. Some of you have heard me say this already: I didn’t like yoga AT ALL back then. I was prone to getting headaches, so I hated doing inversions with the blood rushing to my head.  I was extremely impatient, so the notion of holding poses (or, heavens forbid, sitting and MEDITATING!) was horrifying. And I didn’t know why we had to jump up and down saluting the sun.

It was just circumstance. I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind, and the teachers and their teachings / methods didn’t appeal to me.

So then, not long ago, in the quest to get back into doing something physical again (especially after suffering from brachial neuritis – but that’s another story) I found myself in a gym that happened to have very good yoga teachers. I can’t even remember why I decided to go to a yoga class then. And suddenly, I found yoga again. I enjoyed and related to it so much that I ended up training to be a teacher and here I am.

But what I’m not setting out today is to write my yogic autobiography.

What I want to say is, that having been a dancer, YES I was more flexible even after years of not dancing. YES, I have a good sense of rhythm and spatial / body awareness. So YES, it was easy for me to “assume” yoga. And with my (secretly) competitive show-off nature, no wonder yoga appealed to me in those early days of my practice.

What I learnt since then, however, is that it’s not about getting that beautiful line in your pose, being able to balance on your arms, doing the splits or standing on your head. It’s all about the journey and the control and mindset you develop in walking that path. THat’s how yoga should be: from the inside out. You find your intentions, your frame of mind. You drop your ego, you develop focus, you learn to breathe.  And the body follows.  So I had it the WRONG WAY ROUND.  I had to work backwards, especially as I wanted to be able to teach.

It’s easy to tell someone, “your warrior pose would look much nicer with your arms extended, shoulders down, front let at a 90 degree angle and your hips squared”.  It’s similar to fixing someone’s arabesque in a ballet class.  But even in ballet, it’s those with a deeper connection beyond (or rather, within) the body that excel in the art, not the ones that can leap the highest or do the most pirouettes. It’s those who are able to touch the hearts and imagination of the audience.

OK, so yoga is not a performance, so there is a difference. It’s really just for YOU (don’t get me started on the topic of yoga as sport. Aaaahhhhh!!!). But as performers, as singers, surely the only way you can reach out to your audience is by discovering yourself, tapping into the reality that is you, and being able to use your whole being, body and soul, to express and connect?

My personal yoga journey therefore has been to work my way inwards.  From the exterior poses to finding myself inside. Yes, I do sometimes go for the more advanced poses, but it’s so that I can struggle, rather than find it easy to “strike a pose”. I want to go through the frustration of not being able to do something, the discovery of the meaning of a pose or practice (what does it do, what benefits can it bring), the acceptance of how far my personal body and mind can go in that effort.  And when I can go through this journey, then I find true contentment in practicing yoga.

But then I don’t burn incense, invoke the gods (of any denomination), read affirmative quotes and burn candles in my classes to invoke spirituality. Not that I have anything against teachers who do (and I may do so if it feels right one day). I do talk initially a lot about alignment and breathing, more so than I talk about your soul.  Why?  Because you still need to be safe in your practice.  No, it’s not about getting your leg up there, but if you’re going to do a pose, you should do it correctly so that you protect your body, strengthen your body and in doing so you are able to let go of that body – in time, the alignment etc becomes second nature so that you can start to dig deeper and find what you need in the yoga practice. If you’re worried about twisting your hips or hurting your lower back, then how will you find focus, rid yourself of anxiety, find poise and become more aware of your whole self to add to your performance skills?

My yoga that I share with you performers is not about becoming an amazing yogi. And I don’t profess to be an amazing yogi.  As they say, you never stop learning in yoga.  And it’s the same in life, isn’t it?  I struggle with letting go of my competitive nature.  I struggle with getting up in the morning to teach an early class. I struggle with finding time for my own practice. YEY!

Then when I teach, I sometimes wonder “are you getting what you want from this class?”. And then someone would come up to me after class and say “thank you, that was beautiful”.  And it all feels worthwhile and “right”. If you walk away from my class with one small thing, be it a sense of achievement (for having made it through a cold Melbourne winter to get to class), a feeling of relaxation or better mobility in those stiff shoulders of yours, then I’M HAPPY.  And hopefully there are more subtle seeds being planted that will grow and help you with your singing, your performance. Yes, it takes time, it takes dedication, but hey let’s enjoy the journey together and have a bit of fun along the way.

Yellow Brick Road

“I’m glad I don’t know everything, Dorothy, and that there still are things in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at.”
― L. Frank Baum, Glinda of Oz


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The Ujjayi Breath and Singing

The Ujjayi Breath. Defined as the Victorious Breath, victorious over the “chitter chatter of your mind”. If you’ve been to yoga classes, you’ve no doubt come across this form of breathing practice. People describe it in many different ways, ranging from a soothing oceanic wave-like breath to something that sounds like Darth Vader is breathing down your neck. And depending on the teacher and the individuals practicing, the room can be silent or… sound like there’s a Star Wars convention with everyone pretending to be DV.

When I first learned about the Ujjayi Breath, I was told to breath through my nostrils but “slightly constrict the glottis, the base of your throat, so that you have a rasping sound in your breath”. To a singer, that word “constrict” may ring alarm bells, as singing is all about control but without tension.

The good thing about making a sound is that you are more aware of your breath. And being aware of your breath, keeping it smooth and constant, is something you do want in a yoga practice. The sound, if not too loud, can also have a calming effect on the mind. Some sources say that it soothes the nervous system and can lower your blood pressure. So in those early days I dutifully became a mini ocean – not too loud, but making an audible sound in my throad.

But as a singer? The tension does sound problematic. I read in one source that the fact that you are forcing your breath through a constricted throat is too drying for the throat and vocal chords. But then, others say that practicing Ujjayi has improved resonance. Calming the mind sounds like a good thing to do, before a sing, before a performance.

As you may know, practically everything about yoga has been debated: it’s good, it’s not, you should do it this way, no you should not. I’m sure it’s the same for singing methodologies and techniques. So in the end, it really depends on what works for you and what you get benefit from – but in the process of finding this out, you don’t want to do any irreparable damage!

I recently attended a workshop with AG Mohan, who was a direct disciple of Krishnamacharya – often called the “Father of Modern Yoga”, the man who taught the likes of Iyengar. The workshop was focussed on the importance of breath and the significance of breath. I will go more into his teachings in another post, but I would like to share what he (and his lovely wife Indra) spoke about in regards to the Ujjayi breath.

Basically: Ujjayi breath, according to Mohanji, is not about making the sound. It’s about feeling the breath and being more in touch, being conscious about the breath. You don’t need to make a sound at all. Feel the breath as it enters your nostrils, through your nasal cavity, down the throat, filling your lungs. Then, especially on the exhalation, control the breath so that it’s a steady stream of air. Not by blocking your throat. Singers would have their own techniques to not collapse their lungs too quickly, controlling the flow of air to sustain a quality sound.

You need to breathe to live. For singers, the breath gives you your voice. In yoga, controlling the flow of breath is said to control the flow of prana (life force, life energy) through your body. So it makes sense to be aware of your breath, not only just when you sing, but when you are moving as well.

So… I put a lot of focus on the breath in my yoga teaching. And Ujjayi breath is a part of this, but it isn’t so that you ALWAYS use Ujjayi breathing. To me, it’s one of the many tools that yoga brings to help you become more in tune with yourself, your instrument. By all means, if you attend other classes that encourage loud Ujjayi breathing and it feels right for you, go for it! Every teacher will have different thoughts, and every yoga practitioner, be they singers or not, will also have different experiences with the Ujjayi breath.


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Welcome to Yoga for Vocalists

Hello!  Thank you for visiting my site.

My name is Miki.  I’m an ex-dancer / actor still dabbling occasionally in directing / producing; opera lover, yoga teacher and crazy cat lady-in-the-making.

After thinking about this for a couple of years I’m finally launching my Yoga for Vocalists. It’s yoga for those who sing, be it opera, musicals, pop, jazz, or just for yourself in the shower (I sing in the car on the way to work)!  Also for those who use their voice in other ways, as in acting, voice overs, public speech.

This is my way of combining my love of yoga and admiration for the art and craft of singers.  A way of giving back to those who bring joy to my life through the voice, and to bring my experience as a performer myself to the practice of yoga.

No, I can’t promise you a role at the MET or a win on The Voice by practicing yoga with me… but I’m sure you’ll have a lot to benefit from by coming along on this journey with me.  I don’t profess to know everything, so I will be learning as much as you.

So… come and join me on the mat. Move the body, chill out, have some fun.

I’m starting off with a free class on Wednesday 16th of July 2014. 6pm at the Performance Medicine studio. Open to all, beginners welcome!  Classes will be kept small-ish, so please make a booking by calling (03) 9820 1324 and let the lovely receptionists at Performance Medicine that you’d like to attend!