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them to develop strong voices of their own A higherthannatural voice results in braced and
dormant laryngeal musculature The most powerful version of your voice results from the least
expenditure of energy Sonic dominance is one thing vocal efficiency and efficiency derives
from calm practice
The people with the most beautiful stentorian voices are those who were able to pair
tranquil diaphragmatic breathing with forceful vocal projection while growing up Even if you
didnt have this luxury in childhood you can create it by employing the exercises in this
chapter Hence the final exercise which incorporates several of this chapters key principles
Vocal Exercise Reading Out Loud
Read several pages from a book out loud as in exercise Speak in a calm kind full voice
Take slow full inhalations and read aloud until you have no air left to exhale Focus on
articulating loudly and deeply and allow the vocal tract to fully relax during each inhalation
Read slowly and fluently enunciating as clearly as you can Maintain a subtle ujjayi throat
posture and chin lock Throughout preserve a healthy posture in the rest of your body with
wide eyes and a calm face You might gesticulate with your free hand as you talk or make eye
contact with yourself in a mirror between sentences You might perform a zygomatic smile
while you speak Read to your pets a friend or the following imaginary audiences
A battalion of soldiers hanging on your every word
A huge auditorium or amphitheater filled to capacity
Agroup of thirdgraders in a library captivated by your story
Acongregation listening to your sermon
The listeners of a major broadcasting station
A being with a weak heart who could use a loving voice
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Chapter Bullet Points
e Stressed and submissive mammals vocalize in an artificially high range This is also true
of humans
e Over time persistent high pitch strains the voice box leads to the degradation of the
voice and creates a stubborn lump in the throat
e Speak deeper louder and more assertively Start using your outside voice indoors and
your distance voice in close quarters
e Never whine Stop yourself whenever you notice that you are speaking in a voice that it
higher than natural
e Tense throat muscles can be rehabilitated in several ways including exercising the
muscles involved by holding a chin lock therapeutic coughing massaging the throat
muscles externally muting your internal monologue developing a relaxed default vocal
posture and engaging in diaphragmatic vocalization
e Diaphragmatic vocalization will pull your vocal muscles out of dormancy To do this you
take a deep inhalation and then vocalize until you have no air left You can hum sing
speak growl cough or yell Repeating this over and over with the voice deep and
relaxed will rehabilitate your vocal tract Afterward it is essential to let these exercised
areas rest completely
e The optimal resting vocal posture includes limp vocal cords a relaxed glottis and
breathing as if you are fogging up a glass
Chapter Release Vocal Tension
Chapter Endnotes
Morrison M D Ramage L A Muscle misuse disorders Description and
classification Acta otolaryngologia
Morrison M D Ramage L A Muscle misuse disorders Description and
classification Acta otolaryngologia
Anderson J R Meno P Psychological influences on yawning in children Current
Psychology Letters
Gupta S Mittal S Yawning and its physiological significance international
Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research
Dunbar N E Burgoon J K Perceptions of power and interactional dominance
in interpersonal relationships Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Chapter Reprogram Your Posture for Power
By adopting a certain physical posture a resonant chord is struck in spirit Bruce Lee
Ideal Posture Spinal Health and Psychological WellBeing
Poor posture uses tension to hold you upright Because poor posture is less biomechanically
efficient than proper posture it takes much more effort to maintain This inefficiency makes it
so that muscles are used even when not needed and so do not get a chance to rest This places
muscles throughout the spine in a state of perpetual fatigue Over time the lack of rest pushes
these muscles into dormancy which in turn bends the spine out of shape
As age advances the extent of degeneration increases and posture generally worsens The
spine curves into a Cshaped orientation and spinal mobility declines Between young
adulthood and older age there is a reduction in all planes of neck movement There is
about a reduction in all planes of lower back movement But this is not an inevitable
consequence of aging Implementing some additional key postural correctives will ensure that
you retain excellent posture It will also enhance your ability to perform activities of daily living
for the rest of your life
The present chapter provides you with the central principles of proper posture
communicating exactly how to hold your body in space As with the diaphragm however
knowing the tenets of proper placement is only half the battle Like the diaphragm your
postural muscles are stuck in partial contraction and the only way to release them is to push
them through their full range of motion over and over again Releasing the muscles from
dormancy in this way is the other half of the battle and the focus of the next four chapters
Proper Posture
e Ensures bones and joints are in alignment and working efficiently
e Prevents the spine from being set in destructive abnormal positions
e Prevents fatigue strain and overuse
e Decreases wearing of joint surfaces that can result in arthritis
e Increases the ability to generate appropriate levels of force at desired joints
e Stabilizes the body against reactive forces and gravity
e Makes you come across as a predator rather than as prey
Poor Posture is Caused by Chronic Subordination
We are all born with perfect posture and many of us maintain it as far as early childhood It
breaks down due to inattention Postural neglect or a lack of body awareness blinds us to our
protruding head rounded back and uneven hips Most people are similarly unaware of the soft
tissue adaptations that reinforce these bad habits When poor posture begins to feel normal
the muscle memory for good posture becomes inaccessible We permit countless blind spots of
overuse and underuse that crumple our bodies These cause incoordination hinder
proprioceptive messages sent to the brain and speed up the formation of trigger points
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Where does poor posture start We ignore our stooping and make little attempt to correct it
because we tacitly assume that any effort to enhance our posture will offend people
Bad posture is a social signal that communicates defeat Slouching with head bowed and
shoulders forward signifies inferiority in many mammals especially monkeys and apes This
posture constitutes a mode of operation for looking downward under the eye line of more