The voice is a potent instrument that we all carry within. Many of us associate it with the ability to express our true selves. While working with women, as a teacher trainer for Integrative Breathflow & Voice Rewilding®, I came to realise that there are so many ways our voice gets shut down. Trauma plays a major role in restricting our most authentic expression.
The rise of embodied feminine work often leads us to practices to reclaim our voice, both literally and symbolically, and restore our creative selves, moving beyond patterns of constriction so we can live our unique blueprint.
Here are ways that trauma affects many women’s vocal freedom:
- When manifested as physical tension and vocal constriction, trauma causes your voice to become tense, timid, or even entirely shut down.
- One of the first somatic responses to stress is the tightening of the breathing diaphragm and rib cage (heart area). This limits our ability to project the voice freely.
- Limited breath patterns stemming from a rigid rib cage reduce the power of our exhale. As the voice is produced with the exhale, a closed heart area also blocks vocal freedom.
- Having little awareness or stability in our pelvic floor may limit our vocal potential. After all, voice expression begins all the way at the pelvic root, and a healthy pelvic floor can deepen the resonance and power of our voice.
Luckily, there are somatic practices that help unlock your voice:
- Release jaw tension by using your hands to massage the jaw muscles from the outside. Try out using different fingers, pressure and angles. This may be uncomfortable at first, but if you try to relax and breathe through it, you will soon notice tension melting away.
- Practice letting your tongue bulge out softly from the mouth, without forcing anything and with a focus on feeling relaxed. See if you can put your attention on your voice box as you do so.
- Start consciously opening your rib cage to free your heart area and breath. The rib cage not only plays a major role in the health of our pelvis, but also impacts how free our voice is. A simple way to liberate the rib cage is to lay on a yoga mat on the floor, bend the knees with feet on the ground, and then simply raise your hands and arms up straight to the ceiling, like zombie arms. Stay here and breathe for 5 minutes. Make sure you are on a hard surface, as this helps the deep postural muscles of our body fully relax.
- Once you have followed the points above, start letting out deep and relaxed yawning sounds. This will begin to relax your vocal chords, so that next time you speak, sing or hum, you can notice the shift that has taken place.
As with all somatic work, creating a safe space and being patient is vital. Many of us carry patterns in our fascia, our connective and soft tissues, that can almost feel hard-wired. It takes time for the body to release stagnation that may have set in when we shut ourselves and our own voices down.
Enjoy the process and remember to set aside some time each day to enter the deep rest where old patterns can make way for a new you.
Main – Collage by the School of Embodied Healing Arts
