Who hasn’t dreamed of starting a singing class, a concert or a rehearsal with tense shoulders, a tight throat, and all their problems in mind? Nobody, obviously!

If, unlike this gentleman, you don’t have the wonders of nature accessible from your backyard, that’s okay! Here are some ideas to relax before a singing session.

1 - Move

A great way to relieve the stress of the day: move! All exercises that work for cardio will be effective: jumping jacks, running in place, jumping rope... You do not need the gym for these exercises: 2 to 5 minutes will be enough to relax 😊!

Allow a few minutes after your mini-session to catch your breath, though!

And of course, prefer one of the other methods if you can’t do intensive sports.

2 - Move your toes

If you are too lazy to do jumping jacks, if you rehearse in a 3-squared-feet local, or if your high school crush is watching you... this method will work better for you!

1 - Clench your feet as you would clench your fists for 10 seconds, then release the tension.

2 - Move all your toes at the same time, as if you wanted to imitate Mr. Burns who says "Eeexcellent" with your toes (as below).

3 - Then, move your toes one by one, very gently, trying to isolate as much as possible the movement of each toe. In addition to relaxing, it will help you to learn how to dissociate your muscles, which is necessary to sing more freely (the more your phonation* and articulation muscles are dissociated, the more options you have to sing)!

3 - Yawn

Yawn to relax the jaw, neck and throat 🙂. If you manage to create real yawns, it will be even more beneficial since yawning is one of the body’s defense mechanisms against stress. In addition, it relaxes the upper part of the body and stimulates concentration!

4- Focus on your breathing

Exercise your breathing before you start singing will help you relax.

Here are two examples of exercises:

The first one, to relax the whole body as well as the mind

1 - Close your eyes and sit comfortably, lying on your back or sitting in a chair or crossed-legged.

2 - Inhale and exhale through the nose, without thinking of the breathing rhythm.

3 - When inhaling, think of a part of your body that you feel tense. When exhaling, relax it; imagine that it is heavier than the rest of your body.

4 - Keep going this until you feel relaxed enough and well enough to start your session!

The second, so that the little troubles leave the mind

1 - Close your eyes and sit comfortably, lying on your back or sitting in a chair or crossed-legged.

2 - Inhale on 4 beats. You determine the tempo (you can count more or less quickly according to what you are most comfortable with).

3 - Exhale on 6 beats. All your air must have left your body at the end of exhalation.

4 - Keep going this until you feel relaxed enough and well enough to start your session!

Bonus: You can, if you feel fearless, add a step and "block" your breathing for 2 beats between inhalation and exhalation.

The ideal would be for you to head towards an abdominal breathing as you go through the exercise you have chosen, since this is the type of breathing you will need to sing anyway!

5 - Hum your favourite song

You already know it: singing is good for your mind and soul!

With this, you will kill two birds with one stone (what an awful idiom I picked, eh? Keep howling my little birdies 🙂!) since you will gently awaken your vocal cords before your session! I advise you to choose a song that makes you work on your low notes, because we tend to tighten our throats when we hum songs without really singing them. In addition, you will feel the vibrations invade your ribcage, and this will be soothing!

*Phonation is the result of the use of muscles and agents needed to produce sound (muscles in the throat, airflow...). In short, it’s when you make noise (words, singing...) with your vocal folds!