First, I want to apologize for disappearing for the last month. I had rotator cuff surgery and still can barely type at the computer.
Rehab has given me a new relationship with my voice. I want to offer it to YOU as a way to help get through mental or physical pain and suffering. The image that came to me one day when I was moving through the pain that occurs when I move my arm, is that I can ride my voice like a horse. Sounds crazy, huh?! Okay, like a fierce warrior, I straddle my horse and ride my voice out of my body and into the light! Still crazy?
As I open my mouth and begin to sound or sing, I feel my spirit moving through me and connecting me to something greater that holds me. I can do this while I’m doing painful shoulder exercises, in the comfort of my own studio.
What kind of sounds do you make, you might ask? I find two kinds of sound most helpful. First, angry sounds that have a nasal edge are excellent for moving through physical or emotional pain. The intensity of the sound can meet the intensity of pain. Another way to put it, is that the energy you create in sound can meet the pain that you are experiencing, and help to diffuse it.
The second kind of sound that is widely known to alleviate pain and suffering is to lift up the voice through singing or chanting. I find, if I simply allow my voice to move up into a higher part of my range and make up simple melodies, that the light flows in to my being. Something about the higher part of the human voice opens to the angels. And anything we can do to orient to light and joy, will help us to overcome our pain and suffering.
Today’s Exercise:
To practice ANGRY SOUNDS, open your mouth wide, like a great cat that is showing its fangs. Let out a sound or yowl that vibrates right above your upper lip or across the nose. It will be saturated in nasality. This edge in the voice is key because it focuses your mind on the sound, rather than the pain. Let yourself feel your primitive, animal nature. Sustain the sound on one tone or in a descending slide. Repeat a few times to really get the hang of it. Don’t be shy!
To practice ANGEL SOUNDS, open your mouth wide and sound out on AHHH with a light, airy sound. Listen deeply to your inner voice and let it guide you to tones in your higher range that bring you joy and lift you up out of the dark. Trust that your voice can take you there, if you let it go and just follow where it leads. It is a soul song, that comes from deep within and connects you to something greater that will help you through the pain.
Climb onto your powerful horse and ride with fierceness and trust, through the pain and into the light!