Module 2: Mastering Breathing While Singing
Lesson 2.1: Diaphragmatic Breathing
The diaphragm is the primary muscle of respiration, a dome-shaped muscle located beneath the lungs. For singing, we must re-learn to engage this muscle to draw air deep into the lower lungs, which provides the necessary power for a strong, sustained tone. This is often called “belly breathing.” The same breathing seen in babies, up until the age of about three.
Breath first and then sound….Always.
The Diaphragmatic Test
1.Position: Lie flat on your back with a small book placed on your abdomen, just above your belly button.
2.Inhale: Breathe in slowly through your mouth, as if sucking through a straw. Focus on making the book rise up as your abdomen expands. Your chest should remain relatively still.
3.Exhale: Exhale slowly, blowing out, as if blowing out of a straw. The book should fall back down as your abdomen contracts inward.
4.Goal: Practice until you can consistently move the book with your breath, confirming you are engaging your diaphragm and not relying on shallow chest breathing.
Key Concept: Diaphragmatic breathing is not about taking more air, but about taking better air—air that is deep, quiet, and easily controlled.
(You may feel slightly light headed at any stage of this exercise. This is perfectly normal. Stop the exercise immediately and only continue if you are feeling back to normal. This phenomenon happens because you are taking in more air, which can make you begin to hyperventilate)
Our ‘Vocal Health’ Lesson will teach you good vocal health exercises, so that you get used to breathing exercises and all the benefits that come with them.
Lesson 2.2: The Alignment: Proper Posture for Singing
Your body is an integral part of your instrument. Poor posture restricts the diaphragm, creates tension in the throat, and limits resonance. Proper alignment ensures your vocal mechanism is free to function optimally when Mastering Breath & Support.
The Singer’s Posture Checklist
| Body Part | Proper Alignment | Why It Matters |
| Feet | Shoulder-width apart. If you are prone to rocking back and forth, then keep feet same width. | Provides a stable, grounded base for support. |
| Knees | Soft and unlocked. | Prevents tension from traveling up the legs and into the torso. |
| Pelvis | Neutral position and ever so slightly pushed forward | Allows the abdominal muscles to engage freely for support. |
| Spine | Long and straight, as if a string is pulling the crown of your head upward. Tilted ever so slightly back to the optimal position. | Creates maximum space for the lungs and diaphragm. |
| Shoulders | Relaxed, down and slightly back in line with your spine. | Prevents tension in the neck and throat, which are crucial for sound production. |
| Head | Balanced directly over the spine, chin level. Not up and not down. | Ensures the vocal tract is open and unrestricted. |
Actionable Step: Stand against a wall with your ankles, calves, hips, shoulders touching the wall. Step away from the wall, maintaining that alignment. Practice singing a simple scale while holding this posture.
Explore this lesson fully in our ‘Effective Posture Lesson‘.
Lesson 2.3: The Engine: Building Air Resistance (Support)
Breath support is not just about taking a big breath; it is about controlling the release of that air. We use the lower abdominal and back muscles to create resistance against the diaphragm, which slows the airflow and allows the vocal cords to vibrate efficiently. This controlled resistance is what gives your voice power and sustain.
The ‘Shopping Bag’ Exercise
Imagine that you went shopping. You buy your groceries, which fill up two bags. Not being allowed to put the bags down, you hold them. They are heavy. Then, you have to walk all the way home, carrying the two heavy bags. When you get home, you put the bags down on the kitchen table. The first thing that you do is to let out a deep sigh of relief. No more painful arms.
That sigh is what we are concentrating on. A sigh of relief comes from deep inside, causing the abdomen to contract and go inwards. So, when we say to take a deep breath, remember, the contraction of the abdomen.
Let’s give it another try.
1.Inhale: Take a deep, diaphragmatic breath (Lesson 2.1).
2.Exhale: Exhale slowly through pursed lips, blowing out, long and steady, contracting your abdomen and keeping your chest relatively still.
3.Focus: As you blow out to the count of five, focus on keeping your lower abdomen and sides firm and engaged. Do not let your chest collapse immediately. You should feel the muscles working to hold the air in rather than push it out.
4.Goal: Time yourself. Start by aiming for 15 seconds, and gradually work up to 30 seconds or more. The flow of air out, must be steady and consistent throughout.
Key Concepts: The feeling of support is an outward and downward pressure in the lower torso, resisting the air that is trying to escape. Also, this lesson is not independent of singing. The flow of air outwards is exactly the same as the flow of a song. We explore this in-depth in the ‘Vocal Control’ Lesson.
Lesson 2.4: Eliminating Tension in the Throat and Chest
Tension is the singer’s greatest enemy. When you lack proper breath support, your body instinctively compensates by engaging smaller, weaker muscles in the throat and chest, leading to a strained, thin sound and potential vocal damage.
Tension Release Techniques
| Area of Tension | Symptom | Release Technique |
| Throat/Neck | Squeezing sound, visible bulging veins, pain when singing. | Yawn-Sigh: Yawn deeply, then exhale with a relaxed “ahhh” sound. This naturally lowers the larynx and relaxes the throat. Also, use breathing exercises to learn to distribute the air properly when singing. |
| Jaw | Clenched teeth, limited mouth opening, muffled tone. | Open your mouth and let your jaw hang loose, then gently drop it open and close it without clenching. Use the essential ‘Singers Alphabet’ Lesson to learn this in-depth. |
| Tongue | Humped back of the tongue, muffled vowels, feeling of a “lump” in the throat. | Imaging a hot potato on your tongue. Sing with the hot potato, to depress the elevated tongue and allow proper air flow. |
| Chest/Shoulders | Shoulders rising during inhalation, tight chest. | Shoulder Rolls: Roll your shoulders up, back, and down several times before singing. Focus on keeping them relaxed and low during all vocal exercises. |
Actionable Step: Before every practice session, perform the Yawn-Sigh and Shoulder Rolls. Lift your neck and lightly stretch. Monitor your body for tension, especially when attempting higher notes. If you feel tension, stop, release and restart with better breath support.
Actionable Step: To truly get the best out of Module 2: Mastering Breath & Support, release tension in the body. Stand upright and to the count of twenty, lower your body, until your arms are hanging loose towards the floor. Stay in that position for the count of five and the raise back upright, to the count of twenty. Only do this if your back can sustain it, or you have no other condition that prevents you from such exercises.