Mindfulness in Motion and Voice Care
Basic Principles
The ability to release the body and remain open is key to being able to deal with everyday stressors, be they any mental or physical pressure. Training is centred on respecting the body’s natural equilibrium to achieve physical and mental release and openness. This means that we have time and space to
notice the incoming forces, wherever and however they impact our body and mind and respond accordingly in the most released and open state as possible. Increasing our awareness of each part of our body, being mindful of our movements and training these under pressure, takes practice.
+ Why is our voice so important?
Our voice plays a vital function in who we are, how we express ourselves and how we interact with other people. Yet it is often overlooked and rarely gets our attention, except of course, if something changes or goes wrong.
+ What can go wrong with our voices?
There are many reasons why our voice may alter throughout the course of our lives. Changes can be due to one off events that cause trauma to the voice (such as shouting at a music concert) or a chronic build up of injury over time either by illness, poor posture, injurious voice habits or environmental pollutants, such as dust or chemicals. Unfortunately the ageing process can also change our voice. Looking after our voice should be as important for all of us as brushing our teeth or doing physical exercise. The voice can be really easily affected unless we are mindful of these factors. If know how to adjust our movements and mindset we can help to keep our voice as healthy as possible into old age. If we don’t then we could be on a super highway to voice injury.
+ How can stress affect our voice?
Stress can tighten the inside of our throat, tense the chest and make the shoulders hunch up. Muscle tension anywhere in the area of our head, neck or chest can prevent air going into our lungs easily and stop the voice box from moving freely and easily. Stress can cause excess stomach acid production. This acid and other stomach contents can travel back up the food and windpipe (reflux) causing swelling and oedema in the voice box so that the vocal cords can no longer vibrate and can even cause pain when you try to talk.
+ How can poor posture affect our voice?
Rounding the shoulders, either from working at a computer for extended times or looking down at your mobile phone, extending the neck to talk to someone across a table or talking as you turn your head to look behind you - these are all examples of movements that essentially squash or put pressure on your neck and voice box. This tension in the shoulders of the back, neck and shoulders can alter the position of the neck and voice box, distorting the way the vocal cords move to make the sound of our voice. Poor posture from these bad habits can result. Also, if the shoulders are hunched over it is likely that the chest cannot move freely to draw air into the lungs efficiently which is the engine of our voice.
How Mindfulness in Motion can help your voice:
Mindfulness in Motion can help keep your voice healthy and free from pathology or tension. Learning how to move the whole body in a constant state of release and openness can have a positive, direct impact on the structures and movements critical for voice production. This includes opening the chest for effective breath support, released neck and shoulder muscles for an open throat and larynx and mobile and relaxed articulators (jaw, tongue and lips). Increasing our mental and physical awareness and training more mindfully can mean we can get the maximum effect
from any exercise. Even a non-stress related injury to the throat can benefit from this kind of training. For example, take the case of paralysis to one side of the voice box from a neurologic cause. This will likely mean that the vocal cords cannot vibrate as they need to to make the sound of ones voice. Exercises (given under the strict guidance of a qualified expert in voice pathology) can be enhanced in their effectiveness by practising them mindfully and thereby increasing the chances of recruiting more movement back into the effected vocal cord.
6 Top Tips for Essential Voice Care
Keeping your voice healthy can start with these easy daily lifestyle habits:
1. Keep well hydrated: Drink water, 6 to 8 glasses a day ideally. Be aware that alcohol and caffeine are diuretics so they make your body lose water so aim to top up on your water intake if you have these other drinks
2. Daily steam inhalation: Breathe in steam through the nose or mouth and out through the mouth - you can do this in the shower or bath, over a piping hot drink or with a steam inhalation device. It is the easiest and fastest way to get hydration directly onto your vocal cords
3. Keep your environment at home hydrated and well ventilated. Central heating can dry out the air and dust and fumes can irritate the nose and throat. You can buy humidifier devices or even simple pots that you can hang on or close to radiators. Aim to keep windows open fractionally to keep the air circulating. Having indoor plants is also beneficial for keeping the air well oxygenated
4. If you smoke, be aware that this can adversely affect your voice. Smoking can really affect the delicate tissues of your mouth, throat and voice box as well as your respiratory system. Visit https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree if you want more advice on how to give up
5. Manage signs of reflux - reflux (acid coming up out of your stomach) can affect your voice because the stomach acid and enzymes can aggravate the throat and larynx. If you have concerns that you may have reflux it is a good idea to discuss these with your GP. To reduce the occurrence of reflux the following general advice is recommended:
Do not eat or drink anything but water for at least 2 hours before going to bed
Avoid spicy foods or foods that you know cause acid in your stomach, e.g. tomatoes, citrus fruit
Drink plenty of water throughout the day
Raise your pillow at night so that you are positioned slightly upright to avoid any back flow of stomach contents
6. Avoid throat clearing -this is an easy habit to get into to relive any sensation in the throat or to clear a build up of phlegm but it is not good or your voice. It makes the vocal cord bang together and can cause swelling or lumps to form. Try to inhibit the need to throat clear by taking a sip of water and then swallow instead when you feel the need to clear your throat.
Following these simple 6 easy tips daily can really help to keep your voice as healthy as possible
All information and guidance on voice health on this website are designed for general use and should not replace professional help. If you are experiencing any changes or difficulties with your voice it is important to seek medical advice. Contact your local GP who may advise referring you to a specialist voice clinic.
For more information on voice care visit the British Voice Association website: www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk
For more information about joining MiM please contact: mim@bertilsson.biz
Lisa Bertilsson
I come to Mindfulness in Motion training with a specialist interest in voice care. Understanding and learning how we can move, and even think, in complete freedom (which is the ideal of course, rarely, if ever, mastered) has direct benefits for our voice at any age. As a clinician working with both adults and children I see a range of voice difficulties from the severest to relatively mild and understand the considerable impact they can have on a person’s life.
More about Lisa
Following a career in journalism Lisa continued her interest in communication, gaining her Masters in Speech and Language Sciences from University College London in 2008. Since then she has worked with both adult and paediatric clients with a range of complex communication, swallowing and voice disorders.
She currently splits her time between working for the NHS in a busy voice clinic and her own private therapy practice in south west London. Having a keen interest in sport and body movement from a very young age, including gymnastics, tennis, swimming, running, martial arts and
yoga, Lisa has brought this into her therapy work, taking a whole body and mind approach to addressing voice disorders.
A key focus in Lisa’s therapy approach is that it is truly meaningful for the individual and taps into each person’s motivation for change.
Speech and language therapy is, in part, the process of helping someone to acquire or regain their voice. Each person’s voice is unique and personal to them and their identity. Being able to support people to find their voice is Lisa’s motivation for giving therapy support.