Welcome to Vibrant Voice, a blog about the myriad facets of voice, how it works, how to release more of it, how to speak and sing what we long to, and what our voice has to tell us about who we are, disclosing our true physical, emotional and spiritual being that can be heard in our voice.
I am fascinated by voice, especially how it reveals who we are moment to moment. Voice is totally dependent on breath – no breath – no sound, thin breath – thin sound, full breath – warm sound. Our voice is an audible read-out of the state of our being. Are we tired, sick, anxious, excited, happy, ecstatic? In our voice, we hear our physical and emotional truths.
At lunch recently in New York City, my 26 year-old daughter, Ariana, said to me, “Mom, take a breath. Relax.” Ariana was responding to my rising anxiety level, which I thought I was managing fairly well. She said later, “I could hear it in your voice.” As simple as that, reality is revealed. I wasn’t hiding anything or keeping it to myself, as I thought. Truth was in the quality of my breath, which was anxious and shallow. The resulting sound was also anxious and shallow, unsupported by breath. Taking a deep, relaxed breath, as Ariana suggested, brought me back into my body, back to the present moment and made me smile.
The throat is a gate, allowing the voice to reveal who we are to the world. We communicate with others through this gate, asking for what we need – or not, sharing who we are, expressing ourselves. As we age, we learn how to open and close this gate when necessary, learning the bounds of what is socially acceptable and safe. In our fear, we try to control the gate, hiding behind it for fear of judgment or rejection. Is it safe to reveal our vulnerabilities as well as our unique gifts? Can we allow ourselves to live a full life, expanding into our soul’s calling? The voice can lead the way.
I teach what I need to learn. I developed Vibrant Voice so that I could take the workshop that I most wanted. Teaching Vibrant Voice, I am reminded of who I am. Breathing, toning, singing, coaching, sharing, loving, every word and every note reconnects me with the core of my being, helping me to grow into my next phase and let go of the old, outmoded ways. Come sing at a Vibrant Voice workshop with me or host one in your area.
Thank you for reading my blog. As Fred Merchant said, “Trust the small but persistent impulse to sing.” Your soul will thank you.
Singing with you,
Peggo
In each blog posting, I am going to add an exercise that you can try so that you can experience something new about your voice. This month, as part of my website launch, I have devised 5 fun voice explorations entitled
5 Easy Steps to a Vibrant Voice. Go to peggohodes.com to receive your free copy along with a free track from my most recent recording, “Peggo in Love.”
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