In Eastern practices – in particular, in qigong – there are various voice exercises that are used to work with the body. In addition, the voice can diagnose what is happening in the body. How are voice and health related?
In qigong practice, there are voice exercises. As you know, the main goal of qigong is to open the energy reserves of the body so that there is enough strength for everything. How to achieve this?
Considering that qigong is built on the idea that we have qi energy, our goals are as follows:
- this energy should be sufficient;
- it must circulate efficiently and correctly throughout the body;
- energy resource must be replenished regularly.
You can release additional Qi and improve its circulation through relaxation practices. If the body is relaxed, flexible, energy is not wasted – for unnecessary tension. There is room for efficient circulation. How does qigong work on relaxation?
There are not so many tools to achieve deep, high-quality relaxation in the right form (that is, in an upright position, in motion, and not lying on the couch). These are exercises, for example, the form of qigong Sing Shen Juang, breathing practices – in particular, female Taoist practices, and voice training.
Vibration for relaxation
The voice is a vibration, and it affects not only the listeners, but also the speaker himself, his body. For example, with a properly performed exercise, it is possible to deeply relax the entire body, from the crown to the tailbone.
Such vibration not only relaxes the muscles, but, for example, even anesthetizes during contractions. At the same time, contractions are much less painful, but no less intense, which is good for both mother and child.
Voice diagnostics
When a person is relaxed, he has a beautiful posture, straightened shoulders, a free chest, then his voice sounds deep and beautiful. The voice becomes velvety and full, in timbre – lower and more expressive.
The reverse is also true: if you create such a sound through vocal exercises, it will allow you to relax the usual tensions and restore a beautiful posture.
If the voice sounds tight, too high, shrill, we can talk about chronic tension and, probably, a change in posture associated with it. Most often, the tension of the abdominal diaphragm is perfectly “heard” in the voice.
When opera singers develop their abilities in the art, they are taught, in particular, exercises to relax the diaphragm. Because a tense diaphragm reduces the volume of the lungs, changes the voice, making it sharp and tense.
In a person with such a voice, one can suspect, among other things, problems with the digestive tract – because the tension of the thoracic diaphragm worsens the blood supply to the organs located under it, that is, the liver, pancreas, and intestines.
When the diaphragm is relaxed, it provides a gentle “massage” to the organs, accelerating their blood supply, and hence cell renewal. If the diaphragm is “frozen”, the amplitude of its movement has decreased, then stagnation will form under it, worsening digestion.
Thus, the voice can be not only a relaxation tool, but also a diagnostic tool: if you hear that the voice has changed, then this is an occasion to take care of your health – first of all, pay attention to relaxation practices that allow you to restore your posture and eliminate tension.