Yoga for singers

Fitness Friday Week 31: Leg Day

Legs steal the show of this week’s Fitness Friday video…. partly because this is a series of supine leg stretches, but also partly because I put my camera in the wrong place and you can’t see anything but my legs.

Put your back down on the ground and enjoy the great slow holds of this winding-down practice. It’s perfect as a pre-performance calming sequence or a post-performance cool down to help settle down the adrenaline.

Fitness Friday Week 29: Ankle Joint Isolation

This short sequence is the perfect post-travel release. Not only does it help to lengthen your back and free your ankle joints, it also helps to drain fluid from your legs and get the blood flowing again.

To begin, lie on your back and lift your legs up in the air. If you feel too much pressure on your core, keep your knees bent. As you inhale, point through your toes. As you exhale, flex your feet. Continue 5-10 times. The next time you point your toes, keep them pointed and circle your toes around (like a conductor) for 5-10 rounds, and then circle them the other direction. Your ankles might click. Don’t panic unless it’s painful. The movement helps to get the synovial fluid moving in your joints which helps with range or motion and joint health.

Your joints will be happy!

Fitness Friday Week 28: Wake Up!

This is my favorite short series to help me wake up my body every morning. To start, interlace your fingers behind your back, straighten your arms, and press your hands towards the floor, lifting your chest and gaze up to enter a soft backbend. Then, begin to hinge at the waist lowering your torso into a fold and bringing your arms up towards the sky. Releasing your hands, take ahold of your opposite elbows and pull your forearms towards the ground to lengthen through the spine. To go deeper into your forward fold, lean your weight towards your toes while lifting your hips up and engaging your thighs. If you’d still like a deeper stretch of your back and hamstrings, take your hands and wrap them around your calves. Good morning body!

Fitness Friday Week 23: Car Yoga

Recently I headed on my 8 hour round trip drive to/from Los Angeles for my voice lesson and coaching. Leaving the house before dawn, I battle traffic, detours, and weather, arriving just minutes before my first lesson. If I don’t take just a few moments to get centered and release my tense muscles before my lesson, my voice will just not cooperate. My quick pre-lesson car yoga session is a must. Try it the next time you have a long drive before an audition, rehearsal, or lesson.

Fitness Friday Week 24: Core/Breath Connection

Connecting your breath with core awareness is of upmost importance for us singers. This simple sequence which is accessible to most fitness levels helps to better integrate that connection.

Start on your hands and knees and tuck your toes under. As you inhale, lift your tailbone, sink the belly down, and lift your chest and gaze up. As you exhale, tuck your tailbone under, arching through your back and, pressing into your toes, float your knees off the ground while engaging your core and pulling your navel back towards your spine. As you inhale, gently release your knees back to the floor and repeat the process again on the next exhale. Complete several rounds until your core feels awake and engaged. Then finish with a downward facing dog and/or child’s pose.