Unfiltered Thoughts

2023.04.05 – 0825 – Side SlidesThe side slides·        Stand with your feet slightly further apart than your hips, for added stability·        Take a deep breath – properly and from your diaphragm, then as you slowly exhale… do some side bends·        … tilting your body to the right with your right hand running down the side of your right leg·        Take another breath in as you slowly return to the upright position where you will finish your exhalation.·        Repeat on the left side – and then the complete sequence twice more·        Side stretches are great for expanding your rib cage and making your lungs feel full of air. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.04.04 – 0824 – Yes and NoYes and No·        Move your head from side to side in a wide but slow ‘no’ gesture·        Move your head up and down in a high, low and slow ‘yes’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.04.03 – 0823 – Hands DownHands down·        Slowly lift your hands over your head…·        And as you do so breathe in.·        Then exhale as you move your hands down again.·        This will help you concentrate on your breath control Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.04.02 – 0822 – Hula HoopsHula hoops·        Stand with your feet hip-width apart and with your knees slightly bent·         Put your hands on your hips and do a ‘hula hoop’, big circle movement with your hips. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.04.01 – 0821 – Shoulder Shrugs and RollsShoulder shrugs and rolls·        Raise and lower your shoulders in a slow exaggerated shrug. Up to your ears and then hold for two seconds and then feel the muscles relax as you drop them·        Put your hands on your shoulders and do some big forward shoulder rolls three or four times to unlock tension. The roll them backwards.·        Repeat each exercise and become aware of the tension flowing away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.31 – 0820 – Windmill ArmsWindmill arms·        Stretch your arms out from the side (not the front or back) of your body·        Now draw a ‘figure of eight’ in the air alongside you, gradually increasing the size of the digit·        This helps work out any shoulder and neck tension. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.30 – 0819 – Be A CrawlerBe a crawler·        Do some big ‘front crawl’ swimming movements with your arms, slowly and gently for 20 seconds in a full circle. This will loosen your back, chest and ribcage muscles to help better breathing ·        Now repeat the exercise with the arms rotating backwards ·        Watch out for the ceiling fan! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.29 – 0818 – Hum and DrumHum and drum·        Stand and breath in deeply – remember from your diaphragm!·        Breathe out slowly and as you do so hummmmmmm a constant note·        And as you hum, wake up your chest, sides and back by firmly patting them with a gently closed fist  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.28 – 0817– Make A Stand!
First, make a stand! Many presenters and voice-over artists prefer to stand at the mic anyway. It enables alertness and better breath control:·        Feet firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart and with three points of contact with the floor: underneath the big and little toe and the centre of your heel·        Have your knees soft, the pelvis balanced, your stomach loose and free·        Drop your arms loose and heavy, with your shoulder blades ‘dripping down the back’ with no muscle tension there at all, a ‘long’ spine·        Have your jaw free, with your tongue resting on the bottom of your mouth behind the bottom teeth, with the head floating on top of the spine·        Your chin should be level with the floor·        Consider your head position: there’s a happy medium between a jutting ‘text neck’ and one that’s unnaturally forced back. Remember your spine supports the head quite far back, not in the middle·        Imagine a string up your spine and through your head, gently pull it taught to straighten your back and neck like a balloon full of helium is attached to the string.
Now pick and mix from these exercises to warm up your chest and lungs and relax-out any tension in your muscles and joints. Pump blood, and let your brain tell your body that you’re going to do some work.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.27 – 0816 – Whole Body Warm Up Exercises
Whole Body Warm Up Exercises[1](Some of these exercises incorporate ‘sound’ as well as ‘structure’, that is you may use your voice while you are physically moving, and in that way, there is naturally some cross over with the previous chapter. This again shows how all elements of the body are interlinked.)  We have seen already how nerves and stress creates tension. In this ‘anti-tension section’ we’ll look at the three Rs of relaxation, release and re-alignment of your neck and head, your chest, ribs and shoulders, to allow better breathing and more rounded resonance.
In the next chapter we’ll look at how to combat the fight/flight mechanism that closes your throat when you get nervous.
[1] There are many more exercises from The National theatre in London no less, on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXqyl4C1J4&list=PL5E683693532693DE&index=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.