Association for Body Mapping Education Teaching Manual
Section Four Supplement: Breathing
Throughout these supplements, Barbara Conable’s language will always be indicated with this font style.
The information found in this supplement is intended to provide additional help for Trainees who may need a deeper understanding of the arms for their own remapping work. It is not information that would be expected to be taught on a Trial Course but of course can be incorporated if the Trainee wishes.
More about Support by Barbara Conable, from WEM, P 88 (for historical context):
“You need to know about support for breathing. Of the sixteen definitions of support in my dictionary only two pertain to breathing: 1) SUPPORT, v., “to bear, or hold up, a structure or mass,” and, 2) SUPPORT, v., “to uphold by aid; back up; second.” You need both: you need something to bear you up as you breathe, and you need something to aid or back up your breathing. What supports are available? For bearing you up: for the whole of you--the floor, your bony structure, and your postural reflexes; for your torso--your legs; for your thorax--your lumbar spine; for your head--your whole spine. What supports are available to aid or back up your breathing? The lengthening and gathering of your spine (BIG help); the resiliency of the abdominal wall (BIG help); the resiliency of the pelvic floor (BIG help); and engaging the deep musculature of the pelvis as you move into length on exhalation.”
For still more, read How to Learn the Alexander Technique, pages 74-77.
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From What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body, 4th Edition, pp 117-118:
Breath Support for Singing
Singers like to talk about support, but how many have a really good working definition of it? What does “more support” actually mean? The concept of support can be divided into two categories: structural support and breath support. If you have mastered the material in Chapter 2, you already have a good sense of structural support. When we stand or sit in alignment, our weight is distributed through our skeleton to the surface below. Biotensegrity teaches us that our bones are also integrated with springy, resilient connective tissues that allow us to be in balance even when we are not upright. When in balance, we can rely on this wonderfully efficient system of bones and connective tissue to support us so that the muscles are free to move for singing.
Breath support is about how the movement of breath facilitates the sound. If you keep your abdominals and pelvic floor toned while allowing them to release and stretch during inhalation, the elastic recoil of these muscles continually contributes to, or supports, the flow of breath during exhalation. Likewise, if you lift your ribs during inhalation, the springy recoil of the costal cartilage supports the expiratory breath flow. In other words, if you inhale well, your exhalation will enjoy constant support from the abdominal muscles, the pelvic floor, and the costal cartilage.
Where singers get into trouble with breath support is in the regulation of the exhalation. We may not exhale as we would at rest: We have to shape the exhalation to our artistic needs. We do this by regulating the release of the muscles of inhalation. If we allow our rib lifters and our diaphragm to release quickly, the breath flow will be fast. If we slow down that release, we slow down the breath flow so that it may be sustained over a long phrase. Of course, when we speak or sing, the muscles in the larynx bring the vocal folds toward the center, creating the slight resistance to the breath flow at the glottis that sets the vocal folds into vibration.
Even how we shape the resonance in the vocal tract can contribute to breath support. No matter how finely tuned the breathing mechanism is, inefficient phonation and resonance can undermine the regulation of the breath, as we will see in Chapters 4 and 5.
When we sing, we engage in a continual dance of dynamic equilibrium among the structures of balance, breathing, phonation, and resonance, allowing more breath to flow for some phrases and less breath to flow for others. Instead of asking yourself if you need more support, you can ask if you need to allow the breath to flow more quickly or if you need to regulate that release so that the breath flows more slowly. You can ask if your phonation and resonance are responsive and efficient. Many singers spend so much energy controlling the flow that they become locked and can’t use the breath they have.
There is a final, crucial element of support that many singers fail to optimize: the gathering and lengthening of the spine. The spine provides structural support as it bears and distributes the weight of our upper body. It also provides support for the breath. Like the cheetah who gathers himself to pounce, we gather ourselves to sing with each inhalation. The resulting release of the muscles of inhalation, in response to the recoil of the spinal discs, allows the spine to lengthen, lending great buoyancy to our exhalation and consequently our singing. Without this spinal movement, breath support will never work optimally.
Related to Image 4.3 a-b: AO Joint, Hyoid, Larynx, Trachea in Context
Deep Neck Muscles
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This is another image to map the outer layer muscles over the deep muscles, again bringing home the point that the freedom of mobility at the A/O joint and in the neck muscles is important to free breathing and free arm movement.
This image is placed here to have students map, and remap, the deep muscles of the neck which collaborate in the movement of the skull at the A/O joint, the movement of the upper ribs and the movement of the collarbones and shoulder blades.
Related to Image 4.7: The Tongue
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The Tongue in Relation to Articulation and Diction
(excerpted from Oboemotions by Stephen Caplan)
https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/oboemotions-book-g7367
The tip of the tongue moves away from the alveolar ridge in order to articulate the consonants T, D, and L (mostly a downward movement, NOT back and forth). The blade of the tongue moves away from the hard palate to articulate the consonants G and K. Understanding the position needed to clearly articulate these sounds is important for singers as well as wind players. You have been doing these movements since you were a baby.
Activity
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Say all consonants (T, D, L, K, G) with a clear kinesthetic awareness of the tongue's position and movement in the mouth.
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The quality of the tongue's movement makes a difference in the quality of diction for singers, and articulation for wind players. Wind players often describe tonguing as either "heavy" or "light." However, the weight of the tongue is constant. Its movement can vary, and a greater awareness of the quality of the tongue's movement will improve articulation and diction issues.
Activity
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Place the palm of the hand a couple of inches in front of the mouth.
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First, articulate the sounds T, D, and L (or Ta, Da, La; To, Do, Lo, etc). Notice the amount of air that you feel against the palm--greatest amount of air for T, less for D, least for L.
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Second, consciously articulate T moving the tongue very quickly, then consciously moving the tongue slowly, Notice the difference in sound, as well as the difference in quality of air against the palm of your hand.
Here’s an X-ray view of diction. Notice the tongue, jaw, and soft palate as a variety of consonants and vowels are spoken:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcNMCB-Gsn8&index=1&list=PLhS3iSA7pjY-8z6TE6vsh-hWdisclqUaI
This video is fun to watch.
Beatboxer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh4aEc4yPh0
Related to Image 4.9 and 4.10: Moving Jaw
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The moving jaw is the mandible.
Students who have had orthodontia will have heard the term "Upper Jaw". The maxilla is a section of the skull sometimes referred to as the upper jaw by dentists and orthodontists. So you may need to clarify this for people who have gone through orthodontic treatment and have mapped two jaws in their body map. They will need to remap the lower jaw as the appendage.
Related to Image 4.11: The TMJ
Opening the jaw for breathing is a release of the closing muscles (masseter, temporalis and medial pterygoid muscles). The jaw is heavy and falls open in response to gravity.
Jaw Muscles for Closing (Kelly Mollnow Wilson)
Related to Image 4.12: Location of the TMJ
Common mismappings of the location of the TMJto be familiar with and how they tend to manifest:
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Coronoid process (forward protuberance which slide along the cheekbones: fishy look
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Mastoid process (behind the ears): jutting of the jaw
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Just behind the teeth: tenses the whole face
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At angle of jaw: mumbler
Related to Image 4.13a: Jaw Closed and Open
To close the teeth, the masseter and temporalis engage slightly.
When the temporalis and masseter release, the teeth open slightly.
To open the jaw, the masseter and temporalis are released and the suprahyoid muscles, especially the digastrics, swing the chin back and down.
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Temporalis Activity
Place palms on temporalis both sides, open, close, and lightly clench jaw to feel the action.
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Masseter Activity
Place palms on the insertion of the masseter, both sides, open, close, and then lightly close the jaw to feel the action of the masseter.
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Digastric Activity
With your jaw at rest, place your thumbs directly behind the chin and press lightly into the soft tissue. Open the mouth and notice the work of the digastric as it swings the jaw back and down.
Related to Image 4.14: Facial Muscles
Activity
Massaging facial muscle: Starting at the top, a gentle massage of the facial muscles can relieve any habitual tension and help your awareness of the many muscles of facial expression.
Related to Image 4.18: Trachea and Esophagus
Trachea in front of esophagus:
The common and very destructive confusion concerning the location of the trachea and esophagus and the function of the pharyngeal muscles is often accompanied by a misunderstanding of sound, which is that sound is a substance, something that a singer or speaker may, for instance “project”. Sound is not a substance; it is merely and purely vibration in air. Singers, speakers and wind players who comprehend this fact fully move air cleanly in and out through the trachea, using their intercostal muscles and their diaphragms.
Activity
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Touch trachea gently: inhale being aware that the air is moving through the trachea, and then hum and feel the vibration.
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Now move the base of the tongue down and back and feel what happens.
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Now release the tongue into neutral and feel what happens.
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What are the differences?
Related to Image 4.23: The Ribs (back view)
Note the bottom two ribs on either side are floating ribs – if you are questioned about them, it’s a good time to address balance again, as the mobility of the ribs and particularly the floating ribs is determined by how well a person is balanced at the lower thoracic spine moving into the lumbar spine and at the pelvis/hip joints. Most should be able to palpate these floating ribs as well.
Most ribs articulate with two thoracic vertebrae at three points. There is a ligament (connective tissue) attaching the rib at the sides of the bodies of two vertebrae and the disc in between them.
This video does a nice job of showing specifically how ribs articulate with the spine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cQX1-aKr04
Here are comments from Barbara Conable in preparation for the breathing panel at the NAU Conference in 2009:
Usually people will give up overwork elsewhere when they take responsibility and begin to actually perceive the work of moving the ribs far enough to get the air they need for the phrase. If they are not looking for work where it happens, they create it where it doesn't.
Amy Likar: Barbara could you address the issue of singers and wind players holding ribs up and out at all costs and squeezing the abdominal muscles. No matter how many times I teach this, I always get argued with on this one.
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This one is hard. As I have written elsewhere, when it's right the ribs do descend quite slowly in a long sung phrase, so slowly it seems to justify "ribs up and out." I have succeeded with singers in getting this right by getting them to perceive the descent at the speed at which it is actually happening. Sometimes one first has to get them to hold the ribs up and out until they get it that by doing so they are not breathing.
Rib movement must be distinguished from the heaving up and down of the thorax at vertebral joints. Breathing happens not at vertebral joints, as heaving and collapsing do, but at the joints of our ribs with our spines and at the cartilage. Rib movement must also be distinguished from a pulling up and down of the collarbones and shoulder blades as we breathe, another movement often substituted for the legitimate movement of breathing. Our collarbones and shoulder blades should simply remain comfortably and flexibly suspended over our moving ribs. This suspension allows for movements in response to breathing.
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Activity
from The Breathing Book for Oboe by Stephen Caplan, p. 25
https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/oboemotions-book-g7367
Noticing Movements of the Thoracic Cavity
Place the palm of your right hand on your ribs on the right side of your body, either in front, back or the side, whichever feels most comfortable for you. Now ask your ribs to move your hand towards the wall opposite your hand. (i.e., if your hand is on your right side, then the ribs will move your hand gently in the direction of the wall on your right).
Did you notice that you took a breath? If you had your mouth open, the air came in through your mouth. If not, then the air came in through the nose.
Do this one more time, consciously moving your hand towards the wall using the ribs, this time with your mouth closed, so that air comes in through the nose. Next, with your hand remaining on the ribs, exhale making the consonant sound “sss...” (like a snake) at about a mezzo-forte dynamic level, until you run out of air. What do you notice happening to your chest cavity (thoracic cavity)? You will feel the ribs moving back down and in.
Repeat this a few times with the mouth closed. Notice that when the ribs move up and out only a little bit, then only a little bit of air comes in through the nose. When the ribs move up and out farther, more air comes in. If the ribs move slowly, then the air moves slowly. When the ribs move quickly, the air moves quickly—you can control this on both inflation and deflation.
Use your hands to palpate different ribs—front, back and sides—and get a sense of the full excursion of the ribs as the thoracic cavity gets bigger, and then returns to its original size.
Next, release the jaw. Notice how the same movements of ribs now move air in and out of the mouth, noiselessly. You don’t have to think about breathing--just focus on the thoracic cavity and your ability to change its size in all directions—and breathing happens. Naturally.
Related to Image 4.26: The Diaphragm is a Muscle
The diaphragm and intercostals are the primary muscles of respiration. However, there are many other muscles that may be involved in the active breathing used by singers and wind players. Refer to What Every Singer Needs to Know about the Body for more detailed information concerning this.
Here is a video that shows the variety of muscles in the thoracic cavity and neck that can aid breathing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXJzTuztS_I&list=RDQM6P4mGnvl1EM&start_radio=1
For a more detailed explanation of Boyle’s Law and how changes in atmospheric pressure affect breathing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD-HPx_ZG8I
Related to Image 4.27 a and b
Diaphragm Showing the Central Tendon and Heart
Explorations for calming ourselves through breathing:
1. Box Breathing -- constructive rest position on floor or seated or standing or whatever. Breathing in and out through the nose. Lips are closed, little bit of space between teeth. Tip of tongue on roof of mouth where the top teeth hook into the hard palate.
A) Breathe in for 4 counts.
B) Hold for 4 counts.
C) Breathe out for 8 counts.
D) Wait for 4 counts.
E) Repeat the whole thing 3 more times -- total of 4 times for the entire pattern.
You can change the number of counts, the only rule is that the length of the exhalation should be twice the length of the inhalation.
The whole point is to activate and enable the parasympathetic nervous system. People will need to be aware of and understand the difference between the sympathetic nervous system activation which is fight or flight (panic) and the parasympathatic nervous system (sense of calm) that can happen during the exhalation.
Video and article on Box Breathing:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321805
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2. Breathing and the Autonomic Nervous System
From Lisa Marsh:
One of the best ways to calm your body is to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing is the one aspect of the autonomic nervous system under our conscious control. When the breath is slow and even, the nervous system moves from “fight or flight” (sympathetic response) to “rest and repose” (parasympathetic response.)
In his book The Relaxation Response (2000), Dr. Herbert Benson describes
the scientific benefits of relaxation. He has described the Relaxation Response as a physical state of deep relaxation that engages the parasympathetic nervous system.
There are many methods to elicit the Relaxation Response, including visualization,
progressive muscle relaxation, energy healing, acupuncture, massage, breathing
techniques, prayer, meditation, tai chi, qi gong, and yoga. These techniques can help
alleviate the anxiety we may feel before a performance.
Steps to elicit the Relaxation Response, adapted from The Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Benson:
A) Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
B) Close your eyes.
C) Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to
your face. Keep them relaxed.
D) Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. Breathe easily
and naturally.
E) Continue for ten to twenty minutes.
3. Alternate nostril breathing
Here is a WEBMD website that gives a great description of Alternate Nostril Breathing.
https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-to-know-about-alternate-nostril-breathing
Related to Image 4.29: The Abdominal Wall
Abdominal Wall in Breathing
Every musician needs to know about the movement of the abdominal wall in breathing. The descending diaphragm pushes on the viscera that fill the abdominal and pelvic cavities, moving them outward against the abdominal wall, front, sides, and back. Some people imagine it is air that moves the abdomen outward, but it is not, it is viscera. Any tension in the abdominal wall will impede its movement and limit the ribs’ excursion and the diaphragm’s excursion. Tensing the abdominal wall is even more destructive to exhalation than to inhalation, because tensed muscles cannot spring back as the diaphragm returns to its domed position. This loses a significant source of support and the movement of breathing becomes chaotic rather than organized. Breathing loses its tide-like quality.
The viscera meet some resistance in our backs and sides that they do not meet in front, where there is no bone except the pubis. Here at our back and sides our viscera meet the resistance of our pelvic bones and our spines. The viscera will not, however, meet resistance from lower ribs if the lower ribs are being allowed their full excursion.
The fact that there is resistance in the bony portions of the posterior abdominal wall does not mean that there will not be movement. There is much movement where there is no bone, and subtler movement occurs in the pelvis and spine in breathing. The fact that there is resistance in the posterior abdominal wall does not mean that there will not be sensation. These bony areas are lined with tactile and kinesthetic sensors, and sensation in this area is profound in breathing, particularly the sensation of pressure against the pelvic bones on inhalation and the engagement of our deep pelvic structures on exhalation as our spines lengthen.
Related to Image 4.31: Abdominal and Pelvic Cavities
This image shows the diaphragm and the pelvic floor in context with the lumbar and lower thoracic spine. This brings us back to thinking of our whole body balance and how we are delivering and bearing weight from the head and thorax into the lower thoracic spine and lumbar spine. Without efficient weight delivery and balance through the spine and into the pelvis and hips, free breathing cannot be achieved. This is a good time in the course to revisit whole body balance if you haven’t been doing it all along.
The image below implies a deep connection between the diaphragm, iliapsoas muscle, and the foot. Dynamic balance helps release any muscular tension that could interfere with these connections, and allows musicians to experience full support for breathing.
MUSCLES OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL AND THEIR ROLE IN BREATHING
Many musicians believe that they must directly control specific internal and/or external abdominal muscles in order to support breathing and music making. Body Mapping advocates a different approach. With good alignment and strong musical intentions, the brain will recruit any necessary muscles required to produce whatever musical sounds we want to create. There are many muscles in our torso that work together in complex ways to support our movements--our brains need to be concerned with the emotions and rhythms of our music, not clouded by the intricacies of musculature. Our job, as performers, is to find good balance, allowing us to release any unnecessary muscular tension in the body. For singers and wind players, this will make available the elastic recoil of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles on exhalation, providing support for the sounds they produce.
That said, here are some ideas about the role of specific muscles from Dr. Richard Nichols, based on current research:
One of the ‘hot topics’ in neuroscience research right now is the idea that muscles are recruited in synergies, or habitual groupings. These synergies can be innate or learned, and can be modified or new ones created.
During quiet breathing in the erect posture, the abdominal muscles are active at a low level and continuously, apparently to help maintain intra-abdominal pressure and stability of the trunk, and support breathing. This low to moderate level of activity can be called tone. During more rapid or deeper breathing, the activity of the external oblique muscles increases and takes on the rhythm of breathing, and facilitates expiration. During movements of the lower extremities (and upper extremities), abdominal muscles, including the external and internal obliques and transversus abdominis, are activated initially to stabilize the spine and trunk.
These few observations from Dr. Nichols give us a sense of the complex roles of the abdominal and pelvic musculature. Body Mapping Educators should encourage musicians to seek muscular ease, freedom and flexibility in order to create great music.
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THE PSOAS
The Psoas major is part of the iliopsoas and contributes to flexion and external rotation in the hip joint. It forms part of a group of muscles called the hip flexors, whose action is primarily to lift the upper leg towards the body when the body is fixed or to pull the body towards the leg when the leg is fixed.
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As Body Mapping Educators, we sometimes call this muscle the filet mignon muscle or the tenderloin muscle and this is another opportunity to talk about whole body balance. When a person thrusts his/her pelvis forward of balance and his/her upper thoracic back of balance, it greatly restricts the amount of excursion the diaphragm has when breathing. The forward thrust of the pelvis minimizes the amount of movement the ribs can make as well. If the musician is one who locks his/her knees, it is balance at the atlanto/occipital joint and thoracic/lumbar spine and hip joints that helps him/her come out of that imbalance.
From Barbara Conable’s Structures and Movement of Breathing, page 36:
The freer and more buoyant singing is on the inside of the pelvis, the more likely it is that there will be a sensation of release or spreading or dropping throughout the gluteal system, exterior to the pelvis, on exhalation. This sensation is not to be confused with “tucking.” Tucking is work, and it interferes with the releasing sensation, rather than facilitating it. What facilitates it is the clear mapping of muscles exterior to the pelvis as distinguished from those interior.
Related to Image 4.32: Pelvic Floor Muscles
These muscles are often metaphorically called the pelvic diaphragm. The metaphor is valid to a certain point, inspired by the domed shape (inverted, of course) and the importance in breathing. The metaphor breaks down on the matter of work. Our thoracic diaphragm works when we inhale, and our pelvic “diaphragm” must not work.
Related to Image 4.34: Spinal Mobility
Deepening and Widening of the thoracic space during spinal mobility
Gathering can also be called the deepening and widening of the torso that occurs on the inhalation. Lengthening happens on the exhalation. It is critical that students permit this movement and not fabricate it. In standing, it is a more subtle sensation, it won’t be as drastic as when draping over a ball or a pillow. Those who try to feel the amount of movement standing that they see on someone else lying down will tend to fabricate the movement of gathering and lengthening while breathing. There is a difference between moving the spine and permitting spinal mobility while breathing. It should also be noted that it is not necessary to pull one’s head back and down to gather the spine. A gathering spine and downward pull are two different things.
David Gorman, in The Moveable Body, states:
“Note—It must be stressed here that breathing is such a complex and interrelated function of the body and there is such variety in the way that different individuals use the related bones and muscles in breathing that it is almost impossible to state categorically that ‘this is how respiration works’. So at best, the various parts concerned can be described along with a general picture of the breathing process.”
Barbara Conable recognized that singers and wind players need an optimal form of breathing to support long musical phrases and passionate emotions. She felt strongly that something she called “spinal gathering and lengthening” could coordinate with other movements of breathing to promote optimal use for singers and wind players. Her personal experience with understanding how gathering and lengthening worked was largely influenced by work with Don Zuckerman. It is the basis for David Nesmith’s DVD on breathing. How it actually works certainly needs to be investigated more--Is the movement primarily thoracic? Cervical? Lumbar? Spread evenly over the whole spine? Is it really gathering and lengthening? Are deepening curves more accurately what’s going on? What muscles are involved in making this happen? Can we document it with an X-ray or MRI?, etc.
However, Barbara was very clear that this is just one way to breathe. It’s useful for singers and wind players, and during constructive rest. Spinal mobility doesn’t have to be coordinated with breathing. It can be put to other purposes for string players or pianists, where it does not necessarily need to be coordinated with breathing.
Here’s a short interview with Barbara Conable in which she discusses spinal mobility, as well as the Alexander Technique concepts of primary control and inhibition:
Related to Image 4.37: Up and Over/Forward and Up
From SMB, page 43:
A very important feature of the play of the head in relation to the top vertebra is a slight movement toward the spine as the spine gathers and a slight movement away from the spine as the spine lengthens. This slight moving away has been called “up and over” by vocalists; it was called “forward and up” by F.M. Alexander as he liberated it in his own reciting of Shakespeare. Unless the ‘up and over’ is allowed in experience, the spine will not lengthen as it should on exhalation, and labored breathing results.
Related to Image 4.38: Neck Muscles
MUSCLES OF THE NECK
Every musician needs to know that the neck muscles must stay very free in breathing, whether for singing or for playing. All the movements of breathing occur without the help of the superficial neck muscles. Many of the problems people have with embouchure, intonation, lack of air, all can be traced back to a pattern of tension in the muscles of the neck and the compensations that have to be made.
DEEP MUSCLES OF THE NECK
To get the greatest gathering on the inhalation and the greatest lengthening on the exhalation these deep muscles in the neck need to be free to permit the spine its movement.
Using the images we included in the early part of this section of the course and this back view (see Structures and Movement of Breathing, p. 45), remind your course attendees that a very complete map of the neck is needed for free music making. Freedom in speaking, singing and playing an instrument depends “first, last and always on freedom in neck muscles”. (Structures and Movement of Breathing, p. 45)
The muscles need to be mapped from the superficial to the deep. It is key that the action of the deep muscles not be interfered with by the tightening of the superficial muscles.
Link to Agenda Helpers (you must access this via your bodymap.org email):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1moBO9sGrVscHPk3Z3eLAlutIcx2Ema3U/view?usp=sharing