Binge away! Reading your comments is making my day! I think you would be a great fit to join the membership community. Right now it's about 6 women and a super safe and fun way to learn to sing for a very minimal cost. LMK if you're interested and I can get you more details. Otherwise, I'll keep posting as much free content as I can here. Always happy to take requests if there are topics you would like to see covered!
Thank you so much! What a great question. More support will generally give you a fuller sound. It can also help eliminate strain, enable you to sing higher, and aid in vibrato.
One the benefits I’m experiencing to this fantastically explained pelvic floor aspect, is better pitch control. The remaining question for me is why is that the case? Thank you!
First of all, great video! Lots of good explanations here. But what I'm not understanding is that when I contract my pelvic floor, my abs also contract. And if the abs contract, that raises the diaphragm faster. However, we want the diaphragm to move slowly. So is it physically possible to control your pelvic floor without your abs tensing up? To me, it feels impossible because I can feel that my abs and pelvic floor are connected to one another and do the same thing together.
Great question! You’re right, generally when we contract the pelvic floor (and keep in mind to contract the pelvic floor means you’re lifting it), the abs like to go with it (as does the diaphragm). But if you’re trying to slow down the ascent of the diaphragm, you’ll actually want to lengthen the pelvic floor (this will feel like pressing down on it gently, like you would in order to start the flow of urine). In this case, you might actually feel the abs tense in an outward direction. Does that answer you’re question?
Since the pelvic floor is contracting while exhaling is it advisable to consciously contract the pelvic floor while phonating? If so how many reps of this exercise daily would you recommend to cement this into muscle memory?
Great question! A couple of minutes a day should be plenty to get the hang of the action. For most people, I actually recommend the opposite…instead of contracting the pelvic floor on exhale (which is the natural breathing pattern), work to descend and lengthen the pelvic floor while singing. (I teach contraction first just to help build awareness of the muscle). Go to the time stamp at 7:50 of the video for more on this, but so much of breathing for singing requires us to do the opposite of what we would do in normal breathing patterns, and lengthening or pressing down on the pelvic floor can help us resist the body’s inclination to just let all of the air out at once. That said, some people do benefit from more of a contraction of the pelvic floor while singing so I would try it both ways and see how it feels. Or there might be some parts of your voice where one action is more beneficial and other parts of your voice where the other action is beneficial. It’s all about creating the right dynamic between the muscles of inhalation and the muscles of exhalation for the ideal breath pressure and speed for the given pitch and tone. Hope that helps! If you haven’t already, check out the second half of the video for exercises to help lengthen and descend the pelvic floor.
Oh totally! I was super confused as to whether or not I was engaging my pelvic floor correctly at first also. You can try pressing down or lengthening the pelvic floor just with the inhale. It might be easier to feel it on inhale. Once you get that, try to do the same action on the exhale.
Hi there! That was a great video! Question for you: When exhaling are you letting any part of the belly come in, after expelling all of your air? Or are you leaving it out to the same degree the whole time. If it never comes in it feels difficult for me to fully lengthen the pelvic floor for my inhale. (I already sing the way you demonstrated in your video and it works great but this is something that has puzzled me in my own practice.) Thank you!
Great question! Yes! When you're not singing and just doing the pelvic floor exercise (at 3:05), let your belly contract along with the pelvic floor and then let both release on the inhale. I"m doing it in the video, but it's probably hard to tell with my giant prego belly. 🤣 Does that answer your question?
@@ljdstudiosHi! Thanks for the response. My question pertained to when one is actually singing. Because I believe when you are doing the breathing exercise you are intentionally going back and forth between lengthening and constricting the pelvic floor but when you are singing one keeps it lengthened the whole time right?
@@rileycronin-schneider8101 So sorry I misunderstood your question. Yes! When singing we relax the pelvic floor on inhale and then further lengthen it/bear down a bit on it while singing. This actually resists the exhale, but in order to balance this out and avoid holding or locking the breath, we do need some muscles to drive the exhale. I like to focus on contracting the transverse abdominis (TA muscle) located just inside of your hip bones while singing, but you could also focus on contracting all of the muscles of the low belly (anything below the belly button). I think the part of your question that confuses me pertains to letting the belly come in "after expelling all of your air." You can certainly do this, especially if letting it come in feels like it has a relaxing effect after lots of muscular engagement. But in truth, you might experience benefit from actively contracting your lower abdomen (in the manner I mentioned above) while singing. The point is to have the muscles of your torso working in opposition....some driving the exhale and others resisting it, so that you get more energized airflow. So in this case, your pelvic floor would be resisting the exhale and your low belly would be driving it. For more on this, see my video on understanding breath energy ua-cam.com/video/xz_vQYLlWjE/v-deo.html I really want to make sure I'm understanding your question and getting it answered for you, so if it still feels unclear in any way, go to my website ljdstudios.com and click "request a free consult." Then we can chat in person and I can make sure I'm fully understanding. Hope that helps!
@@ljdstudios Thank yo so much for taking the time to give me such a thorough answer and for wanting to make sure that I understand this concept. I am processing what you wrote but I think I am still unclear on something, so I’d love to take you up on the consult. Thank you!
It almost feels like my pelvic floor is gonna prolapse when im singing high. Is that wrong? Like i know i have a weak pelvic floor, 2 c sections in 2 years. Will i prolapse? Is that even possible?😅
That's a great question. As far as whether or not you are engaging your pelvic floor correctly for singing, it sounds like the answer is yes. That said, feeling like you might prolapse is definitely not ideal. I saw a pelvic floor specialist while I was pregnant and part of the work was to practice deeply relaxing/lengthening the pelvic floor while exhaling strongly in order to prepare for childbirth. This is the same thing we do in singing--particularly when we go for a high note. But my understanding is, if the pelvic floor is weakened, then we do this action, we might experience various issues. Long story short, I do think you are performing the action correctly for singing, but might be experiencing some side effects from previous pregnancies. I'm not a doctor, so this is not medical advice, but it could be worth seeing a specialist. It helped me a lot!
@ljdstudios THANK YOU!! I appreciate you replying! And I will definitely look into it! Idk if you have had your baby yet or not but praying everything has/will go smoothly!
Amazing!Thank You
You are so welcome!
Tonight I'm binging your channel. I'm taking notes on my tablet and stopping to do the exercises as well.
Thank you for being such a great teacher..
Binge away! Reading your comments is making my day! I think you would be a great fit to join the membership community. Right now it's about 6 women and a super safe and fun way to learn to sing for a very minimal cost. LMK if you're interested and I can get you more details. Otherwise, I'll keep posting as much free content as I can here. Always happy to take requests if there are topics you would like to see covered!
great video lady and congrats on the baby- what exactly does having more support do for your sound though?
Thank you so much! What a great question. More support will generally give you a fuller sound. It can also help eliminate strain, enable you to sing higher, and aid in vibrato.
One the benefits I’m experiencing to this fantastically explained pelvic floor aspect, is better pitch control. The remaining question for me is why is that the case? Thank you!
Yes!! Better breath control can be a game changer in all areas! So glad you found that helpful!
First of all, great video! Lots of good explanations here. But what I'm not understanding is that when I contract my pelvic floor, my abs also contract. And if the abs contract, that raises the diaphragm faster. However, we want the diaphragm to move slowly.
So is it physically possible to control your pelvic floor without your abs tensing up? To me, it feels impossible because I can feel that my abs and pelvic floor are connected to one another and do the same thing together.
Great question! You’re right, generally when we contract the pelvic floor (and keep in mind to contract the pelvic floor means you’re lifting it), the abs like to go with it (as does the diaphragm). But if you’re trying to slow down the ascent of the diaphragm, you’ll actually want to lengthen the pelvic floor (this will feel like pressing down on it gently, like you would in order to start the flow of urine). In this case, you might actually feel the abs tense in an outward direction. Does that answer you’re question?
@@ljdstudios this is a really clear explanation 😊
Congratulations, wishing you all the best❤️
Thank you so much!
Since the pelvic floor is contracting while exhaling is it advisable to consciously contract the pelvic floor while phonating? If so how many reps of this exercise daily would you recommend to cement this into muscle memory?
Great question! A couple of minutes a day should be plenty to get the hang of the action.
For most people, I actually recommend the opposite…instead of contracting the pelvic floor on exhale (which is the natural breathing pattern), work to descend and lengthen the pelvic floor while singing. (I teach contraction first just to help build awareness of the muscle). Go to the time stamp at 7:50 of the video for more on this, but so much of breathing for singing requires us to do the opposite of what we would do in normal breathing patterns, and lengthening or pressing down on the pelvic floor can help us resist the body’s inclination to just let all of the air out at once.
That said, some people do benefit from more of a contraction of the pelvic floor while singing so I would try it both ways and see how it feels. Or there might be some parts of your voice where one action is more beneficial and other parts of your voice where the other action is beneficial. It’s all about creating the right dynamic between the muscles of inhalation and the muscles of exhalation for the ideal breath pressure and speed for the given pitch and tone.
Hope that helps! If you haven’t already, check out the second half of the video for exercises to help lengthen and descend the pelvic floor.
@@lauradavis3457 Thanks for the reply. It's sort of a confusing sensation. I'll re-watch the video. I appreciate all your videos. Keep em coming!
Oh totally! I was super confused as to whether or not I was engaging my pelvic floor correctly at first also. You can try pressing down or lengthening the pelvic floor just with the inhale. It might be easier to feel it on inhale. Once you get that, try to do the same action on the exhale.
Hi there! That was a great video! Question for you: When exhaling are you letting any part of the belly come in, after expelling all of your air? Or are you leaving it out to the same degree the whole time. If it never comes in it feels difficult for me to fully lengthen the pelvic floor for my inhale. (I already sing the way you demonstrated in your video and it works great but this is something that has puzzled me in my own practice.) Thank you!
Great question! Yes! When you're not singing and just doing the pelvic floor exercise (at 3:05), let your belly contract along with the pelvic floor and then let both release on the inhale. I"m doing it in the video, but it's probably hard to tell with my giant prego belly. 🤣 Does that answer your question?
@@ljdstudiosHi! Thanks for the response. My question pertained to when one is actually singing. Because I believe when you are doing the breathing exercise you are intentionally going back and forth between lengthening and constricting the pelvic floor but when you are singing one keeps it lengthened the whole time right?
@@rileycronin-schneider8101 So sorry I misunderstood your question. Yes! When singing we relax the pelvic floor on inhale and then further lengthen it/bear down a bit on it while singing. This actually resists the exhale, but in order to balance this out and avoid holding or locking the breath, we do need some muscles to drive the exhale. I like to focus on contracting the transverse abdominis (TA muscle) located just inside of your hip bones while singing, but you could also focus on contracting all of the muscles of the low belly (anything below the belly button).
I think the part of your question that confuses me pertains to letting the belly come in "after expelling all of your air." You can certainly do this, especially if letting it come in feels like it has a relaxing effect after lots of muscular engagement. But in truth, you might experience benefit from actively contracting your lower abdomen (in the manner I mentioned above) while singing. The point is to have the muscles of your torso working in opposition....some driving the exhale and others resisting it, so that you get more energized airflow. So in this case, your pelvic floor would be resisting the exhale and your low belly would be driving it. For more on this, see my video on understanding breath energy ua-cam.com/video/xz_vQYLlWjE/v-deo.html
I really want to make sure I'm understanding your question and getting it answered for you, so if it still feels unclear in any way, go to my website ljdstudios.com and click "request a free consult." Then we can chat in person and I can make sure I'm fully understanding.
Hope that helps!
@@ljdstudios Thank yo so much for taking the time to give me such a thorough answer and for wanting to make sure that I understand this concept. I am processing what you wrote but I think I am still unclear on something, so I’d love to take you up on the consult. Thank you!
Of course! Looking forward to chatting with you!
It almost feels like my pelvic floor is gonna prolapse when im singing high. Is that wrong? Like i know i have a weak pelvic floor, 2 c sections in 2 years. Will i prolapse? Is that even possible?😅
That's a great question. As far as whether or not you are engaging your pelvic floor correctly for singing, it sounds like the answer is yes. That said, feeling like you might prolapse is definitely not ideal. I saw a pelvic floor specialist while I was pregnant and part of the work was to practice deeply relaxing/lengthening the pelvic floor while exhaling strongly in order to prepare for childbirth. This is the same thing we do in singing--particularly when we go for a high note. But my understanding is, if the pelvic floor is weakened, then we do this action, we might experience various issues. Long story short, I do think you are performing the action correctly for singing, but might be experiencing some side effects from previous pregnancies. I'm not a doctor, so this is not medical advice, but it could be worth seeing a specialist. It helped me a lot!
@ljdstudios THANK YOU!! I appreciate you replying! And I will definitely look into it! Idk if you have had your baby yet or not but praying everything has/will go smoothly!
Thank you! Our little boy was born at the end of February, so now it’s just a matter of navigating being a working mom! 🙂
@@ljdstudios oh I'm happy to hear! It's hard to find that balance at first! You got this!
Please use a lapel mic--volume is low.
I love your videos. I hope your birth and recovery are going swimmingly!
Thank you! Can't believe my son is almost 6 months now! Everything went well and he is just the light of my life. 😊
1. relax pelvic floor when sing
2. legs open, pelvis in ant tilt, let flow of pee