I am indeed here, although a bit deluged with Vocalist messages. I made my
opera debut last week as the Emperor in Turandot, and with lots of
rehearsals plus a very busy time at work, I have not had much of a chance to
post to the list. I'm back now, albeit with many more offers of singing
jobs, which is great.
Anyhow, asthma!! The main problem suffered with asthma is not just the
difficulty in taking in breath (although that obviously is a problem), but
the corresponding tightness in other muscle groups (pectoral and
intercostal), mainly around the sternum. What I see as an "escape route",
almost, is to open up the back much more, since these muscle groups are able
to take part in the breathing process and, in most cases, do not tighten up
as much as the breast area in asthmatics. Most of these exercises have
grown out of warm-ups I used to do as a schoolboy for sports. Everyone will
probably remember finishing a race, or other energetic event, and finding it
easier to catch one's breath by bending over forwards, placing the hands on
the knees. I found that I breathed much more freely if I allowed my hands
to dangle downwards, rather than supporting on the knees. The gentle
stretch that this produced in the hamstrings not only stopped my legs from
getting cramp, but seemed to allow for much lower breathing, especially in
my back. Anyway, to cut to the chase, I have arranged a short set of
warm-ups, and added a couple from my teacher, that have really helped me in
bad asthmatic episodes, and also helped me to gain a much deeper awareness
of my own breathing, which is no bad thing for a singer!! You can take a
selection of these, depending upon the age and/or flexibility of the
student. The main thing to remember in all of these exercises is NOT TO
PUSH!! They should all be very gentle, allowing muscle groups to warm up.
1. This is more a warm up to the exercises, but if you are mobile enough
and comfortable is really does speed up the process. Sit on the floor, with
plenty of space around you. Ideally do this on a thick rug or a gym mat.
Pull your knees up towards your chest, with your legs bent. Hook your hands
under the back of your knees, and bow your head slightly forward. Now, very
gently roll backwards onto your back. Roll up to about your shoulder
blades, and then rock back to finish in the initial sitting position. This
may feel a little disorientating if you are not used to rolling around on
the floor ;-) Repeat this rolling for as long as feels comfortable,
anything between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Again I will stress that this is
an optional warm up if you feel you can manage it. The rest are a little
more static.
2. Lie on your back with your knees bent, allowing the souls of your feet
to lie flat on the floor (I think this is sometimes described as
semi-supine?) Allow your knees to fall gently to one side, trying to keep
your hips level on the floor. Don't worry if they don't go very far
initially. Whatever you do, do not push them, just allow gravity to ease
them down. Bring them back up to the middle position, and then repeat on
the other side. Try to get into a rhythm, allowing your knees to go back
and forth like a pendulum. This should be familiar to women who have done a
similar exercise at ante-natal and neo-natal classes.
3. Sit on the floor with your legs out straight in front of you. Now part
your legs, keeping them straight and try to separate them as far as is
comfortable. For most people this will be less than 90 degrees. BTW it's
best to do these in tracksuit trousers (joggers), and not in a skirt! (Not
that I would normally wear a skirt for singing ;-) Now place your hands on
the floor between your legs and "walk" forwards very gently with your
fingers, until you feel a very slight tugging of your hamstrings and groin
muscles. Note that this is VERY slight, and not an exercise for top
athletes. Do not ever push!! Hold this position for about ten seconds, and
then come back up to upright. Repeat a couple of times, it should get
easier.
4. This is a similar exercise to 2. given to me by my teacher (also
asthmatic). Lie face down on the floor. Make a pillow with your arms
folded in front of you. Put your head on your arms, and face to one side.
Lift your feet up, so your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Now do the pendulum
action described in 2. above. This is sometimes a little easier if you
cross your ankles to keep your feet together.
You should now be able to stand up (do this very slowly if you are not used
to physical exercise of this type). It's best to come up slowly to a
sitting position, and allow your blood a chance to remember that it's going
to have to go right to the top of your head now! You should now feel that
your back is a little more supple, and it may even feel slightly longer. At
this stage I usually cough up all the phlegm from my chest. Unfortunate,
but that's how it happens.
If you are in ANY doubt at all about how to do gentle warm up exercises,
then I would suggest trying these with a physical fitness instructor or a
physiotherapist. I have been lucky in doing competitive sport for a long
period of my life. Not everyone has had this opportunity!
I hope that these help making you (or your students) breathe a little more
easily. If you have any specific problem areas that you want more help with
, or any clarification, then just e-mail me.
Best wishes
Colin Reed
----- Original Message -----
From: "Laura Sharp" <lasharp@n...>
From: "Laura Sharp" <lasharp@n...>
To: "Newvocalist (E-mail)" <vocalist-temporary@egroups.com>
To: "Newvocalist (E-mail)" <vocalist-temporary@egroups.com>
Sent: 25 November 2000 23:09
Subject: [vocalist-temporary] Colin Reed? Are you there?
> Someone perusing the old archives saw a request from me that Colin share
> warm-up exercises he used that were helpful for students with asthma.
>
> Colin, if you're around, would you mind re-sharing them? At least two of
us
> would appreciate it!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Laura Sharp
>
>
>
>
>
>
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