Good to Great: Practices for Heart Centered Singing

In the last Good to Great post, I talked about my belief that singing with an open heart is the key to tipping from the land of a decent, well-trained singer into the phenomenal, expressive, communicator who captures audiences.

Last week I got to participate in a call where I heard Amy Cronise-Mead speak about her business and the Koshas, the subtle, energetic layers of the body. You can read more here about her business Yogadharma. She offered this simple exercise and it struck me that it would be so valuable to singers!

This practice is one about developing present moment awareness, which is the foundation of an open heart. The ability to feel without fear is crucial for singers. But, what if you have no awareness of how you feel let alone what a song might be asking you to feel?

Here's a way to start feeling. This is a practice based on the energetic layers of the body called Koshas. It will help you develop an awareness of yourself in the present moment.

Between each sensing task, pause to really notice and see what you feel.

• Sit comfortably.

• Close your eyes.

• Bring your attention to the air around your body and see if you can feel it on your skin.

• Now bring your attention to your clothes and sense how they feel on your skin.

• Now shift your attention to your breath and sense how it feels moving in and out of your body.

• Now bring your attention to your heart center and feel your heart beating.

• Finally, move your attention deeply inward in the body to sense the energy of your being.

Pausing for a few moments throughout the day and engaging in this practice is a great way to develop this present moment awareness. I've used this exercise at the beginning of lessons this week to help students start to feel more and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive!