Student Resource: Breath of Fire
Here's the video I made for an in depth explanation of the reasons behind using a modified breath of fire breathing practice before singing or when you feel like you're not managing your breath well during practice.
I love to do this before I sing as it gets my energy going and reminds me to engage my support structure and release into my breath before singing.
Remember these goals:
*Feel the supported structure from your obliques. Focus on energizing the part of the obliques in your back so that tension doesn't creep to your front.
*Feel the supported structure from your Rhomboids.
*Feel the energy from your Pelvic Floor to energize the Inhale & Exhale.
*Keep your neck in alignment using a slight energy from the front of your throat to draw your head back onto your spine.
*Energize the muscles that are on top of your zygomatic arch to keep the nasal passage open.
*Breathe in and out the same length (ie count of 2 in, count of 2 out) and then increase the pace, still keeping the inhale and exhale the same amount of time. Think of this as a way to enjoy the cycle of air that is always available to you.
*Practice this slowly at first for about 30 seconds at a time. Increase the speed and length of time as you continue, but keep focused on the tips above to reinforce your easy structural support & ease of releasing and dropping into the breath so that it translates flawlessly into your singing technique.
