Useful breathing exercises for singing!

Breathing exercises: one of the most exciting topics of all time!

In life, breathing is just something we do without thinking about it, which is great, otherwise we would be dead (stating the obvious is my passion. You're welcome.). In singing, it is a skill we teach and learn! Here are some great singing exercises for breathing!

The balloon exercise in which you'll be ridiculous

It's a silly exercise. I love it!

It involves filling a balloon with air and then slowly emptying it. Your goal will be to reverse your breathing compared to that of the balloon: when you blow into the balloon to fill it, your own lungs empty. When you slowly empty the balloon by pulling on both sides of its end (you know, with that little "iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihhhhhiiiiii" sound), you will inhale and fill your lungs with air.

This will help you work on controlling your airflow.

If you're not very confident about your image yet, do it by yourself because you'll look ridiculous :).

The surprising coffee exercise'

No, you won't drink coffee (although, if you need it to motivate yourself, why not!). This exercise involves imagining that you have a hot cup of coffee in front of you. You take a deep breath and imagine that you can feel the hot steam from your cup. Then, as you exhale slowly, imagine that you are blowing on your coffee to cool it down. This exercise may seem strange, but it is also very effective in controlling your breath.

If you hate coffee, use your vivid imagination and replace the coffee with hot chocolate or tea. Imagination is wonderful and helps us in our learning as long as it's used in a positive way!

The famous straw exercise

Take a straw and inhale slowly through your nose. Then, exhale slowly through the straw, making sure the air passes through the straw. This exercise will help you develop your ability to control your airflow and maintain good posture. It is important that you pinch the end of the straw (the part that is not in your mouth) a little so that the hole is smaller, otherwise you may strain some neck muscles. If you're using a metal straw and you feel dizzy, you might want to block the air at the end of the straw so the hole is smaller.