Ok, so the big buzz around the way, is this recession. How many will loose their jobs. How business are gonna suffer. How shopping and dinning out will experience these huge declines, and it just goes on and on. So the economy is going to tank and the media, once again, has America frantic, just waiting for it all to happen.
Hold On! A recession may not be all that bad. I’ve done the in-search, and research, and there is so much good that can come from all of it.
First let’s analyze the word recession in its entirety. [Recession] -Re-cess-ion. The root word being ‘recess’. What does it mean to have a recess? It’s a pause or break from normal programming; an intermission. Let’s take a short trip down memory lane. Do you remember back in grade school when the teacher announce that recess was approaching? How excited did the class get? How happy were you? Unless you were being bullied by someone in the schoolyard, which normally passes, recess was the most fun-filled 40 minutes of our entire day. You and your friends, play, unwind, a little teasing, boy/girl gossip. You name it. Would you have believed it if someone told you that, thirty some years later, your country would experience and similar intermission and this would make you worried or even depress you? I know I wouldn’t . Imagine if we all gave the recession a second look, and saw the all the goodies that could come from it.
Relax. Go on that trip you have been planning. Take the courses you’ve always said you wanted to but never had the time to. Perhaps, re-invent yourself, or reintroduce yourself, to yourself.
With fewer boundaries, and the traditional time limitations of your regular job, why not undergo the personal project you know you’ve been wanting to start. Take that road trip. Take that pastime, or hobbie to another level. Play more of your favorite sport.
MEDITATION: I am no “expert” on this particular topic, nor do I want to be mistaken for one.
Meditation is a practice I have been ‘fortunate’ enough to learn about, and eventually practice with more and more ease. At best, my days go smoother, to the point where, if I don’t take at least 15-minutes out of my day to meditate, you could easily tell. It’s like being disconnected from yourself- your ‘true-self’ that is.
Meditation is the opportunity to connect to our all knowing, higher-self, while allowing it to give us’, the lower- self direction, for our daily life. The use of, affirmative commands and suggestions is very common during meditation. You can research the different meditation techniques from all over the world right here on the web.
BREATHING: This one, I’m an expert at because I do it everyday- and have done it ever since I was born. Breathing properly, believe it or not is something we all do innately, but somehow got deterred from it. [ For more on correct breathing www.]
Aware and focused is one of the most proven ways to bring you into deep relaxation, a preferred state to be in if your are going to meditate with ease. The following breathing technique is now utilized by many singers, actors, teachers, and other individuals who use their voice a great deal.
Begin to see and acknowledge all the crazy thought that will come racing through your head…and imagine.
them passing you by like a moving cloud. Let them continue on, one by one until your mind is completely clear. Hear the sound of you heat beat, feel your entire being getting lighter. With every breath, from your head to your feet you become lighter.
While breathing you can utilize the “balloon method” used by many singers and public speakers.
In short: Imagine your stomach were a balloon. When we are born our breathing is naturally correct, babies can breathe, yell and scream with optimal effect because they use their lungs without conscious thought. As we grow older, some people become lazy in their habits only using the upper part of the lungs, taking a shallow breath instead of a normal one.
To understand how correct breathing and breath control works, first you need to understand the process that it uses to operate.
Surrounding your lungs is a muscle system called the diaphragm which is attached to the lower ribs on both sides, bottom and to the back acting as an inhalation device. When you inhale, the muscle lowers displacing the stomach and intestines. When you exhale, your diaphragm helps to manage the muscles around the lungs (abdominal muscles) to control how quickly your breath is exhaled.
If you breathe out quickly, the diaphragm really does nothing but when you breathe out very slowly the diaphragm resists the action of the abdominal muscles. Singers and public speakers learn, to use this muscle system to control the breath as it is being exhaled.
Hold a finger close to your lips and breathe out slowly, the breath should be warm and moist and you should notice the action of the diaphragm as you exhale. This is the correct amount of breath used when singing normally. A singer does not need to 'force' or 'push' air through the vocal chords to produce a good strong sound, doing so creates too much pressure against the chords, preventing them from operating correctly which can cause damage to the voice.
The stomach area should move naturally inward toward the end of the breath, the stomach should not be 'sucked in' as it prevents the diaphragm from working effectively. Instead the abdominal area should remain expanded to the level it was when you inhaled and allowed to gradually decrease naturally at the end of the breath.
This is where the 'control' comes into play - the singer expands the lungs by inhaling and 'controls' the amount of air expelled when singing a note by allowing the muscle support system to remain expanded - this doesn't mean the stomach is pushed out, rather that it is blown up like a balloon when the air goes in and the singer slows down the natural rate at which it goes down. In most people the breathing is shallow and only the top half of the lungs are used - breathing correctly uses the whole of the lungs so that more air is available, the singer then uses the natural action of the muscles (diaphragm and abdominals) surrounding the lungs to control the amount of air that is exhaled when singing a note.
Good breath support during singing and speech requires good posture, abdominal breathing and breathing during natural pauses. Breathing and correct support does not require great physical strength - although having toned abdominal muscles helps, even a child can learn how to breathe and support their voice correctly. Remember....the diaphragm doesn't exhale for you - just helps to control the amount of air exhaled.
Now, that we’ve touched on good breathing and relaxation. Let’s talk about focus. Focus is a life course that never ends. Where your focus leaves task it simply turns to another. Is their anything I’ve always wanted to do that I’ve haven’t . Any journey or work, I’ve been shying away from with my excuses. This may be a hidden opportunity for us to do the things we’ve always wanted to but couldn’t.
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