Breathe Magic Into Your Life

The way you use your breath when you speak has a lot to do with how others perceive you, or even hear you, as well as how you perceive yourself. A well spoken person has plenty of breath in their lungs when they speak. The diaphragm is used to push that breath out. The diaphragm is not a familiar muscle to everybody. It is what is used for 'belly breathing'. It is a large band of muscle above your stomach. If it is unfamiliar to you it would be a good idea to locate it and learn to use it well. Shoulders stay stable, but ribs expand to the side when you take a deep breath. If you feel confident about your use of the diaphragm go on to take care in how you use your tongue, teeth and lips. Clear diction is also a sign of self-confidence. Develop good diction and your confidence will develop by itself. Resonance makes a voice more pleasing to listeners. This comes from using all of your speech apparatus for speech, or in song. Do not close off your nose. Let your sound resonate in your head and chest. My voice teacher used to say that it was a good idea to even imagine your voice resonating in your thigh bones. Before he joined the faculty at our university he had a career as a singer and recording artist, so I felt he knew what he was talking about. I enjoyed listening to his voice as well. Speak well and speak good things. That will draw to you the spark of magic that will bring good things to your life.