Integration of Voice and Chakras

Hi,

   If you have seen any of my previous blog posts, you'll likely know that I am really into vocal exploration and development and expression. You've probably also seen the word CHAKRAS pop up many times!! And now I'm excited to find that my two worlds, my two greatest passions, Chakras and Voice, are coming together!! I hope some of you can join me in this Chakra/Voice exploration.

Introduction to:


                             The Chakras


                   **Special emphasis on The Throat Chakra

         We will explore and energize the Seven Major Chakras through reflection, movement, sounding and some writing. We will explore the relationship between the Root Chakra (feeling safe and supported) and the related ability of the voice to express freely. There will be a particular emphasis on exploring and expressing the longings and desires of our Soul through the deep connection of Voice and Soul.

                                  The Centering Space

                                      59 Cambridge Ave.

                                 (Broadview and Danforth)

                                         Sat. Jan. 28, 2012

                                              2pm—4pm

                           PWYC (Suggested Donation of $20.00)

Facilitator: Barbara Sauvé. Barbara brings to this work a solid background and love of studying and exploring Chakras and Kundalini energies. In addition to many years of working in the medical field as a Registered Nurse, Barbara has also taught Yoga and has created and facilitated The Dance of the Chakras. Now her current “vocal passion” and ongoing vocal exploration and practice are leading her to combine those powerful vocal vibrations with her Chakra work.

To Register: Contact Barbara at barbarassong@gmail.com or call 416-944-0540

A Celebration of Two Worlds Coming Together

Check out:  www.barbarasauve.blogspot.com

Namaste,

Barbara

The Throat Chakra and Vocal Expression

Just think about all the amazing things our voices do for us and for others who receive our vocal vibrations. We use our voices to connect with others and to express feelings and needs. We soothe, comfort and empathize with others through our voice. We share vibrations  with others and with our surroundings through singing and vocalizing and sounding. We teach. We share wisdom and insights. Stories are told.  All through the magic of the human voice. And think about how babies use their voices to express their needs. A baby has no words, but babies are very adept at expressing their needs and desires and their emotions through the vocal sounds they make.

And that's only a part of what the human voice does. What I just described is the external, "out there" projection of the voice.

What about the power of the voice to connect with the inner body and the inner world?
Allowing the voice to emerge from its depths and projecting the voice inwardly can bring life, healing, harmony and energy to all parts of ourselves. By allowing the voice to connect with the Heart and other internal organs, we can vocally express and clear out old emotions and other toxins. Sounding or vocalizing what has been trapped in our Hearts can be incredibly cathartic and cleansing. And who knows -- through that vocalizing, we just might free up some Joy and Love that may also be buried deep inside. So many treasures, just waiting to be vocalized!!

The Throat Chakra, the energy centre that connects with the Voice is known as Vishuddha (Sanskrit) and the translation for Vishuddha is, literally,PURIFICATION. This energy centre purifies and harmonizes our energy. Through our own vocal vibrations we can purify and energize our own Chakra System. (For lots of info on the Chakras, go back to the 2009-2010 posts in My Other Blog: Chakra Dancer  )

On Sat. Jan. 28, 2012  at 2pm I will be offering an Introduction to the Chakras with a special emphasis on the Throat Chakra and Vocal Expression. More details to follow in my next upcoming (later this week) blog.

Meantime, a nice little healing exercise for the Throat Chakra and the Vocal Chords is to simply warm and energize the hands by rubbing them together and then place those energy filled hands lightly around the Throat. As you feel the warmth of your hands soothing and relaxing your throat you can imagine or visualize that soothing, healing energy of your hands going right into your Throat Chakra. It can be very beneficial to also offer thanks and gratitude to the Voice for all that it does for you.

OMMMMMMMMMMM..........

                                                     Barbara

CHRYSOCOLLA -- Connecting Heart and Voice

Chrysocolla

My previous blog is all about Emotional Expression in Songs. This has been a primary focus for me as I continue with my own vocal training and I continue to explore songs from many different artists and genres. I find some songs and some voices touch me really deeply and others not so much. The same song, sung by different artists, will affect me very differently, according to the singers ability (or not) to express the emotionality of the song. I tend to be a very emotional being, and, I think, pretty connected with my heart. So when a singer is singing a song that is obviously coming from their heart, the beauty and the power of that voice/heart connection can move me to tears, or it can make my heart smile, or it can send shivers up and down my spine, depending on the song and the emotion being expressed.

So one day when I was preparing for one of the Vocalize and Sing Along events that I offer monthly, I picked a card from my Crystal Ally deck and, no surprise, I picked the card for CHRYSOCOLLA, which is labelled SACRED SOUNDS. According to the Crystal Ally book, Chrysocolla is a blue-green opaque stone that "embodies both the clear blue ray of the Throat Chakra and the green ray of the Heart Chakra. This combination encourages one to speak (sing) what is in the Heart. "

The message from chrysocolla according to The Crystal Ally: Chrysocolla is calling you to voice what is in your heart. The sounds you make with your throat chakra create a resonance throughout your body, energy field and external environment. Give your emotions a voice through song, toning, or by speaking with others about them. Affirm your heart's desire out loud in order to create a resonance with your words on the Earth plane. 
When you use your voice as a tool for expression and release, you open and clear your throat chakra, enabling you to express your highest wisdom more clearly. Chrysocolla has come as your ally in the process of releasing your emotion through sound. Open your heart to Chrysocolla and resonate with its energy, celebrating life through your sacred sounds.


 CHAKRA:  Throat and Heart


AFFIRMATION: I Use My Voice As A Tool Of Creation And Love

Chrysocolla -- from Australia

It is a beautiful stone -- here it is in its raw form. It is a lovely stone to have in a singing space as a reminder to allow the voice to flow from the Heart. And also as a reminder that ALL the sounds and songs and singing that come from our Hearts are profoundly sacred.

And just in case you missed this link in the previous post, Michael Goodrich has a really interesting way of connecting with the emotionality of a song -- check out the "Singing" part of the videos.

http://www.goodrichvocal.com/videos/weekly-tools-week-9.html

'Til next time,

 Barbara

Emotional Expression in Songs -- Buddy Holly style

Buddy Holly   (Sept. 7,1936--Feb. 3, 1959)

My favourite definition of a song  is an emotion put into words and music. 


I'm sure we have all experienced all kinds of emotions throughout our lives -- some emotions can feel really good, others can feel not so good, or maybe even really awful! However whatever the emotion we have experienced, it is pretty likely a song has been written about it. I find it really interesting to notice what particular songs and singers I am drawn to at various times in my life. Always I prefer songs and singers that move me emotionally or somehow touch my heart by expressing feelings or emotions that might be buried away in the depths of my heart (or wherever else we bury emotion). My current musical passion is for Buddy Holly's music. I really love what Buddy does with lyrics that, by themselves, are pretty sad -- tragic even. His song, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", especially with that final line of  'You Don't Matter Anymore' is, in my experience of it, heart wrenching. But in the way that Buddy does it, with such a fast, bouncy and upbeat tempo, I find that I am left feeling energized. It is almost like a catharsis. It takes me into that deep, heart broken place and right through it into a place that is rhythmic and energized and, in a way, renewed. It is like experiencing heartbreak and joy at the same time. It is very powerful and brings in a real sense of wholeness, the complete picture. 

Rob Brezsny

For  Buddy's rendition of "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" click on the link below.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q80vPeejm7k

Just as I was thinking about all of this, I received my weekly horoscope reading from Rob Brezsny (author of "PRONOIA -- the antidote to Paranoia" Actually I find that reading and doing the exercises  offered in the book, PRONOIA also really help me to see the Whole Picture -- not just the sad side, not just the happy side. It is all there in us, and it is all there in some of Buddy Holly's songs and his performance of those songs).

It was amazing for me to read this week's horoscope and I think there is wonderful wisdom in this for all of us of any astrological sign! And there just  may be some wisdom in this for those of us that want to connect more deeply with the emotion of our songs that also takes in the Whole Picture. How amazing would it be for a singer to perform one of the many heart wrenching songs that are so popular, in a way the leaves people, the audience, deeply touched, not only by the sadness or heart break of the song, but also deeply touched by the beauty and the power of the song, the absolute joy of the music and the rhythm and, maybe most importantly, the freedom of the voice to express what is so close to the heart.

Here is my awesome horoscope for all to share!!

: Capricorn: Emotion is the resource we treasure when we're young, says poet Naomi Shihab Nye, but eventually what we thrive on even more is energy. "Energy is everything," she says, "not emotion." And where does energy come from?Often from juxtaposition, says Nye. "Rubbing happy and sad together creates energy, rubbing one image against another." That's what she loves about being a poet. Her specialty is to conjure magic through juxtaposition. "Our brains are desperate for that kind of energy," she concludes. I mention this, Capricorn, because the coming weeks will be prime time for you to drum up the vigor and vitality that come from mixing and melding and merging, particularly in unexpected or uncommon ways.


One Added Note:


Michael Goodrich, an LA based singing teacher with a background in Speech Level Singing, has come up with an interesting way of connecting more deeply with the emotion of a song. Check out the "Singing" video.
http://www.goodrichvocal.com/videos/weekly-tools-week-9.html

I think I have to go practice some more Buddy Holly songs!!

Take care til next time.    Barbara

Developing Our Full Vocal Range

Greetings,                                                                                  

   One of the many things that has really been exciting for me in exploring and developing my own voice over the past 3 years is discovering how much vocal range most of us have. Most of us probably have much more range in our voices than we ever dreamed possible. Generally we tend to speak and sing in a certain (limited) part of our voice.  The first singing teacher that I had lessons with for a short time 3 years ago, immediately classified my voice as Soprano because, at that point, I couldn't dip down into any low or chest range notes at all. In fact, with most of the songs that I wanted to sing, he (the teacher) had to raise the pitch of the songs so that I could sing them in my "soprano" voice. The problem with that approach is that my voice felt weak: it would "crack" as I was trying to sing. It just felt like there was no "body" or substance to my voice. I certainly couldn't get any volume except by really straining and pushing.

From there, I found a teacher with a background of Speech Level Singing. This is a technique which does really emphasize the development of and connection with chest voice. So I spent the next many months exploring and developing my low, chest voice range. Now I just love singing songs in my deep, low voice. It feels incredibly powerful and stable. That is a voice I didn't even have 3 years ago! Or at least I didn't know I had it and certainly had no idea how to access it prior to practicing this technique.

 I do still love playing with sounds and songs that move into my high or head voice, but now that I do have that connection with my deep voice, even my high voice is much stronger and more stable -- capable of much more volume with no strain.

So...just wanted to share this to illustrate what is possible (at any age!!)

The link below will take you to a You Tube video of Pam Gerrand (from Stratford, Ont.) who has an amazing vocal range -- from deep and earthy to very ethereal. I've heard her perform in person and her live performance is even more striking. She has a voice and vocal range that reaches into the depths of my Soul!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHbXW-WQUmY

And one more link to Michael Goodrich who has been doing some fascinating exploration of the connections between brain and singing. In the Mindset portion of this video, he explores the challenges of moving out of our comfort zone and into our full vocal range. Worth watching!

http://www.goodrichvocal.com/videos/weekly-tools-week-4.html

Til next time,

Barbara

Welcome to My New "Vocalize and Sing!" Blog.

This blog will be primarily focused on all things vocal and musical!.    


*****Scroll to the bottom if you are looking for the details of my upcoming 
                                 Sing Along on Fri. Nov. 11, 2011

This new blog will be an opportunity for me to let you know more about my vocal "offerings" in the way of workshops, classes, Sing Alongs, technique, insights, exercises etc. I will also provide info about and links to other teachers, workshops, videos and anything else I find helpful and interesting regarding singing and vocalizing. This blog will also be an opportunity to explore some of the music and singers that have, and continue to, influence me and many of us.


I hope you will also feel free to comment, to tell us about your vocal journey, your vocal insights and ideas, and your vocal and musical influences.  There is a lot of power in sharing ideas and information!!

My passion for developing and freeing my voice is continually growing and getting stronger, especially as I work more and more with vocal technique (see links to 3rd Voice and Michael Goodrich to the right of this blog). For more of my own vocal journey up to this point (mixed in with other types of insights, shamanic journeys, Chakra journeys, Artwork, etc.)  you can check out my Chakra Dancer blog (see link to the right)  My most recent Chakra Dancer blog will give you some insight as to the relationship between vocal technique and the Chakras. That is a relationship worth understanding whatever your vocal goals may be. The Chakras are the vital energy centres of the body and an awareness of them and their connection with voice can really help connect the voice more deeply to body/mind/soul/emotions and that alone will make for a more powerful singer or speaker or communicator.

In the meantime, I am currently having a blast re-exploring the early Beatles songs. I was a young teenager when the Beatles first appeared and made it big on the Ed Sullivan show. In those young days I had every album they made and I listened, over and over and over, to every song they sang. Now coming back to those same songs that I thought I knew so well, and learning to sing them with proper technique, getting rhythmically in tune etc. really makes me appreciate the musical genius of this group and their songs in a whole new way. There is much to discover and explore in those early Beatles songs.

And it is impossible to explore the Beatles music without also going back to some of the old Buddy Holly songs since he was one of the major influences on the Beatles and their early musical development. In a way, Buddy Holly was like a catalyst that  helped to blast the Beatles off into major stardom For a very moving and beautiful account of Buddy Holly's life and music, check out The Real Buddy Holly Story, done by Paul McCartney. It is available through the library. Well worth watching. The rhythms and the bounciness of Buddy Holly's songs are absolutely infectious. At my "Vocalize and Sing Along" evenings, we are currently exploring Buddy Holly songs, Beatles songs -- along with a variety of other well known voices and songs.

I would be happy to hear any comments, thoughts, vocal inspirations, suggestions, etc. I am always searching for a variety of Sing Along songs that we can sing together. All suggestions or ideas are welcome.

Thanks for checking out my Vocal Blog. Check below for the details of my upcoming Sing Along.

Barbara

                            ****Vocalize and Sing Along info*****

Hi,

   We are fast approaching 11-11-11. That powerful date is also the date of our next Vocalize and Sing Along evening. I hope some of you will be able to join me for that evening. 

   We will be exploring what it means to really "step into the voice" or to "be" in the voice with confidence. It seems to be an extremely important theme these days to be able to speak from our hearts and to have our voices heard. In our vocal warm up, we will explore how to connect more deeply with our voices and how to connect voice/heart/emotions. And, as always, we will explore and sing some interesting and fun songs.

If you have a chance, check out the video link below -- especially the Mindset video on the Power of Questions. It is only about 3 minutes long, but what a wonderful way to approach our vocal work and our lives in general!!! 

   http://www.goodrichvocal.com/videos/weekly-tools-week-2.html

Vocalize, Sing Along, etc. 

   Here is a chance to explore your voice as we explore songs from Pop, Country, R&B, Jazz, etc. The class will begin with caring for our voices through breathing, vocal exercises and sounding in order to relax, warm up and energize the voice.  We will end with some reflection and gratitude for the incredible gift and powers of Voice. 

 Location: Broadview and Danforth (Toronto)

near Broadview subway 

(e-mail me for exact for location)

Fri. Nov. 11, 2011

Doors open at 7 pm  

Start time 7:15 pm

$15.00 suggested donation (or PWYC)

 To register, e-mail barbarassong@gmail.com .