Vowel breathing

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Vowel breathing , also called vowel singing , is a breathing method from Indian yoga exercises , with the emphasis on the intonation of the vowels when breathing out. It is used to train the voice because, in the opinion of the user, it “clarifies” and strengthens the voice . As an alternative medical approach, it is used in psychotherapy .

method

In a relaxed sitting position with a straight back, inhale slowly and deeply. Then you exhale fully and forcefully until all the air is exhaled as much as possible . A vowel is intoned as you exhale .

It is important that you exhale with full force. Despite the somewhat misleading synonym vowel singing , it is not about modulating tones, "singing" at different heights. It was in vocal breathing a breathing process , unaware of where it must be on the pitch, because this is irrelevant and different at each in the fundamental pitch.

The order I - E - A - O - U is recommended and not the usual but possible A - E - I - O - U.

It is common to intone the vowels in blocks repeatedly. For people who do speaking professions, it makes sense to sing ten blocks of vowels a day, i.e. to exhale ten times on IEAOU.

Special features of individual vowels

It is important to ensure that each vowel is clearly intoned.

In the case of the I, the upper lip should be drawn up significantly. With the E, the mouth must be shaped like a lying rectangle . With the A, the mouth should be opened wide and the tongue should be pressed down. In the case of the O, the mouth is curved forward in a circle. The mouth of the U is even more advanced than that of the O. The tone should sound dark and soft.

Emergence

Vowel breathing originally comes from Indian yoga exercises and was further developed in the West to create a natural relationship to breath , body and consciousness . Each of the vowels would stimulate a specific chakra .

Although the existence of chakras and meridians is controversial, vowel breathing is sometimes recommended by conventional medicine because the intonation of the vowels may have an influence on the throat area due to the vibrations generated . You can also feel this vibration yourself with your bare hand , for example when you exhale on A and place the palm of your hand on the upper bare chest .

In the German-speaking world, vocal breathing became known to a wider public for the first time through Benno Max Leser-Lasario , a pioneer of respiratory therapy . As a targeted method of rhetorical language training and personality development, vowel breathing was probably first recommended in the German-speaking area by Oscar Schellbach .

Voice training

Vowel breathing has long been a means of strengthening the voice . Breathing, voice and speaking teachers as well as speech trainers teach them to professional speakers and singers at the beginning of their vocal training, because this allows the voice to be strengthened slowly and systematically. Many rhetoric trainers who work seriously now also refer to this breathing method.

From a physiological point of view, on the one hand the vocal folds (colloquially: vocal cords ) are strengthened and on the other hand the diaphragm muscles are built up.

Voice therapy for Parkinson's

Vowel breathing has recently also been used to help Parkinson's patients who are no longer able to use their voice properly because of the disease. The speech therapist Katharina Pichler has discovered the vocal breathing as a way to the vocal organs especially of Parkinson's diseased people back muscularly to strengthen and build. With regular practice, the intonation of the vowels alone - ideally with speech therapy guidance - can almost completely overcome the speech impairment of Parkinson's patients. Pichler has developed systematic instructions for this.

Other speech therapy uses

In the case of certain language disorders such as stuttering or the speech- language disorder rumbling , vowel breathing is usually indicated because the patients neglect their speaking organs through avoidance behavior to such an extent that the vocal folds are underdeveloped. In case of doubt, vowel breathing should always be incorporated into therapy with such disorders , because the additional effect that patients develop a better feeling for their voice and their articulation behavior is very helpful in therapy.

psychotherapy

In psychotherapy , the vocal breathing can be used to give the patient a more self-awareness ability to give that his personality can consolidate. The psychologist Nikolaus B. Enkelmann , who works as a rhetoric trainer and also recommends vowel breathing for voice training, describes the regular practice of vowel breathing as psychogenic breathing training because of its influence on personality development .

The use of vowel breathing is also common in anxiety therapy. The attempt is made to induce calming breathing, which reduces feelings of fear to a minimum .

Vowel singing can also be used as part of a controlled induction of hypnosis .

See also: Vocal meditation

Relaxation method

As breathing tension, vocal breathing is also a relaxation method that should ideally be combined with other breathing exercises.

literature

• Benno Max Leser-Lasario : Textbook of the Original Vowel Sign Breathing , 2nd Edition, Büdingen-Gettenbach 1954, Lebensweiser-Verlag
• Michael Reimann: With vowel breathing for inner healing , Schirner-Verlag, 2005, ISBN 978-3-89767-223-9

Web links

• Exercise instructions for calming breathing at ergo-online.de
• Breathing exercises at rest, No. 32, on the website Angstportal.de
• Interactive Brain Feedback, Part II, p. 11 ff. By Gerhard H. Eggetsberger (PDF file; 578 kB)
• Article vocal singing at Improwiki.de
• Vocal breathing in the context of Christian contemplation in the book Meditations in der Stille by Benno Kehl, p. 111 ff. (PDF file; 938 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ See also the following: Roland Wolff: Practical Rhetorik - Voice Training , Heiligkreuztal 1994, Verlag Current Texts, ISBN 3-921312-57-4 , p. 38 ff .; Nikolaus B. Enkelmann / Carin M. Mackenbach: Find your style. Motivation and work book for young people , Landsberg am Lech 1987, ISBN 3-478-03260-1 , pp. 145 ff.
2. ↑ Cf. Albert Schultz: The mantram and vowel breathing. Practical mantra skills. Essence and practice of concentration and meditation , Pfullingen in Württemberg 1927, Verlag J. Baum.
3. ↑ Cf. Oscar Schellbach: My system of success. The positive life in theory and practice , 31st edition, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, p. 42ff., 53.
4. ↑ See Sabine George / Katharina Pichler / Edith Wagner-Sonntag / Andres Ceballos-Baumann / German Association of Occupational Therapists: What to do with Parkinson's? A guide for those affected and their relatives , Idstein 2007, Schulz-Kirchner, ISBN 978-3-8248-0513-6 .
5. ↑ Cf. Nikolaus B. Enkelmann: Rhetorik Klassik , Offenbach 2004, Verlag Gabal, ISBN 978-3-89749-468-8 and the lecture: Psychogenic breathing training , Königstein / Taunus 1995.
6. ↑ See exercise instructions at Ergo-Online.de.

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