Your Voice Is a Gift
by Nína O’Farrell
Singing is something we can all do at any time. It’s an amazing way to reconnect with ourselves, lift our vibration level and create waves of joy in and around us.
We’re all carrying around this great instrument that’s just waiting to be of service.
The voice is the first instrument that ever existed, and it’s nice to think that our ancestors used their voices in their lives, their cultures. As a way of expressing, entertaining and tapping into something that goes far beyond time...
The good news is that to get started singing or to cultivate your voice, you don’t need any special qualities or lots of volume. You just need you!
A great way to start singing is to use your voice in everyday activities; washing the dishes becomes more fun when you sing one of your favourite songs.
Just look at how good children are at singing in all kinds of situations, and you’ll find plenty of inspiration there!
The more you sing, the more natural it will feel. And the benefits of singing are many. It’s impossible to feel stressed out when you are singing; it creates an instant feeling of well-being and it’s an amazing way to reconnect with yourself.
When you are true to yourself – and your voice – you can express yourself authentically. What a powerful way to grow.
Singing can be like taking an inner shower, filling your body with tone vibrations that simply make you feel good.
So where do you begin? There’s a great quality in keeping it simple when you sing. In fact, singing starts with the core of your voice, the tiniest tones, and from there you can do anything. Here’s an exercise to help you on your way:
Exercise: Tone meditation
Sit comfortably and take a few minutes noticing how you breathe. Just observe your breathing, there’s no need to change it.
As you tune into your body, relaxing more, your breathing might slow down. Let your body be heavy, relax your shoulders. There is nothing to carry right now. Relax your neck. Nothing to control. Just breathe.
Whenever you are ready, you can start humming tiny tones at the end of exhaling. Just like waves; breathe in, let go, and hum a tone as an extension of exhaling. Breathe in again, breathe out and hum a new tone. Continue like that.
The point is to follow your body’s breathing rhythm and add tones at the end of exhaling.
Let your focus be on making the tones as tiny as possible. It’s like threading a tiny needle.
The tones can be completely random - see if you can let go of any idea of a melody and if it feels comfortable you can include tones from all areas of your voice; high tones, middle tones and low tones.
This is the core of your voice.
Finish your meditation by taking a deep breath in and let go. One more deep breath in and let go. And one more deep breath in and let go.
Your voice is a gift. I encourage you to use it ♡
Happy Singing!
© Nína O’Farrell, 2020
Photo: Emiliano Arano
About Nína O’Farrell
With over 10 years of teaching experience, Danish / Icelandic mezzo soprano and music teacher Nína O’Farrell is dedicated to pass on her knowledge in the musical field.
She has from a young age received tuition in both classical piano and singing, and finished her Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies in 2009 (Aarhus University, Denmark). Hereafter, she received tuition from various teachers at the Reykjavík Academy of Vocal Arts.
Since then she has been dedicated to teaching piano, singing and choir conducting as well as working with her own voice.
Her search for truth – in the voice and in the human being – brought her to New Voice Studio, Italy. Here she learned a unique singing method; a fresh, natural and holistic approach to working with the balanced voice.
Nína’s current mission is to inspire people to sing more and enjoy all the benefits from exploring the wonderful instrument that the voice is.
