Variance: Make Like A Monkey

This is a quick exercise to release facial tension, open the hips, and move the voice.

• Stand with your feet flat on the ground and shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees and bend forward at the hip joint placing your abdomen as close to your thighs are possible.
• Allow your head and arms to hang straight downward.
• Let your torso swing gently from side to side focusing on releasing through the spine and the back of the neck.
• Make Monkey Sounds, as loud as you will — /u/-/u/-/ah/-/ah/ on different pitches in your comfortable range. Exaggerate the shift from the tall rounded /u/ to the wide-open /ah/. Move your whole face. The tip of your tongue should remain gently touching the back of the bottom teeth.
• Slower than you want to roll up to standing. Inhale – Exhale.

Feel free to adapt this to the reality of your body but try to find that place of expansion and of risk such as making louder monkey sounds even it feels silly. An easy adaptation is to do this seated, rocking your hips from sitz bone to sitz bone while draped forward.

Enjoy the day.

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GROW Voice is hosting a couple of events this week. An office hour on Friday at 12 pm on Zoom. Please email me to register.

TONIGHT: We will also be doing a 3-session series of FB Live Thursdays at 6 pm beginning tonight on the GROW Voice FB Page. These sessions will begin a process of checking in with physical alignment, breath, and coping with Sedentary — the WFH edition.

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Gina Razón is the Founder and CEO at GROW Voice LLC, a full-service verbal communication studio in Boston’s Back Bay.  She has over two decades of experience as a teacher of voice and speech, is a communication and change facilitator, and is a voraciously curious voice user.  Gina has worked professionally as a classical singer for over a decade and more recently as a professional public speaker.  For more information on the studio or to book Gina visit www.growvoice.com.