Week Two - Finding space to breathe

Focusing on posture and how we inhabit our bodies helps to build sensory connection with breathing.

Week two - an offline session

In response to requests from participants of ENO Breathe, we have prepared an offline version of each week’s session in the form of an audio track which you can listen to like a podcast. Settle yourself somewhere calm and comfortable and revisit week two of ENO Breathe in this offline session led by Lea.

Alternatively, for reminders of specific exercises that we cover in week two, please scroll down for videos, audios and text-only versions of individual exercises.

Take a moment to check in with your mind and body

Your body is more than a vehicle for your mind – taking a moment to check in before embarking on other activities helps to connect mind and body and brings awareness to habits that might otherwise remain invisible. 

The audio track below mirrors the start of an ENO Breathe session and features ENO Breathe session leader, Nicola.  Follow along to bring your attention to your mind and body, with an awareness of your breathing.  

Alternatively, you might like to explore other leaders’ mind and body check-ins – some of which are in the form of audio tracks, and others of which are videos. Or you can use these written prompts to guide you through the same process.

Exercises to help you release your neck and shoulders

Shallow breathing, breathlessness, stress, anxiety and tiredness can all cause muscles in the neck, shoulders and upper back to be tight and tense, and this tension can interfere with how we breathe and how we feel. The exercises in this section will help to build sensory awareness as well as release some of that tension so that both breathing and voicing can function more efficiently and freely.  

Pick and choose from the exercises below to find the ones that work for you. If you would like to explore more exercises for neck and shoulder tension, there are further options on the index of resources page.

Your neck - option one: Neck massage

Your neck has to work hard to hold up the weight of your head. This gentle massage is designed to bring awareness to and release some of the muscle tension in the neck, encouraging muscles not to grip. 

Choose between the video and audio below, both of which are designed to take you through ‘Neck massage’, or use these written prompts to guide you instead.

Your neck - option two: Stretch for the side of your neck

Shallow breathing can lead to tightness in the muscles of the neck. This exercise is a firm favourite of many ENO Breathe participants because it is useful for tuning into and releasing accessory muscle tension in the side of the neck. 

Follow along with Suzi in the film below, or if you prefer jump to the written prompts at the bottom of this page.

Your shoulders - option one: Hello World

This exercise opens up the shoulders and is especially helpful as an antidote to slumping/ hunching forward. 

Choose between the video and audio below, both of which are designed to take you through ‘Hello world’, or use these written prompts to guide you instead.

Your shoulders - option two: Shoulder shrugs

In this exercise, intentionally tensing your muscles to lift your shoulders helps you to find greater release and let go of unhelpful accessory muscle tightness. 

Choose between the video and audio below, both of which are designed to take you through ‘Shoulder shrugs’, or use these written prompts to guide you instead.

To sing – Father James’s Song (‘Lodalo’) and/or I See The Moon

During your session, you might have sung either or both of these songs. 

Below you’ll find karaoke versions of the songs for you to sing along with, together with downloadable song sheets for both Father James’s Song and I See The Moon. Just as with Abiyoyo last week, choose the version that feels easiest for you to sing along with. 

Download a zipfile the audio tracks and the songs sheets (right click, save as):

• Week two audio files – Father James’ Song
• Download the Father James Song PDF song sheet
• Week two audio files – I See the Moon
• Download the I See the Moon PDF song sheet

About Father James’s Song:

Like Abiyoyo from week one, this week’s lullaby is wordless, so you can focus on the melody rather than worrying about remembering the words. The phrases are a little longer than Abiyoyo, so if it feels too much, try singing every other phrase.

Father James Whittaker (1751 – 1787) was the second leader of the Shaker community in North America. He suffered persecution for his faith, but his optimism shines through in this wordless lullaby, which was written after one of many episodes of abuse.

About I See the Moon:

The original nursery rhyme appears in Gammer Gurton’s Garland, Joseph Ritson 1752 – 1803 – but the version here was written by Meredith Willson (1902 – 1984). Willson was best known for composing the score to Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator as well as for writing The Music Man.

One of the first recordings of I See The Moon was by The Mariners.

Extra activity - Sirening

This vocal warm up allows your vocal folds to come together  and stretch without the same impact as speaking or singing. Because most people find it easiest to follow someone with a similar voice type, there are two versions of the film – choose the one that feels the best fit for you and once you have had a go, try using it as a daily warm up to help you align the effort of breath and voice. 

A variation of this exercise is to do the same thing, but with no sound at all, which might be useful if you are in a public place! Silent sirening provides the same stretch for your vocal folds. To do it, you follow all the same steps as usual, but making imaginary sound. 

Follow along with Lea or Suzi in the films below, or if you prefer jump to the written prompts at the bottom of this page.

If you have any difficulties using these online resources or if you would like any information in an alternative format, feel free to contact ENO Breathe by email at [email protected].

Exercise prompts

If you would prefer to read instructions for each of this week’s exercises, you will find these below: 

Mind and body check in

• Get comfortable in a straight backed chair, or stand if you prefer. If you are sitting, you might want to put a cushion or a rolled up towel in the small of your back if that is more comfortable for you
• First of all, get flexible with your eyes – look around the space you are in and really situate yourself as a three-dimensional being in your space
• Now shift around in your seat, leaning forwards / backwards / side to side. This is to bring awareness to how you are sitting and to give your body some different options in terms of balance, rather than simply sitting as you habitually do. Find your sitting bones, and make sure you are sitting on them evenly
• Send your attention to your feet, wiggle your toes. Imagine the sand under your toes and enjoy the connection with the floor. Imagine a sensation of lengthening and widening in your spine; down through the bottom three vertebrae between your sitting bones, and up into the base of your skull.
• Check that your shoulders are over your hips and that your feet are flat on the floor
• Once you have settled and feel well aligned, bring your focus to your mind and see if you can create a bit of space between you and your thoughts – notice what’s happening in your head like you might watch traffic on a motorway. See if you can step back from the content of your thoughts and just notice them without judgement
• Direct your attention towards your breath. Try to resist doing anything special or different with your breathing; rather just observe the air entering and leaving your body. Pay attention to the rhythm and pace of your breathing. Try to be curious rather than judgemental in your observations
• Gradually bring your awareness back to the room you are in

Neck Massage – bringing awareness to your neck muscles

• Keeping your neck long, gently grasp the muscles of the back of your neck with your hand without gripping your hand
• Give the neck muscles a soft squeeze and slowly move your head in small nods, shakes and circles
• When you have had enough, come back to a neutral position and move your neck and shoulders – notice if anything feels freer / more fluid

Stretch for the side of your neck – releasing tense accessory muscles

• Notice how you are sitting – think about lengthening your spine
• Turn your head from side to side and evaluate your range of movement and how it feels
• Put your right hand underneath your seat and tilt your head to the left, keeping everything soft and gentle
• Place your left hand on your neck with your fingers softly curled
• Using the weight of your hand and arm, gently drag on the muscles and tissues of your neck without gripping or squeezing
• Keep facing forward, with your spine long and resist any temptation to hold your breath. Drop your hands and return to the centre
• Move your neck and shoulders, paying attention to how it feels; notice if anything feels freer / more fluid
• Repeat the steps on your opposite side
• When you have completed this on both sides, move your head from side to side, evaluate the range of movement and see how it feels

Hello World – a stretch to loosen muscle tension behind your shoulders

• Try a huge early morning yawn and upper body stretch
• Stretch your arms up towards the sky
• Keeping the feeling of arms fully extended, bring your outstretched arms down shoulder height with your palms facing the floor
• Now turn your palms up so that they face the ceiling (as if you are balancing plates in your hands) and bring your elbows in towards your hips – feeling a stretch behind your shoulder blades
• Hold this position for several breaths
• Release your arms and shrug your shoulders a few times
• Repeat and notice if anything feels freer / more fluid

Shoulder shrugs – letting go of unhelpful accessory muscle tightness

• Bring your shoulders up towards your ears as if shrugging
• Hold onto the feeling of squeeze for a few seconds, resist holding your breath
• Let your shoulders float down again to their resting position with a contented ‘mmm’ sound
• Repeat this 4 times
• Move your neck and shoulders – notice how it feels; notice if anything feels freer / more fluid

Sirening

•  Say the word ‘sing’ and stay on the last sound, the ‘ng’ Using ‘ng’
• Start somewhere comfortable in your range and gently slide your voice up and down around this comfortable note
• Gradually extend the range, going higher and lower in pitch, trying to keep the effort the same
• Imagine the sound is ink and your finger is a pen
• Try writing your signature with the ‘ng’ sound by following the shape of your signature with your voice
• Keep your shoulders loose and breathe whenever you need to

© ENO Breathe / 2020