Tenderness (and tunes!) for the Tension Triangle
What is the “tension triangle”? This triangular area around the neck is where we carry much of our tension. You can feel it if you put both your hands at the base of your skull, travel with your fingers down the neck, and run each hand out along the shoulder blades. If you're spending a lot of time sitting, as so many of us do, the neck area is under a lot of pressure.
But why should I bother? I don’t feel tense right now.
The tension triangle can also have an impact on your free and expressive speaking voice. It is difficult for vocal impulses to travel the channel from your brain to your diaphragm (essential for breath and voice) if there is tension in the body. The vocal vibrations from your voice thrive when you are relaxed, and that is when you can connect most fully to your authentic voice – even in pressure-filled situations.
How can I relax the tension triangle?
A simple way to calm the tension triangle is to bring it a little sound. Even a small bit of sound can awaken your nervous system and relax your body. The vibrations you create when you vocalize can strengthen the connection between brain, body, and voice.
How to relax your body – with your voice
I invite you to sit comfortably in a chair (perhaps the one you are in right now) with your feet resting flat on the floor. Sit tall, but comfortably. Let your head drop forward gently. Just let your head rest for a moment. Perhaps shake it gently. Note any tension you feel in the neck. Take a deep inhalation through the nose, and feel the rib cage and belly expand. Breathe out slowly through the mouth.
Now roll your head to the right. Keep looking ahead of you rather than to the side or at your shoulder. Your right earlobe should be over the right shoulder. Breathe out again slowly through the mouth.
While your head is here, breathe in again through the nose. Now, imagine someone handing you your favorite dessert and make the sound “mmmmm" with your lips closed. There's no need to push or force the sound — keep it gentle. (You'll still get all the benefits.) If you want to give it more of a tune, hum the first two notes of the A-B-C song, just on A-B-C. Experiment with other notes on "mmmmm," remembering to keep the sound relaxed and gentle.
Now bring your head down again gently forward. Take another breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Then roll your head to the left, making the same sound that you did on the right. Continue looking ahead of you rather than to the side or at your shoulder, with your left earlobe over the left shoulder. Breathe into your nose again slowly, and out through the mouth.
When should I do this?
Do this exercise before you open up your computer. Do it between meetings. Do it when you wake up in the morning. Do it anytime you want to focus, for 1-2 minutes, on your breath. You can make the sound very quietly, too, if there are people near you and you want privacy.
The acoustic mirror of the soul
You may be familiar with the expression, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Did you know the voice is the “acoustic mirror of the soul”, as a colleague once said to me. When you start to free your voice you may free not only the tension triangle — you might just free your most authentic and expressive self as well.
Kelly Vogel is the founder of Sound Passage. She has over 20 years of experience as an educator and her passion is bringing embodiment and the voice into education and everyday life. Learn more about Sound Passage here!