This also happens to be the title of this week’s podcast episode which you can listen to HERE!
THANK YOU to everyone who came to my We Party last week! I had a BLAST and will share more about my creative postpartum experience later this week. ALSO thank you to everyone who reached out when my instagram was deactivated and I disappeared on IG! I will also share more about how annoyed I am at how stressful this was, but I’m happy to report that I’m back up and running @alissaalter on IG.
When I started voice lessons at age 11, we would lay down on our backs, put our music books on our bellies, and make it lift and lower with our breath. Then we’d inhale and lift the book, and exhale for as long as we could trying to keep the book up.
We worked on our breath and then we warmed up our voices.
Because your voice literally works by your breath moving from your lungs through your vocal chords and out your mouth. Your breath IS your voice.
Your breath is your voice.
So by being here right now, breathing, you are sending a message into the world that you are here. That there is something inside you that needs to come out.
Tiny, small equipment can yield a huge impact.
All of the anatomy, pieces, and parts that make up your voice (voice box, larynx, vocal folds ← which look outrageously vaginal/labial) are less than two inches long. Everything in there is TINY.
One voice can make a difference. YOUR voice is revolutionary.
With every breath, sob, scream, and conversation you have, you are affirming your presence and making space for others to speak up too. A rising tide lifts all boats after all. And smooth seas never made a skilled sailor.
The first step toward strengthening your voice is one step.
Like any muscle and system in your body, you can train your voice. I started when I was 11! That’s why I’m so loud!!!
You see how what’s happening inside impacts what’s happening outside? This is why all of my courses and workshops start with breathing. I know, I used to find it annoying too, now I find it fun and it’s the foundation of everything.
Your vocal folds and labia look very similar.
What your mouth is saying and what your vagina are saying are important! The world needs to hear from YOU!
I know you’re now thinking “This makes sense and I have no idea where to start, Alissa!”. I’ve got you.
Here’s where to start:
You need to release your belly because that allows for optimal function of your diaphragm and it also supports shedding of patriarchal conditioning.
Add a flutter of your lips or a tongue trill on your exhale (the action that allows you to roll your Rs as needed when speaking Spanish - I was a Spanish major in college btw).
Add your voice to the lip or tongue trill.
Open your mouth, forget the trills and use your voice in the same way.
And don’t stop here. Strength and endurance are built over time so make this a regular practice. We don’t get strong from doing push ups or lip trills one time, it takes consistency and dedication to create change and build strength.
And with consistency and practice your voice will get stronger, more steady, maybe louder, definitely more reliable.
It’s that last one for me.
When I find myself in times of trouble 🎶 but seriously, when I’m in a tough spot, and I feel lost, confused, overwhelmed I remind myself that I am reliable. I show up for myself. I can trust myself. I got this even when it feels like I don’t. This skill didn’t show up one day. It is the result of a continuous practice that changes and evolves as I return to myself, my mat, and where my vagina is pointing. This is why, like I said, all of my classes, workshops, and courses start with your breath and with where your vagina is pointing.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to see what all the hype is about, I’m teaching another pelvic floor workshop this THURSDAY at Kula Yoga in Hightstown, NJ. For more info and to secure your spot, CLICK HERE!
Not in the area, you know I got you. You can check out my courses here and also check out the 5 day mini course now available for only $39!
As always, I’ve got your back. I’ve got your front. And I’ve got your undercarriage!
Xo, Alissa