The voice is unique in that it is deeply connected with one’s identity; it is a significant part of who we are and how we express ourselves. Yet, the voice says much more than the words one chooses to speak. There are many factors to the voice, such as tone, timbre, and melody. These aspects of the voice reflect one’s physical state of health, as well as express unconscious thoughts and feelings. Toning is easy, yet an impactful vocal activity that can help you connect to your voice. Through connecting with your voice, you can better understand yourself, while also helping improve your overall health.

Understanding The Past Associations You May Have With Your Voice

How do you feel when you find yourself in a situation in which you must speak up? Do you feel comfortable using your voice? Unfortunately, many of us have had experiences in life that led us to silence ourselves. Our reasons for this silencing could be out of feelings of fear and feelings of inadequacy. This silencing carries a price, though. Doing so denies us the opportunity to fully express who we are in the present moment. It denies us the ability to state what we need and what we won’t accept.

How To Tone and Why

If you find that you’re “silencing” yourself, “toning” is an activity you can engage in to reclaim your voice. Toning is an easy, gentle way of working with one’s own sound and breath. With toning, the vowels “AH,” “AY,” “EE,” “OH,” and “OO” are individually sounded on pitches of your choosing.

Preparing for Toning

When preparing to tone, find somewhere you can feel safe engaging in voice work. This is a time for self-exploration, not inhibition. Once you’ve identified a space that works for you, position yourself in a chair with both feet on the floor. This will help you to feel grounded so that you can breathe freely and deeply.

Breath is an important component of voice work, whether it be for toning, singing, or speaking. You may want to take a few moments to breathe and become more present before beginning to tone. Deep breathing in general can have a variety of health benefits.

The Act of Toning

Once you’re ready to tone, identify a pitch that feels comfortable and then tone on a vowel for 5 minutes. Toning for this amount of time provides an opportunity for your voice to warm up without overtaxing it. At the same time, it also provides you with some time to settle into your body and breathing.

While toning, bring your awareness to what is happening in the present moment. Simply notice whatever thoughts, feelings, and sensations may arise without judgement. Afterward, you may even want to journal your experience. Try this activity for one week, choosing a single vowel to tone each day.

Benefits of Toning

While your subjective experience of toning will be unique to you, there are some common benefits to toning. Some of these include decreased feelings of stress and an increased sense of relaxation. Even more important, when we feel connected to our voices, we can be more authentic in who we are. Exploring our voices in new and different ways, helps us to grow and develop. Some of these benefits are:

• Greater self-awareness
• Acceptance of our present experience
• Discovering new ways of relating to an ever-changing world

Incorporating Toning Into Therapy

If you’re looking for mental health provider and are interested in incorporating voice work into therapy, contact me. I offer a free initial 15-minute online or phone consultation that you can schedule here.