Like all of us, I don’t always practice what I preach. Doing what I do for a living, I know about the healthful benefits of making music and how vocalizing is an effective way of relieving stress. Yet I don’t always practice that for myself.

But today was different. Today I remembered to create time for reconnecting with my breath, body, and voice.

It began by me just toning some vowels, noticing where I felt the vibrations in my body. I noticed that my throat was feeling particularly tight, so I modified the pitch and where I was placing the sound.

A shift happened.

Then I began toning melodic lines using the vowels, again noticing what was going on within. This time I felt grounded down through my spine and sitz bones, but noticed that my shoulders were feeling tight. They needed some release.

I began rocking my torso in motion to my vocalizations, which felt really good. I could feel myself filling into my body, becoming more present to myself as I became more present with my voice and breath. The stress and tightness seemed to melt away.

At that moment I recognized a connection, or an integration, had occurred between my body, mind, breath and voice that left me feeling clearer than when I began toning. I felt as though I had become an embodiment of sound.

It reminded me that I need to practice what I preach and do this more often.

What are your favorite things to do for feeling or becoming more embodied? Please share your comments down below.

Also, if you live in the Longmont/Boulder area, let me know if you are interested in engaging in a sound circle. It would be great to find a group of 6-7 people who want to vocalize and make sound together.