Here are the two recordings in which I'm trying to reconstruct two breathing exercises: one where, after opening my chest, I release air on a "sss" while trying to keep the chest open the whole time, and the other where I do short pulses on "ss, šš, hi, ft" also trying to keep the chest open. I've been doing the exercises for about five days. I should mention that yesterday I really got into the second exercise with the short pulses — it feels very good and I have the impression it tones my transverse abdominal muscle. But when I start I overdo it, and this morning I woke up with a stiff neck muscle. I just learned it's called the sternocleidomastoid, which to my surprise is connected to the breastbone and collarbone and helps lift the chest — that is, inhalation. There you go. And it also hurts when I swallow. And I even feel some tention at the root of the tongue and the scull. The condition worsens as the day goes on. Well, I learned a new lesson in anatomy, but the one about patience still won't take root. Hope you don't make the same mistake.

Lip trills look simple. But doing them really well is not. The quality matters. If your lip trill is unstable, pressed or collapsing, you are training the wrong coordination. A good liptrill needs steady airflow, relaxed lips, and no unnecessary tension in jaw, neck or tongue. This is exactly why I make ALL my students do them. Beginners, semi-professionals and professionals. Yes, I "torture" everyone with it because you can train and prepare so many essential things with this one exercise. If you do it correctly, it becomes one of the most powerful tools you have. You can also take another look at Chapter 3 in my ONLINE MASTERCLASS where I show you exactly how to work with it in details.

In these two videos I’m trying to reconstruct the first breathing exercise — both the first and second phases. I’m not sure whether I’m doing it correctly or if I’m taking too large an inhale. I still don’t have a sense of relaxation during the inhale; it feels like my breath isn’t low enough to feel an air cushion — it feels too high, lifting my sternum and creating pressure on the glottis. Also, I’m not sure where I should feel the air leaving on the exhale, i.e., where the body should squish

I still have some uncertainties about the first breathing exercise. So the exercise is done on the sound "ssss" by holding it as long as I finish a phrase of an aria/song/Lied I chose? And I repeat that for every phrase until the end of the aria? And between those, is there the reflexive inhalation? Or?

KRISTINA asked some excellent questions on posture and breath connected to the two first chapters in the MASTERCLASS - I´ve answered them in 4 short videos. If you want to understand what actually happens in your body while singing, this will give you more clarity. And if you´d like to go much deeper into these topics, you´ll find the full structure inside the MASTERCLASS in the Classroom section.