Here’s an exercise for breath control that I love. It involves standing upright—an easy, tall thought in your mind. Not stiff, not rigid, but available. The kind of upright that begins in imagination: a sense of lift from the crown of the head, a quiet lengthening through the spine, the shoulders releasing down and wide. It’s been said that the voice rings freely in this “noble” posture, and there’s truth in that. When the body is aligned and alert, not collapsed or braced, the breath can move, and the voice can ride that breath without interference. The posture becomes a kind of readiness—a poised openness that invites resonance.

So we stand in this noble posture—and I’ll speak of posture more—and we make no noise with pitch but rather pant like a dog. This can be off-putting or even distracting imagery for some, so it’s important to realize we’re not heavy panting like an animal, but we are rapidly inhaling and exhaling such that our epigastric region, our intercostals, our low back, and hopefully even our low abdominals are sensing a state of reactivity.

They are reacting appropriately to the demand we’re placing on them, and the result is a rapid turnover of the breath. This rapid turnover is desirable because it wakes up the breath mechanism. It encourages efficiency—quick inhales and exhales that keep the respiratory system responsive without excess effort. It brings in fresh oxygen and stimulates the muscles involved in breath support, including the diaphragm, intercostals, and low abdominals. More importantly, it prepares the voice for action: when the breath is already in motion, the transition to sound is smoother, more immediate. The body is primed, not waiting. In this way, rapid turnover becomes not just a physical warm-up, but a neurological one—a cue to the system that it’s time to speak, to sing.

This is not something to do all day long. This is not something to do even for very long at all. But it is a very helpful way—especially on certain days—to wake the voice. Wake the breath.

Once we are feeling nimble in this place, it’s time to lay in some tones. Sing a pitch. Or pant on a pitch. Keep the tone light, just barely making contact between the vocal folds. Practice short staccato phrases. Practice with sustain.

Focus on that point at which we switch from inhalation to exhalation, from exhalation to inhalation. That’s where the voice initiates.

Become friends with the breath cycle.