<\/p>\n
This article is mainly esoteric in nature, and was created to potentially connect you very deeply to your voice, your authenticity, and a powerful performance \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n Firstly, it feels important to quantify this information somewhat –<\/span> I\u2019m well aware that to many people it could be construed as pretty much “out there”\u2026 so if a more spiritual outlook on things is not for you, then the Level 1 videos, manual and vocal coaching audio tracks, Level 1 <\/span>articles, <\/span>plus Level 2 videos, <\/span>will probably work better for you.<\/span><\/p>\n I came to this because I\u2019d taught for around 10 years using the Level 1 techniques, but found I couldn\u2019t help students with stage fright and how to truly connect with their emotions, for explaining something is very different from experiencing it oneself. \u00a0In other words, trying to explain things wasn\u2019t helping, it needed to be their<\/em> experience. \u00a0So I <\/span>needed to go deeper. \u00a0I knew I needed something more but didn’t know what that was. Then a dear friend of mine re-introduced me to the idea of the chakras and from there, the work of Cyndi Dale (book list and related articles below).<\/span>\u00a0 Here was the answer I\u2019d been looking for!:) I found myself using her knowledge in my lessons, and, intuitively, Level 2 came about. \u00a0Eventually I spoke with Cyndi and she was on board with me using her knowledge to help \u00a0with singing\/dealing with stage fright and doing a deeper dive into the emotional aspects of singing.<\/span><\/p>\n And, to be clear, the following information just brushes the surface of the Cyndi Dale books, but for our purposes a working understanding is all that\u2019s necessary, I feel, singing being primarily an experiential thing. \u00a0In that a deep esoteric understanding of the nature of things isn\u2019t essential in this instance, just what is needed to help you connect with your vocal power:)\u00a0<\/p>\n For understanding the pathways of energy and how to use them, can make all the difference to singing. \u00a0Connecting you with yourself in a deep way, potentially opening pathways within, opening up to truly expressing the emotions of a song, and thus, the authentic you.<\/p>\n The four pathways<\/strong><\/p>\n As in Cyndi\u2019s book (see below \u201cAdvanced Chakra Healing\u201d), let\u2019s take the idea there are four pathways of being and healing which we are all subject to:<\/p>\n 1.The Elemental pathway<\/strong> – the dimension of material reality, for example the physical body. Everything that is tangible around us.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0The Power pathway<\/strong> \u2013 growing our own power and achieving power spiritually within ourselves and in the world. \u00a0Saying what we mean, meaning what we say.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0The Imagination pathway<\/strong> \u2013 which works with the other three paths, helping or hindering us in our goals. The anti-world is the home of the imagination pathway, our imagination, and is situated behind the chakras; the 7 in-body chakras we use to sing (Cyndi Dales’ has a 12 chakra system, 7 in the body, 5 in and around the body) running up the spine, and in the center and crown of the head.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0The Divine pathway<\/strong> \u2013 surrendering to the ineffable mystery of a divine path, and the idea \u2018thy will, not mine\u2019<\/em>. \u00a0One can take this on the level of finding and developing one\u2019s own personal humility, and\/or surrendering to source energy, the divine energy from which everything is made.<\/p>\n All the pathways intersect and if we heal on one pathway, it impacts all of the others. \u00a0Likewise with singing, when we connect truly on one pathway, we also connect on all of the other pathways. \u00a0In fact, when we\u2019re singing and being truly authentic, connecting with ourselves, our voice and a song, we\u2019re balanced on all four pathways – which is why it feels so good:)<\/p>\n And a powerful way to consciously connect with the emotions, the story of a song and your authentic self, is through the imagination pathway, or \u201canti-world\u201d.<\/p>\n The<\/strong> anti<\/strong>–world<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n One can view the imagination pathway as being the \u201criver of energy\u201d that I mention in the Level 2 videos. \u00a0It runs up and down the back, and is the home of our imagination, aka our \u201cImaginationland”.<\/p>\n The antiworld is a place of mystery and magic, energy that we can draw upon for power and guidance. Since in a physical sense it’s made of nothing and so doesn’t exist, it can go anywhere, do anything.<\/p>\n And as with everything in this dualistic world, it can work for us, or against us. We’ve all experienced this – especially our worst fears being manifest – and with singing there is no difference.<\/p>\n For example, taking a breath to go for that high note\u00a0knowing<\/em> you’re not going to get it and, hey presto, that’s exactly what happens. \u00a0The imagination pathway at work (and, of course, if we mix that with the elemental and power pathways, we can change the negative to a positive and visa versa. \u00a0For example, physically practicing the high note before we perform a song, so we get it absolutely right, \u00a0will always<\/em> help \ud83d\ude42 The power and elemental pathways combined.<\/p>\n Any doubt about our performance will always be manifest physically in some way, but the start of the imbalance is always the imagination pathway.<\/p>\n Conversely, putting the attention in the center of the heart (the heart chakra being the center of our true self), and a place of peace, then simply observing<\/em> our fears, from neutrality, can make a huge difference. \u00a0We come into balance with the anti-world and let our intuition guide us to the place or space we need to go\/be. When we do that, we\u2019re working with the divine pathway:) (And, FYI , this is why the meditations came to be. \u00a0One can\u2019t think oneself into this kind of space, it needs to be felt, so the emotion memory has a reference to draw upon).<\/p>\n We can give the imagination pathway a home by visualizing it centered behind the spine, in the chakras centered in the spine, and the space between the spine and the center of the body (see diagram). \u00a0The energy of the chakras are then also reflected in the center of the body, and we can access them from either the back, or the center of the body.<\/p>\n The anti-world is the area between the center of your body and the space behind the chakras.<\/p>\n Here is an exercise to connect you with the imagination pathway:<\/p>\n 1. \u00a0Imagine a glowing rod in the center of your body that connects the heart and the solar plexus. 2. \u00a0Breathe through your back into this rod. 3. \u00a0With your attention in this rod, now reach out to the imagination pathway. \u00a0See it as a glowing river of energy running from your tailbone to the crown of your head.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. \u00a0Sing a note to \u201caah\u201d, traveling from the tailbone to the top of the head, note in the center of the body (let the note be smooth, as in the siren sound exercise). \u00a0Imagine that your note is being supported by the glowing river of the imagination pathway as you sing.<\/p>\n 5. \u00a0Now do the same thing, note centered in the spine.<\/p>\n 6. \u00a0Now sing the note visualizing it behind<\/em> the spine.<\/p>\n Did you hear the difference in the notes? \u00a0The note behind the spine sounds richer and fuller. \u00a0Plus, visualizing the note as a glowing river of energy can help with smoothly transitioning up the scale.<\/p>\n 7. \u00a0Now sing the note 3 times again, center spine and behind the spine, and as you sing from the root chakra to the crown chakra, at the same time<\/em> imagine the note starting <\/em>in the crown chakra and descending <\/em>to the root chakra. \u00a0So you visualize the note going down<\/em> as it also goes up<\/em>, like a pulley system, and as in the Level 1 videos. \u00a0This stops the note from sounding thin as you ascend the scale.<\/p>\n 8. \u00a0Now sing all three notes again, this time going up and down (as in the siren sound exercises).<\/p>\n Take your time, stop if it\u2019s not sounding right and go back to the beginning. \u00a0You\u2019re programming in a new technique, using the imagination\/anti-world pathway. \u00a0Once you feel you have this technique in place, your emotion memory will remember it. \u00a0It will help you access the high notes and connect with the \u201cflute\u201d idea of your vocal \u00a0range, helping to make your voice much more agile:) \u00a0<\/p>\n It will also program in remembering to breathe into your back as you breathe in, and how to transition from root to head voice, for example, especially in a song that calls for a lot of vocal range.<\/p>\n The chakras<\/strong><\/p>\n The chakras are seen as the power houses of the body. \u00a0They have an alchemical center, an inner and outer ring, and each one has a particular property and function within the body (see diagram, and below for an article on the chakras).<\/p>\n When we connect with the river of energy (and thus the imagination pathway), we then connect with these energetic power houses. \u00a0This makes it much easier to express a songs\u2019 emotions. \u00a0The emotion memory will remember the feeling of connection because we\u2019ve already practiced it, and by doing this, felt<\/em> it.<\/p>\n Chakra<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Connection<\/strong> to<\/strong><\/p>\n Root \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Stability\u00a0<\/p>\n Sacral \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Creativity\u00a0<\/p>\n Solar Plexus \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Emotions<\/p>\n Heart \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Love<\/p>\n Throat \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Speaking truth<\/p>\n 3rd Eye \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Our mystical self<\/p>\n Crown \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Higher self\u00a0<\/p>\n The front of the chakras is where we look to the future, our desires and goals. \u00a0The back of the chakras are where we hold on to or remember the past and the home of our unconscious self. The sides of the chakra lead us to the here and now and the balance of yin\/yang.<\/p>\n It goes deeper than this though. The front of a chakra is the opposite of the back, the conscious vs. the unconscious. \u00a0The back of a chakra is also the \u201canti-world\u201d, our imagination land. \u00a0We can make this a place of tension and blockage, or a place of magic. \u00a0<\/p>\n For the auspices of this program, though, we\u2019re imagining the whole of the space – from behind the back to the center of the body – as being our imagination playground. \u00a0Because singing is so all encompassing this brings all pathways together to create a cohesive, authentic, powerful performance.<\/p>\n Imagination Pathway Exercises<\/strong><\/p>\n This exercise connects you to all of your chakras <\/span>by breathing into your back (imagine you\u2019re breathing into all 7 chakras at <\/span>the same time, energy centered in the heart):<\/span><\/p>\n Confidence \/power\/whatever your instinct tells you. \u00a0Breathe this in from behind your spine, through the anti-world to the center of your body, energy centered in the heart. <\/span>\u00a0Then breathe your fears back out, through the anti-world and back out to behind your spine, through all of your chakras. \u00a0Consciously let the energy go as you breathe out. This can be a great release.<\/span>\u00a0 Also a great exercise to do just before stepping onto a stage :-).<\/span><\/p>\n Then breathe again:<\/p>\n 2. \u00a0Through your back and the anti-world, energy centered at the solar plexus chakra as you breathe in, then focus on whichever chakra your instinct tells you needs to sing with (heart – am I expressing love? \u00a0Is it angst? – solar plexus, and so on).<\/p>\n 3. \u00a0Try doing this before singing a song. Speak the lyrics like a poem, noticing the feeling of the song, feeling instinctively where the emotion is coming from, then make a mental note to draw on the energy of that part of your body when singing the song. \u00a0Read the lyrics again, consciously connecting with the emotions of the song. \u00a0Your pathway is then set, the emotion memory of your body will travel up and down your imagination pathway as you sing to help you find it again as you sing the song. \u00a0This can be transformational.<\/span><\/p>\n (You can also use the imagination pathway to heal the body and let go of stress. Say your diaphragm is really tight and uncomfortable. Imagine breathing healing energy into the heart and diaphragm, then breathing out the tension into the anti-world as above, energy always starts at the heart then moves to the affected area).<\/p>\n As seen above, when singing, the anti-world has many uses. \u00a0It connects us to our imagination, the energy of the chakras up and down the back, and connects us to our creative energy.<\/p>\n Breathe into the back Breathe through the back into the diaphragm. Know that the chakras centered in the spine are also reflected in the center of your body.<\/p>\n The area between the spine and the center of your body is your imagination pathway playground. \u00a0You\u2019re free to go anywhere with your imagination, feel whatever you want to feel.<\/p>\n Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n My personal feeling is that we tend to think we\u2019re hapless, bouncing around life\u2018s vicissitudes (posh prose), when in reality we have a lot more power than we realize:) \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Singing brings all of this up, which is why it can be so challenging. \u00a0Many deep issues can arise. \u00a0<\/span>Train yourself to think \u2018As I\u2019m breathing in I\u2019m connecting with my imagination pathway. This is a mystical thing. \u00a0Me and not me. \u00a0It is my friend. It can take me anywhere.\u2019 \u00a0Learn to give your singing experience to IT, and see where it takes you :-). \u00a0<\/span>When you truly let go, this can be a magical experience. \u00a0You\u2019ll reach the end of the song and go <\/span>\u2018how did I do that!\u2019 It doesn\u2019t matter. \u00a0You did it. You don\u2019t need to know \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n In this way, the anti-world is\u00a0the doorway to incredible possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n From Cyndi Dale\u2019s \u201cThe Complete Book of Chakra Healing\u201d: \u201c<\/span>If we can heal the physical, emotional or spiritual issues hidden in or caused by our unconscious, our conscious reality will respond accordingly…the front side of each chakra connects to concrete reality, which is regulated by the everyday world, whereas the back side of each chakra links us to dimensions and energies that stretch far beyond the day-to-day world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In this way, the anti-world, the home of the imagination pathway, is a place of magic.<\/p>\n As mentioned earlier, since each of the first five in body chakras extends out behind the back a small amount, so the energy of the anti-world also runs up and down the back.<\/p>\n As with the exercise above, when we breathe into the back to sing, we’re breathing in the anti-world, and our imagination. When we breathe this energy into the heart, the center of our chakra system, it has a lot more power than if we do so with our attention in the head.<\/p>\n As demonstrated above, can also use heart anti-world energy to connect us with any of the other chakras and subtle bodies within and around us.<\/p>\n Quote from \u201cAdvanced Chakra Healing\u201d:\u00a0\u201cEssence energy works two ways. It exists in a balled-up form within the center of each chakra and is strongest within the heart energy center, ready and waiting to be energized.<\/em><\/p>\n This inner self, the one I usually call the spirit or essence, is imprinted with information about our essential purpose, essential needs, and essential personality. We could say that our real selves are walled up within our hearts, waiting to break free. Our real selves are waiting for the day that our body, mind, and soul start working together instead of separately\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n In other words, when all four pathways are working together as one, we find mastery.<\/p>\n When singing, keeping the attention in the heart and consciously breathing in imagination pathway essence can take us to great intuitive heights.<\/p>\n And helps us release that balled up essence energy mentioned above. And stop us from tensing up, not trusting our breath or intuition.<\/p>\n Connecting with the anti-world<\/strong><\/p>\n You connect with the anti-world directly when you sing. \u00a0Imagine yourself expanding, like the big bang, as you breathe in, like you have huge wings. Enjoy your breath and connect with your diaphragm, feeling light and free.<\/p>\n Let the diaphragm and heart communicate, like there’s a rod of energy connecting them together. Let your imagination take you where you want to go – let it be your instinctual guide.<\/p>\n Breathing Sideways<\/strong><\/p>\n When we breathe into the back and breathe sideways, it connects us directly to the here and now. We’re not worried about the note we’re about to sing, or have just sung, and learn to enjoy the experience of letting sound reverberate through the body and the chakras.<\/p>\n The left sides of the chakras are feminine in quality, and the right side male. \u00a0When we breathe sideways, we’re also breathing into our primal physical essence, while also balancing our primal energies. Back is the past, front forward, and sideways here and now. \u00a0Here \u00a0and now is where the magic is at :-).<\/p>\n Breathe antiworld energy in from the back, then let the energy expand sideways. Feel the infinite energy of breathing in sideways, and how it connects you to your infinite self.<\/p>\n The Chakras and the Antiworld<\/strong><\/p>\n Once we’ve breathed into the chakras and experienced the infinite energy of a sideways breath, we can then use their energy to express a song.<\/p>\n Take a line that you know how to sing well and feel confident in singing. \u00a0Breathe in, then sing the line from the center of the heart chakra. Express the emotions honestly and authentically. \u00a0See how that feels. \u00a0Then do the same thing from the back of the heart chakra (from the anti-world).<\/p>\n See how that feels. Then do the same thing from the front of the chakra (an inch or so in front of the spine). See how that feels.<\/p>\n You can do the same thing with any of the chakras. Once you’ve breathed in to the heart, let anti-world instinct take you to which ever chakra you feel best expresses the emotions of the lyric. Is it heart emotion? (Heart chakra), forcefully powerful (root) etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Inner Anti-world<\/strong><\/p>\n To activate more of the anti-world, you can also do the same thing with the area inside<\/em> the body.<\/p>\n Breathe into the area between the spine and the center of the body. \u00a0Breathe antiworld energy into the body, and imagine that this space then becomes<\/em>\u00a0the antiworld.<\/p>\n Once you’ve breathed the energy of the anti-<\/span>world into the body and felt your sideways energy, then let go and use this energy to travel up and down your \u201criver of energy\u201d (as in the Level 2 videos) connecting with the feeling of the song and the truth of your emotions. \u00a0Let your imagination pathway take you where you need to go.<\/span><\/p>\n Your diaphragm, body and emotion memory know how to sing. Let them do it and be the observer, marveling at the journey you\u2019re being taken on ;-).<\/span><\/p>\n Connecting with the heavens and the earth<\/b><\/p>\n One last imagination pathway exercise. \u00a0Having established that the back of the chakras are where the imagination pathway is housed (and that they all connect behind<\/i> the back, running from the tailbone up into the head and crown chakra, the back of each chakra including<\/i> the head and crown – see diagram), let\u2019s take this further. \u00a0It might be easier to try this seated, initially. \u00a0In a straight back chair, bare foot, feet on the floor equidistant to the knees and hips.<\/p>\n Hopefully you\u2019ve now also cleansed the chakras by breathing into the back and center of the body, and breathing out again. \u00a0There might still feel like some \u201cholding on\u201d going on, but by simply doing this you\u2019ll prepare yourself for this particular exercise:) \u00a0Also, by singing the siren exercise through all parts of the imagination pathway (center of the body, center of the spine\/chakras, behind the chakras) \u00a0you\u2019ve found the different pathways of the note.<\/p>\n Before trying this next exercise, listen to the \u201cfather, mother, child\u201d meditation. \u00a0This will place you into the vibration of energy coming from above through<\/i> your body and down to the center of the earth; \u00a0then up from the center of the earth through<\/i> your body and back up to the heavens.<\/p>\n After the meditation, keep your attention in your heart and sing a song you love and feel you sing to the best of your ability. \u00a0If it needs work, then all well and good :-). Consciously give the note to the rod connecting the diaphragm and heart by humming to \u201cmmm\u201d. \u00a0Let it vibrate with the sound. \u00a0At the same time, give the song to the diaphragm. \u00a0It knows how to sing. \u00a0Let it do your emoting for you.<\/i><\/p>\n Now sing the song from the imagination pathway behind your back. \u00a0Let it take you where you need to go, steered by the diaphragm and heart. \u00a0Let go and surrender. <\/i>\u00a0Enjoy the experience and if you mess up, try not to judge.<\/i> \u00a0On to the next note and phrase. \u00a0Until you get the feeling of this dialed in, let this technique become part of your practice. \u00a0You will take this vibration into your performance. \u00a0It will make it bigger and more resonant.<\/p>\n Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n The four pathways<\/p>\n What is a chakra?<\/p>\n The bubble.<\/p>\n Why meditate?<\/p>\n Father, mother, child meditation.<\/p>\n Cyndi Dales\u2019s books:<\/strong><\/p>\n Advanced Chakra Healing: Four pathways to Energetic Wellness and Transformation\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Illuminating the Afterlife<\/p>\n The Complete Book of Chakra Healing<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,20,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-learn-to-sing","category-level-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions\/481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singingfromthecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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