Tight throat when you perform? Here’s the answer.
Our brains do crazy things to our bodies when we’re nervous. How many of you have experienced shaking limbs, sweaty palms, and panicked breathing when the pressure is on? For a singer or an actor, one of the most troubling aspects of getting nervous is a throat that tightens up. We have a series of muscles that run down the back of our throats called constrictors, and they contract when the “fight or flight” response kicks in from our sympathetic nervous system. These constrictor muscles are very strong and are part of swallowing; to get a sense of how much you don’t want these muscles on when you’re singing or speaking, just try to talk and swallow at the same time. Not so easy, right?
There are lots of great ways to release muscle tension, like meditation (see here), mobility work, and awareness modalities such as the Alexander technique. Another great thing to try is laryngeal massage. Many performers aren’t even aware of what the structures of the larynx (voice box) are, so learning to do some self-massage can help to reduce strain and also make you more knowledgeable about your throat. The rules of this practice are:
Be precise
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