Do We Breathe Automatically?
“Do We Breathe Automatically? ” is the beautiful, somewhat philosophical title of a book on my bookshelf. The title popped into my head while I was musing on the content of this column. For me, breathing remains an intriguing subject simply because there are so many different approaches to it. These range from singing methods that explicitly avoid discussing the breath, to methods that adhere to (sometimes complex) theories, methods that are primarily practical, and methods with a holistic approach. The key question, of course, remains: do we indeed breathe automatically, or is it necessary for singers to train their breathing? The beauty of it is: both are true. Breathing does indeed happen automatically, even when you’re singing, and yes, there are aspects you can train to make breathing while singing easier and more efficient, allowing your voice to gain strength and range.
The most important thing is to keep the right goal in mind: that the breath seamlessly supports the musical and emotional intent of the singing, just as it does when speaking. The way you achieve this varies from person to person. As a brand-new voice teacher, I used to start every student off with fairly technical breathing exercises, but now I first observe whether the breath needs attention and which approach works best. Are those expressive vocalization exercises for breath flexibility, or exercises for inhaling with an open throat?
The most important thing is to keep the right goal in mind: that the breath seamlessly supports the musical and emotional intent of the singing, just as it does when speaking. The way you achieve this varies from person to person. As a beginning voice teacher, I used to have every student start with fairly technical breathing exercises, but now I first assess whether their breathing needs attention and which approach works best. Are those expressive vocal exercises for breath flexibility, or exercises for inhaling with an open throat? Sometimes it’s better not to mention breathing at all. For example, with that student who immediately became short of breath while observing his own breathing. I set the topic aside for a moment and switched to exercises that engage the body. For example, you can strengthen your high notes very effectively by sitting on a chair while singing and rapidly tapping both feet on the floor. This activates the abdominal and back muscles. Sometimes, simply repositioning the feet (toes pointing straight ahead) or adjusting the neck position is enough to deepen the breath. And then you’ll breathe automatically!
Ineke Van Doorn ©2025
Published in ZING Magazine nr 125 okt/nov 2025