February 5, 2026
About the Author: Sonya
Mastering one’s breath is the key to maintaining vocal health and the most important piece of successful singing.
Not just a simple mechanism snuck away in the subconscious labyrinth of our brain, when brought to the main focus, breathing holds the answer to any of your “why can’t I sing that” or “why doesn’t this work” questions.
The “appoggio”, coming from the verb “appogiarsi” which means “to lean against” in Italian, is how we refer to the “support” of our voice in the music world.
Support does not just come from our breathing and our lungs, but our entire body.
It starts with our feet, our legs, our pelvic floor, the abdomen, our lower back and our ribs.
Like strong trees planted in the ground.
The Truth About Airflow and Phonation in Singing
A common misconception in singing is that to hit a note, whether high or low, you require more air.
This is false, you simply need to use your air more efficiently…
Air goes through the vocal folds to create phonation, but too much air can make the voice sound weaker or thinner.
The extreme of this is whispering- pretty much all air and no phonation.
Breathing in, of course, is important- but don’t misconstrue taking in more air with exasperation.
It’s the control of the release and the amount of pressure that is let out.
Think of a balloon. It has a lot of air, and the opening of the balloon represents the vocal chords. When you hold the balloon from the top and pull it open to let out a bit of air, it makes a pitch.
Depending on how far apart the lips of the balloon are, it changes the level of noise coming out, and if you open it completely, the air comes out all at once and makes no noise at all.
Correct Breathing Technique for Singers vs Shallow Breathing
First we have to talk about breathing correctly when it comes to singers.
What I see in a lot of my students is when I ask them to take deep breaths, I see them breathe high in their chests.
For example, their chests rise and their stomachs become smaller, creating tension in their shoulders and necks, which can make singing more difficult.
This type of breathing, shallow breathing, is common with athletes.
When training for a sport, especially a sport that requires plenty of running, people are trained to breathe in such a way that they can take in a lot of oxygen for it to be quickly released.
What singers do is the opposite, breath should be taken in low into the body so it can be held for longer- to sustain longer phrases.
To help my students find their lower breath, I ask them to lie on the ground and let their bodies breathe naturally.
The stomach rises with inhalation, and lowers with exhalation.
When we sing we should get used to our stomachs getting bigger, which is difficult when the societal expectation is for us to be as skinny as possible and to “suck it in”.
We have to be more comfortable with letting ourselves fully breathe and loosen the abdomen.
Finding Strength Through Breath, Posture, and Vocal Space
The next step is preparing ourselves to sing. After taking a nice deep breath, loosening the abdomen and feeling the ribs expand, we then find our strength.
- Feet should be shoulderwidth apart
- One foot slightly in front of the other.
- Knees not locked, but slightly bent.
- Spine straight with pelvis tucked in (no arching of the back)
- Neck aligned with your spine.
- As you sing, then engage your core.
- When standing in this position, if someone comes up to you while you are singing and tries to push you over, you won’t budge. This is what I mean when I say “singing strong”
With the initial inhale, I like to think of a “shocked” breath.
Imagine you were just told new information you had no clue about, the type of gasp you naturally take in creates a perfect space in your head and vocal passageway to sing comfortably.
Your larynx lowers and is relaxed. This, paired with standing in the right position, is the formula to have healthy support for singing.
If you aren’t sure what I mean, put your hand over your throat where your Adam’s apple is, and try to yawn.
You’ll feel that this part of your throat- the larynx- lowers. And in your mouth, the little dangly thing in the back of your throat (the uvula) will lift.
Now you’re ready to sing comfortably without pushing or straining.
Body Engagement Exercises to Strengthen Vocal Support
Here are some tips that I find really work to find more support in your body while singing:
Singing while planking.
I know this sounds really bizarre, but this is a great way to find strength in your core and also check in on your posture.
When an elbow plank is done the right way, the head, neck and spine are aligned, and the pelvis is tucked in.
You also find that you need to take deep and controlled breaths in order to maintain the position, and while you sing, you can feel the core working to get the notes out.
It is definitely difficult, and a workout, but it’s great training.
You can try this with some phrases in whatever song you’re working on. When you stand up to sing it again, you will sing the song much easier.
Wall sit
This is a great way to connect your mind with your body, and engage your legs!
When in the correct position for a wall sit, your back is flat on the wall with your head aligned- touching the wall, legs boxed out- as if you’re sitting on a chair.
Try singing some phrases you found difficult in the past, you’ll see how much easier it is.
Squatting as we sing
Do you have a note that just isn’t working? Try doing a slow low squat as you are singing the note, you’ll see that your body does all the work for you.
In Summary
As singers, it is easy to forget that singing is a sport. It’s a full body experience, it’s exercise.
We think a lot about what is going on in our throat, and forget to focus on our body and the strength it has.
When we let our body do the work, singing feels so much more natural and free.
Related Articles:
- Harmony in Body and Voice – The Alexander Technique Has Huge Benefits for Singers
- Vocal Health: Top Tips for Looking After Your Voice
- How to Sing Vibrato
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