In mid-April, I attended a two-day Soul Voice workshop in Wageningen. I already knew that sounds can liberate the voice, and that is exactly what happened this time as well. We did some unusual, slightly uncomfortable exercises that I was able to surrender to quite easily. Sometimes with a little doubt beforehand: do I like this, can I actually do this? But with the idea: if I live (and therefore also sound) the way I dance, then I feel as free as a bird.
Together with the other participants, we practiced various exercises involving making baby, predator, and dolphin sounds, as well as overtone sounds. Sounds representing how a spot of pain or tension feels, while discovering and expressing the underlying emotions. In this way, I was able to give space and a voice to my tense left shoulder muscles, which contained mainly anger and rage. Which is why those muscles are still at rest today.
And how liberating is the A sound! Releasing power-anger by kicking out a leg each time and throwing out a raw A. Flowing through by slowly lowering both hands from top to bottom in front of the body and saying a relieving A. Feeling fully supported and absorbing energy by lying on the stomach with arms wide, embracing Mother Earth, and exhaling with a long A.
Twice, the participants sang to each other while one of us lay on a mat. On one occasion, we sounded out from our hearts only the name of the recipient, sometimes sweet and inviting, and just as often whining, growling, and complaining. In the other session, we created overtone sounds for each other. A man said he heard a Tibetan monk in me, which I didn't find strange at all. The two times I was allowed to receive, I went into it with the intention of being reborn with a warm welcome. The inviting tones of: ‘Hey Xander, are you coming to play?’ fit seamlessly with that. Afterwards, it truly felt like a new start.
In this way, I was able to tap into my playful nature again and express myself as authentically and rawly as possible. Who knows, perhaps during breathwork or holistic massage sessions I can invite clients to use their voices even more. Then, through embodiment, an emotion gets a voice as well. That seems wonderful to me, and it really clears things up!
