It’s nothing short of magical to witness a student release a block in their voice that’s been with them their entire life. To see the shift in their face, their body, their entire presence—it’s like watching them come alive for the first time. Their voice transforms, and with it, something deep inside them awakens. It’s a beautiful, raw moment of liberation that never gets old.

As the days grow shorter and we approach the darkest time of the year on the 21st of December, there’s a quiet, almost sacred pull within me—a longing to settle into the embrace of the darkness. I’ve always wondered why this time of year feels so magical, as if the darkness holds me gently, inviting me to pause, to breathe, to simply be. There’s something about the angle of the sun, the softness of the winter light, and the sparkle of snow that invites me to turn inward and find stillness. I can rest and recharge here in this darkness and allow all that is here, to be all that it is.

I’m always amazed by how much the singing voice can teach us about living in a more balanced, harmonious way.

When I’m teaching workshops or lessons, it’s such a gift not to feel like I need to know more than what I know in that moment, because the voice itself becomes the teacher, guiding me forward.

When we were excited and burst out of ourselves, or when someone (out of the goodness of their heart) told us we shouldn’t sing, or when we were laughed at in school, we felt something deep.

These imprints from what I call the ‘Just Like When World’ can create a tidal wave of beliefs and safety nets designed to protect us from ever experiencing that humiliation again.

I recently watched a video on Instagram showing women exercising, doing yoga etc. The narrator said something to the effect -'Instead of exercising, lifting weights, doing yoga etc., to get a tight booty, great abs, to look fit and younger, do it so you can pick up your grandchildren when you're older.’

I also feel this way about singing. Improve your voice and sing for the simple joy of singing yes, but as you age sing to release the stress of life so you slow down the aging process.

This week, I had the pleasure of teachingThe Natural Voice in Gibsons, BC, to a group of women who were experiencing this approach for the first time.

Many of them had backgrounds in choirs or theatre, while others came simply to explore and open to new concepts in singing.

We all share a common human struggle with letting go of control. As a voice teacher, I’ve found that the essence of my work revolves around guiding students to release this control, bit by bit, note by note—much like taking toys away from children.

Where do you feel your voice, not just hear your voice but feel it? Does it bring you more deeply into your body, and into the moment?

In a world where we all want everything right now in the fastest possible ‘Amazon’ way please and thank you, just what is the fastest way to become aware of the present moment?

Is it by noticing your breath? Feeling your body or by noticing your thoughts?

While all of these are great ways to become present, another way to enter the moment is by listening to the sounds around you and to connect the energy of what you are hearing.

To fully embody our voice is to embrace receptivity—to embody our wholeness and the demand the voice makes of us in order to realize the beauty and depth of who we truly are.

And I don’t mean the kind of space that you get from sitting in a cave in a mountain or in a meditation hut that you’ve built in your home, but the kind of space that is with you all the time even when you’re busy doing what you do in your life.

Really free singing can be the way-shower for a whole new way of being in the world because the resonant voice is the tangible evidence of this space that has opened up.

Learning to bring both energies of dark and light, personal and impersonal, masculine and feminine, structure and flow together as one natural way of living, is no small task.

The buddhists call this The Middle Way.

This is the work the singing voice has the potential to actualize within us if we so choose because of the nature of balance that has to occur within the tone of the voice in order for a voice to be beautiful.

I was speaking on the phone with a potential student and she shared with me how her voice was hurting because for a time she was speaking lower than normal in order to feel more confident. She says ‘lowering my voice seems to reassure my colleagues and at the time I felt they needed me to be that for them - to be strong and sound more masculine.’

Activating this clear power of truth through the study of singing is a beautiful path and to speak direct and clear in the moment when it is necessary is very, very healing.

The voice delivers the power of the word and the tongue is the sword that shapes this power.

"The sound that grounds is the ground that sounds."

I think we can all agree that shame and a lack of confidence stop many people from singing and pursuing their creative delights.

I think it’s also important to note that whenever we work with the voice we are working directly and not so directly with the deeply rooted issues of shame and lack of confidence.

I sometimes say to my students that you have to give your tongue a brain! Getting inside of it and waking it up with voice exercises is a great way to activate the strength and power of articulation that lives inside of your tongue.

There’s nothing like the feeling of driving in the car on your own and singing along to your favorite song.

The sun is behind you, the road is ahead of you and you have time just for you to be.

You are in the in-between space of having no other responsibilities other than the road ahead of you.

Your voice feels so good as you sing and the tunes just keep flowing. You’ve found that sweet spot that seems to only happen when you’re in the car on your own and you find this beautiful space. There’s nothing like the feeling of you loving the sound of your own voice and enjoying the music, it’s heaven.

The moment itself is really a combination of the focus of our minds and the energy of our body coming together in a constant recalibration of energy and light.

The singing into these kind of calm waters frees up so much space in us so that the voice finds all kinds of space to resonate inside of. No stress, no work, no thought, only waves of beautiful sound. And, healing sound I might add.