Give The Tongue A Brain!

Over the years of teaching voice I can’t tell you how many students have come into my studio complaining of a tight jaw as well as having issues with their voice.

We might not realize we have a tight jaw or a numb tongue until we come for voice lessons or maybe go to the dentist and they ask the question, ‘do you clench your jaw at night?’

One of the biggest stumbling blocks that singers have is a weakness or numbness in their tongue. This weakness reflects a core weakness that exists throughout the whole body which creates a tightness in the jaw.

This lack of tonus (strength) in the tongue also creates a lack of articulation in the sound of the voice whether it’s the speaking or the singing voice. This weakness also can come across as a lack of clarity in the person.

I sometimes say to my students that you have to get inside of your tongue and give it a brain so it can deliver what is that you want to say.

Voice exercises and especially the natural voice exercises are a great way to activate this strength and power of articulation.

This weakness and numbness in the tongue has a corresponding numbness in the solar plexus region power centre. When the power trio (tongue/throat/solar plexus) is weak then the jaw has no choice but to be employed to come in and help out with the articulation of the voice.

Articulating what we need and want can be tricky if not impossible if the power trio is not connected to our core articulator - the tongue.

The Queen of the body is the throat centre.

This Queen Archetype takes care of the needs and wants of the land - your body is your land.

When the tongue is weak the natural and rightful expressions of asking for our needs and wants to be met doesn’t flow out naturally from our body centres and in this way we can feel tongue tied and mute.