Yoga and Voice: A Somatic-Cognitive Learning Approach

somatic = relating to, or affecting the body
cognitive = relating to conscious intellectual activity, e.g., thinking, reasoning, or remembering

“You need your ability to imagine, your ability to observe, and your ability to experience. And if any of these is compromised, your ability to create is compromised in some way.”

From Chronicles, Bob Dylan

Developing one’s voice as a creative, authentic expression of the whole self is a process that takes place in the context of relationships. These include the relationship between the learner, the learning environment and the teacher/facilitator, but ultimately — between a learner’s conscious self and their perceived/sensed somatic experience.

How can the tools of yoga, including āsana (posture/movement), prānāyāma (conscious breathwork), and dhāranā (focused attention), be adapted to help our students/clients/patients bring together their attention, sensation, breath and movement — their entire selves — to their learning process?

This workshop will provide a brief overview of how somatic-cognitive learning principles (Feldenkrais Method) can be applied to the tools of yoga to support goals in voice therapy and singing voice rehabilitation, followed by interactive participation in movement and breathwork. Please wear comfortable clothing you can move in, and bring a yoga mat or large towel, if possible.