Humming Along!

Voice work usually starts with humming—getting the mask of the face to vibrate so the resonators wake up, helping voice placement feel open and forward. But did you ever wonder why humming makes you feel better? Turns out a whole bunch of stuff is happening under the hood.

Humming stimulates the protective gas nitrous oxide (nNO) that "helps your airways defend against germs [...] and even assists oxygen transfer to the lungs." Humming seems to make you feel more alert afterward as well—that's gotta be a good thing! https://breathefirst.co.uk/nasal-nitric-oxide-benefits-breathing/ And how about Vagal pathways—yes, they're a thing—who knew? If you want to get really nerdy, check out the video below.