How To Relax Your Throat Muscles When Speaking

Did you know that there's an easy way to relax your throat muscles in just a couple of minutes. Let me tell you why you may be experiencing throat tension when speaking. I will also show you a simple exercise to release tension from your voice.

I have the privilege of helping people who experience vocal tension or strain when using their voice. And the exercise I am going to show you works wonders for many of them.

Does It Work?

Here is what one of the members in our group coaching program said about this exercise after trying it for a few days:

“I cannot believe that my throat feels normal again. Before, I felt this tightness under my chin even when I was not talking. And after 5 minutes of talking on the phone, I felt like someone was squeezing my throat. Your exercise released this tension and also, my voice became warmer and friendlier. I am definitely keeping this exercise in my vocal toolbox.” 

The best part of the exercise that I call “the sad voice”? You can do it anytime, anywhere, and it takes less than 5 minutes. But before I show it to you, let me tell you who this exercise is for and why it’s working. 

How Does Tension Develop?

Throat tension when speaking generally happens for two reasons:

• when there is too much muscle work or physical effort in the systems of respiration, phonation and resonance;
• when there are too many muscles working at the same time, even if they are not required to work for that given vocal task. 

For many people who complain about throat tightness, the problem is in their hyoid bone and the larynx being too high. The hyoid bone is a U-shaped bone in your neck right under the chin and your larynx is basically your voice box that houses your vocal folds. The larynx is suspended from the hyoid bone so when the hyoid bone is too high, your larynx is too high too.

Who Is It For?

High larynx is a very common symptom in people who experience vocal tension. Basically, the muscles above your hyoid bone and the larynx are working too hard. They may be constantly contracted without you even realizing it. You may have accumulated tension in these muscles over time and not be aware of it. 

When the larynx is elevated, your vocal tract is shorter and your pharyngeal space, which is your throat, becomes smaller too. This affects the resonance of your voice and your voice may be weak or squeaky without rich tones or enough volume to be heard by other people. This elevated position of the larynx can also directly affect the vocal folds, and you may end up with pressed or tight phonation resulting in harsh sounding voice. 

So, if this is you, the most appropriate solution would be an exercise or action that improves the laryngeal position, opens up the throat, which releases tension from the throat muscles. The sad voice exercise not only moves the larynx down, it also moves the false vocal folds to the sides, and widens the throat. It also brings the true vocal folds together in a very gentle manner so there is no squeezing or pressed phonation. It’s the most gentle sound you can make. These are all great things for people who carry their larynx in a high position due to excessive muscle tension in this area. 

"Sad Voice" Exercise

Step 1: Move it down

Put your hand on the neck to feel the laryngeal movement. Imagine that you are very sad. You can even whimper like an old sad dog. Do you feel your larynx move down? You can see my larynx moving down when using my sad voice. Very good. 

Step 2: Find your sad voice

Now use your voice and say: “I am very sad.” in the saddest way you can. Do you feel your larynx moving down? Do you feel your throat widening? 

The sound you are making is very gentle, it’s not loud. There is very little breath pressure under the vocal folds so there is no stress put on the vocal folds. But the vocal folds come together nicely, there is no breathiness in the tone. The vocal folds closure is still good but not pressed.

Step 3: Use your sad voice

Now that you have found your sad voice, you can release tension by using it this way for a few minutes. Count from 1 to 10. Say the days of the week or the months in the year. Or say something else. Use your sad voice for a few minutes to reposition your larynx to a lower position. 

Step 4: Compare

After a few minutes of this exercise, return back to your normal voice and compare. Do you feel less tension, is your voice darker or warmer? 

You can do this exercise any time you feel your larynx getting stuck in the higher positions. You can do it several times a day for a few minutes. If it feels good and you can see the benefits then put it into your vocal toolbox and use it on a regular basis. 

If you are experiencing vocal strain, tension or even pain when speaking, and you are ready to work with me towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our Vocal Freedom System coaching program. Click this link to schedule a chat with me. 

Watch this video for demonstrations and more tips:

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/H_oDOlvUoTc