These Pre­sence War­mups pre­pare the body, breath and mind for expres­sive and crea­tive music-making. They are most effec­tive when used at the start of a rehear­sal and can easi­ly be incor­po­ra­ted into cho­ral warm-ups, les­sons, or your indi­vi­dual dai­ly prac­tice. They sup­port body awa­re­ness and increase pre­sence by connec­ting body, breath, sound and space.

The exer­cises are ins­pi­red by and have been adap­ted from Body Map­ping, Alexan­der Tech­nique, Qi Gong, Conti­nuum Move­ment, and sound healing.

For more infor­ma­tion, contact Dina Cin­dric at dinacindric@gmail.com.

1. CONSTRUCTIVE REST GUIDED MEDITATION (3 mins.)

Construc­tive Rest is an effec­tive tool used by Alexan­der Tech­nique and Body Map­ping prac­ti­tio­ners to – among other things – release ten­sion from the body and deve­lop awareness.

It is nor­mal­ly done lying on your back and can take 10–15 minutes. I have adap­ted it here, com­bi­ning ele­ments of Alexan­der Tech­nique and Body Map­ping, into a shor­ter 3‑minute gui­ded medi­ta­tion that can be done in a sea­ted posi­tion (or adap­table for stan­ding), making it sui­table for the class­room, com­mu­ni­ty centre, or rehear­sal studio.

I begin all of my choir rehear­sals and pia­no and voice les­sons with a varia­tion of this gui­ded medi­ta­tion and have wit­nes­sed the posi­tive effects it has on my stu­dents in mind, body, and expres­sion. Use the audio guide below to get you started !

2. DRAWING DOWN THE HEAVENS (2–5+ mins. )

This exer­cise comes from the prac­tice of Qi Gong which is an ancient Chi­nese exer­cise tech­nique that involves coor­di­na­ting move­ment, breath, and mind to pro­mote the free flow of ener­gy around the body.

It is a per­fect ope­ning war­mup as it quiets the mind, increases ener­gy and focus, ali­gns the body, and connects body and breath.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Stand com­for­ta­bly with your feet shoul­der-width apart, knees soft, arms at your sides.
• Feel your feet balan­ced and firm­ly plan­ted on the earth. Allow your spine to leng­then. Take a moment here.
• Inhale and float the hands out to the sides, shoul­ders relaxed. Ima­gine you are dra­wing ener­gy from the earth into your body.
• Rotate the wrists, hands facing up to the sky. Bend the elbows.
• On the exhale, the palms wash down in front of the body. Ima­gine you are let­ting go of any ten­sion, wor­ries or stress.

Repeat the exer­cise 3, 6, 9, or 12 times.

3. WATER PLAY (15+ mins.)

”Water Play” is ins­pi­red by Conti­nuum Move­ment. Conti­nuum Move­ment is a prac­tice that uses move­ment, breath, the reso­nance of sound and mea­ning. From Emi­lie Conrad, foun­der of Conti­nuum Move­ment : “We are basi­cal­ly fluid beings that have arri­ved on land… All living pro­cesses owe their lineage to the move­ment of water.”

This exer­cise explores move­ment as ima­gi­ned in, through and as water. It is pos­sible to do the exer­cise in a shor­ter per­iod of time, but it is most effec­tive when allo­wed as much time as nee­ded. Give your­self 20 minutes or more the first time you do it. The next time you do it, your body will recall what you did and you will find you’ll be able to dive into the work more qui­ck­ly and deeply.

Your move­ments can be as big or as small as you like : from rai­sing an arm or leg and explo­ring the entire space around you, to sim­ply a sigh of the head or a release of a hand. Play. Explore. Enjoy the pro­cess and mar­vel at the beau­ty of the fluid being that you are !

See scores for ins­truc­tions. Read all of the ins­truc­tions before you begin. The exer­cise can be done sea­ted or lying down.

4. BODY HUM (10+ mins.)

The “Body Hum” is ins­pi­red by both Conti­nuum Move­ment and other sound hea­ling prac­tices. It uses sound – a gentle hum – to send vibra­tions through to areas of the body to retune it.

The vibra­tions will be more dee­ply felt if the exer­cise is done fol­lo­wing “Water Play” but it can also be done on its own.

See scores for ins­truc­tions. Read all of the ins­truc­tions before you begin. The exer­cise can be done stan­ding, sea­ted or lying down.