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John,
a young actor experienced difficulty with breathing exercises,
audible speech and emotional expression. Frustration, anger and
rage caused him to hold his breath until his face turned red and
blood vessels quivered in his neck. We tried several approaches
to the problem and discovered blowing air with extreme vigor most
helpful. His first blowing experience outside the classroom was
amusing and insightful.
Walking down a
NYC street, John was unable to avoid a childhood acquaintance.
The acquaintance cornered him and made John angry. In order to
avoid fainting, John released a long vigorous exhalation. The
acquaintance responded, “You can hit me, insult me, but don’t
blow on me” as he turned and walked away.
Animals are masters
of the blow. They release loud blows through the nostrils when
they sense danger. Equines flare nostrils and make a sound audible
1000+ feet away. My Chow makes awesome blowing sounds when prowlers
awaken her at night. It’s an expression of intention and power.
The ultimate blow
is the Kiai (spirit shout), described as the release of all the
breath in an explosion of sound. It’s a technique in martial arts
reputed to have the power to heal or kill, depending on how it
is used. Bruce Lee is the best known master of Kiai.
A young couple,
walking through Washington Square Park at night, became aware
of 4 gang types trailing them. When thugs quickened their pace,
the couple turned, facing them and released a best version of
the Kiai. The thugs took off running. A loud scream, releasing
extreme air power usually works to scare off attackers.
There’s a long
distance between breath-holding and the Kiai. We’ve mentioned
in previous chapters that breath-holding is a defense mechanism
used to decrease outgoing and incoming stimuli and thereby control
emotions. It’s impractical for the following reasons:
Aggravates stress
Creates a general
dullness and lack of awareness
Produces contraction
and retain incompatible energy that should be allowed to pass
through the body. Interferes with communication
Causes the larynx
to raise, which interferes with vocal production.
Exercise:
*Blow a vigorous,
focused stream of air through slightly puckered lips. Blow as
though trying to put out a small fire. Do this 10 times in succession.
*Release a two
syllable sound: wuh-ah. It’s an expanding sound that is strongest
in the middle of the sound as it moves from the wuh to the ah.
Feel the body expand when releasing sound.
*Practice making
loud, strong sounds that feel like they come from the guts.
*Google Kiai and
you will find a large array of information on how to use the shout
as a weapon.
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