Breathing Exercises and Songs
A collection of breathing exercises and songs that you can participate in at home. These exercises and songs have all been selected with singing for lung health in mind. Perfect if you can't make it along to your Cheyne Gang group, or if you live too far away to come along to one of our sessions.
Breathing Exercises
Feel the Fill
Feel the Fill
This is an abdominal breathing exercise to help reduce stress and lower the heart rate and blood pressure.
The Dandelion Clock
This is another abdominal breathing exercise to help you connect to your core and ‘feel the fill’.
The Train
This is another abdominal breathing exercise to help you connect to your core and ‘feel the fill’.
The Counting Exercise
Here is a fun exercise to work on your breath control. We are going to release the breath at the end of each phrase.
SOVT Exercises
Here are some fun sounds to help you locate your breathing muscles. Place your hands on your belly and feel the release of the tummy as you take your next breath.
Puffy Cheeks
Let’s take our breathing into singing. Place your lips gently together, with a little air escaping from the front of your lips and puff out your cheeks like a hamster.
Train
Train - An exercise to extend the out breath inspired by the rhythm of trains
Be the Sea
A simple breathing exercise to practise breathing out to breathe in, encouraging your awareness of tummy muscles engaging as you breathe lower in the body.
Zingamamma
Use the breathing exercise to become aware of your breathing lower in
the body and feel the fill, then use one of the sounds 'z' to
enjoy the resonance of singing "Zingamama" as a voice warm up.
The Breathing Waltz
In this exercise we breathe out to breathe in. We're breathing out on short then longer rhythmical speech sounds, counting in 3s to create a feeling of a waltz (for all you ballroom fans!)
Train
Train - An exercise to extend the out breath inspired by the rhythm of trains
Breathing Exercise
In this exercise we practice breathing out first to create space for a breath in, making each breath equal lengths. We'll notice the tummy muscles engage as we breath lower in the body.
Songs
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
My Bonnie lies over the sea,
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me
You Are My Sunshine
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
You'll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
Daisy Daisy
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do
I'm half-crazy all for the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford the carriage
But you'd look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
Mama Don't Allow - Tutorial
Traditional blues style song to work on short and then longer phrases.
Mama Don't Allow - Sing-Along
Mama don't allow no hand clapping 'round here
Mama don't allow no hand clapping 'round here
Well we don't care what mama don't allow
We’re gonna clap our hands now anyhow
Mama don't allow no hand clapping 'round here
Full Lyrics...
Mr Golden Sun
Mr Golden Sun - A fun song by Canadian songwriter Raffi encouraging the sun to put in a much appreciated appearance! Lyrics are:
Oh Mr Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind that tree
All the people here are asking you to
Please come out so they can bask in you
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
This Short Song
A variation on our 1-2-1 warm up created by Julie to help you build up the length of phrase you can sing.
This
This short song
This short song will help
This short song will help me sing
This short song will help me sing along
This Short Song - Extended
This Short Song Keeps Getting Longer!!
Try the extended version - sing a full octave out and back to make a singing phrase of up to 15 words!!
This
This short song
This short song will help
This short song will help me sing
This short song will help me sing along
This short song will help me sing a longer phrase
This short song will help me sing a longer phrase and then
This short song will help me sing a longer phrase and then let go
Cuckoo (as I Went Walking) - Tutorial
This is a Medieval English song about hearing a cuckoo when out for a walk on a May morning. I've chosen it because the long phrase supports extension of the outbreath, so it works to sing the song on its own or keep it going for a bit of a challenge.
Cuckoo (as I Went Walking) - Sing-Along
This is an audio file of the song in a round - it has a fun circularity, again a bit of a challenge once all the parts build up, and a good opportunity to sing the full and more challenging longer phrase in the song.
Go Gently and Know
Recorded during a Cheyne Gang session in Innerleithen.
Kathy has provided us with the lyrics so that we can join in at home.
Kathy teaches us the song, and then the group sing it as a round.
​
Go Gently and Know
by Rhona Murray
Go gently and know
I’m travelling with you
And when the road seems too long
Or troubled with care
I’ll give you my hand
To steady your journey
Go gently and know
I’ll always be there.
Innerleithen Group - 28/09/21 - Warm Up & Song
Kathy teaches the Innerleithen group a new warm-up exercise and song, and you can join in at home!
Vocal Warm-Ups
Vocal Warm-Up (Fiona)
A simple vocal warm up that can be used to practice our Cheyne Gang singing for breathing technique.
Voice Warm-Up
A great voice warm up for moving up and down gently through your pitch range on the 'ng' sound.
Relaxation
Face, Head and Neck Relaxation
A gentle face head and neck relaxation audio with physical demonstration.
Mindful Relaxation
Mindful Relaxation: for improved postural alignment, noticing and following breath , gentle stretches to reduce tension in the upper body, and experiencing stillness and calm in the present moment.
Rhythmic, Physical Warm Up, and Brain Gym Exercises
Seedlings in the Sun
Seedlings open to the morning sun - A short physical warm-up encouraging tension and release inspired by Caro’s pepper seedlings!
Rhythmic Exercise with Fiona
A rhythmic physical and brain gym exercise, that you can sing along with too.