"RELAX!" he screamed.

OK more about breathing. Please note I am not a doctor, take no responsibility for you nor your health, so as with all things be smart about use. And now, onto my blog, already in progress.

One of the biggest hurdles in auditioning and performing well on stage is relaxation. Don't get me wrong, it is great to have some butterflies in your stomach......as long as you can get them to fly in formation. To that end, I want to talk a bit more about breathing. As mentioned in my last, (and first), post, breathing well is the key to helping support sound as well as a method we can use to calm us down a bit, and help to gain control at a stressful time.

I have been to auditions on both sides of the table, as a director and as an auditioner. I have seen so many actors that are just a wreck at auditions. There are many things we can do to make an audition go well, and I promise I will address many of them here in future blogs. But let's lay down a great foundation, shall we?

When your nerves take over, when you feel anxious and scared, your body reacts in a certain way. Doctors and psychologists refer to it as a "fight or flight" reaction. Your body gets signals from your mind that you are nervous, scared (terrified), and promptly reacts to the signals that you are in trouble. It increases your heart rate, makes you breath faster (faster not better), and believe it or not, SHUTS DOWN SOME OF YOUR BRAIN. This is because your body is concentrating all its energy in making you ready to fight by dumping adrenaline into your system, or to run away as fast as you can. (Many of us feel like running away at auditions, you are not alone). But for an actor, singer or speaker, all these reactions are counterproductive to being successful. Poor, shallow breathing, tons of adrenaline in your system causing you to shake, and your brain working under capacity all mean a iffy audition.performance at best,

We have discussed what a good breath is. You may recall I said a good, diaphragmatic breath, from the belly, can help you calm down and have less stress. A few good proper breaths before you audition, speak, sing or act can really help. First, it makes sure you have more oxygen in the blood, and it sends signals to the body that all is well. That helps ease the adrenaline flow, and clears your head.It also helps you focus on one thing, rather than letting your thoughts race all over the place.

Here are a few basic breathing exercises that can get your jumpy nerves under control.

1) Sipping Air- This one can't always be done at an audition, but is great before you get there. It forces you to breath well, and calms you down. Take short, sharp intakes of air, like you are sipping it in. We do this on a count of four, 1-2-3 or sip-sip-sip. Standing relaxed, raise both arms in front of you, palms parralel to the ground on the first 3 sips. Without exhaling, take 3 more sips, moving your arms open wide, then 3 more as you raise your hands over your head. By now you have a great deal of air in you, so slowly lower your arms down in front of you to your sides AS YOU EXHALE. repeat this 2-3 times. Great for air support and calming yourself. (This is actually a Tai Chi exercise, and a good one. You can also do it seated, as long as you sit up nice and straight).

2) Exhale Through A Straw- This is a great one, and can be done without anyone noticing it. Take a deep, belly breath. Now, purse your lips, and exhale as though blowing through a straw. Think of forming a small stream of air out of your mouth. The pressure needed to do this will help get rid of some of the tension you have. Push until your breath is all gone, inhale and repeat.

3) The 4-7-8 Breath- This is a great breath exercise, it not only calms you, but it is a great way to build up good breathing habits. I mentioned last post that a few good, proper breathing breaks a day really helps your body, even with no auditions looming. This exercise is a terrific one for that purpose, and it is also good at auditions as no one will know you are doing it.

• Exhale completely through your mouth.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth,  to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

One of the challenges we all face as we age is a diminishment of lung capacity. This exercise keeps that capacity solid, and for those of us that perform, keeping the breathing mechanisms in shape is critical.

With all of these exercise, don't overdue it, too much deep breathing will make you dizzy.

Next up, I will share my patent pending Turner Tension Transporters, ways to help you relax pre-audition beyond breath work.