IMPACT:InternationalJournalofResearchinHumanities,ArtsandLiterature(IMPACT:IJRHAL)ISSN(E):23218878;ISSN(P):23474564

Vol.2,Issue7,Jul2014,159166ImpactJournals

THEROLEOFYOGASANASANDPRANAYAMATECHNIQUESINCORRECTINGTHE

FUNCTIONALDISORDERSOFVOICEPRODUCTION

T.INDIRARAO1&HONGSANDRARAMARAONAGENDRA2

DepartmentofYogaandHumanities,SVYASA,Bangalore,Karnataka,India

DepartmentofYogaandLifeSciences,SVYASA,Bangalore,Karnataka,India

ABSTRACT

Thethreetypesofvocaldisordersareorganic,functionalandneurological.Theorganicdisorderscanbecorrectedwith
surgery.Faultyuseofvoice,yelling,screamingandloudtalkingmaycausefunctionaldisorders.Precautionsaretobe
takentoavoidfunctionaldisorders.Peoplelikesingers,oratorsandteacherswhousetheirvoicehourstogetherare
supposedtoknowthefundamentalandoptimumfrequencyoftheirphonationwhichcanbemeasuredwithstroboscope.
Otherwiseforcefuluseofvoiceeitherinhighpitchorlowpitchotherthanoptimumlevelleadstothedamageofthevocal
cords.StudiesintheWesthavescientificallyinvestigatedthemethodsofcorrectingthesefunctionaldisorders.Indian
traditionalpracticesofyogaandpranayamaonvoicecultureareyettobeinvestigated.Thereareasanaswhichstimulate
thevocalmusclesandstrengthenthem.Pranayamahelpsinsootheningthevocalmusclesandrelaxingthem.Theinfluence
ofthetraditionalpracticesofyogasanasandpranayamacanbestudiedscientifically.

KEYWORDS:FunctionalDisorders,OptimumFrequency,Pranayama,Stroboscope,VoiceCulture,Yogasanas

INTRODUCTION

Voiceisapowerfulmediumofexpression.Unliketheothermusicalinstruments,ithasfeatureslikewarmth,modulations,
elasticity,adjustableresonatorsandarticulation.Themainanatomicalstructuresrequiredfortheproductionofvoiceare

theactuators(lungs),vibrators(voicebox)andtheresonators(throat,mouth,lips,teeth,andnose)whichworktogether.
Theenergythatisproducedbytheactuatorisconvertedintocompressionsandrarefactionsbythevibratorandthe
resonatorsenrichthetonalquality.Theproblemsinvoiceproductionareduetoorganic(physicalabnormality),functional
(faultyuseofvocalmechanism)andneurological(impairmentinthecoordinationofvocalmuscles)vocaldisorders(Yoga
forVoiceculture,n.d.).

VocalDisorders

OrganicDisorders

Organiccausessuchasnodules(growthonthevocalcords)duetoexcessiveuseofvocalcords,polyps(growthonthe
vocalcords)duetoinabilityofthevocalcordscomingtogether,laryngitisduetoinflammationofthemucousmembrane
ofthelarynxandhemorrhaging(bleeding)canbecorrectedwithsurgery(YogaforVoiceCulture,n.d.).

FunctionalDisorders

Inspiteoftheabsenceofanatomicalfactors,ifthevoicehasanyoftheproblemslikehoarseness,harshness,tightness,loss
ofvoice,vocalfatigueoranydefectofspeech(dysphonia),itisunderstoodthatitmayhavedeveloped

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functionaldisorder.Thefunctionaldisordersarenamedas1throatiness,2unsteadiness,3breathiness,4breakinvoice
registers,5voicefatigue,6thinorfeeblevoice,7whitetone,8nasality,9huskiness,10hoarseness,11registerweakness
and12unevenvoice(Durga,2007).

ReasonsforFunctionalDisorders

Thereasonsforfunctionaldisordersareforcefulsinging,yelling,screamingandloudtalkingwithoutpaying

attentiontothefundamentalandoptimumfrequencyofphonationthatcanbemeasuredwithstroboscope.

Aphoniaisanothervocaldisorderobservedinconditionslikeschizophreniaanddepression.Yetanotherreasonofthe
inflammationofthevocalcordsistheresultofallergies,bacterialorfungalinfectionsorvocaloveruse(YogaforVoice
culture,n.d.).

MeritsandDemeritsoftheVoiceoftheSingers

Moreover,therearemeritsanddemeritsofvoice.SharangadevainhisSangeetaratnakaragivestheblemishesofvoiceas1
dry2.broken3hollow4.hoarse5.lackofsweetness6.difficultyintheproduction7.frailand8.grunting.Accordingto
himanidealvoiceisonewhichis1.pleasing2.sweet3.creamyandfull4.uniforminallthethreeregisters5.soothing6.
rich7.tender8.strong9.audiblefromadistance10.inspirepathosinthemindsofthelisteners11.beingheardata
distance12.notdry13.flowing14.capableofcreatinginterestamongthelistenersand15.faultless.

BharatmuniinhisNatyashastramentionsthesixqualitiesofanidealvoicewhichareshravakacanbeheardfromalong
distance,ghanaloudandpleasing,snigdhaloudbutnotharsh,madhurapleasant,avadhanavananeithertooloudnor
toosoftandtristanashobipleasantinproducingallthenotesofthethreeoctaves.

OtherFactors

Alongwiththeanatomicalandphysiologicalaspects,language,cultureandcivilizationalsohavetheirinfluenceonthe
qualityofvoiceproduction.Differentsystemsofmusichavedifferentconceptsofanidealvoice.IntheWesternsystemof
music,nasalityisadmired.IntheEast,theChineseandJapaneselookfornasalityasperfection(Durga,2007).

Whatevermaybethetypeofvoice,ithastobecultivatedandintheprocessofcultivationcertainmusclesofthebodyplay
averyimportantrole.Theworkingofallthesemusclesisresponsiblefortheproductionofsound.Therangeofvoicealso
canbeimprovedbyvoicetraining.

LITERATURESURVEY

Thescientificresearchhasprovedthatthequalityofvoicecanbeimprovedbyfollowingcertainnormsinusingthevoice
andcertainstrategiesinmaintainingtheroutine.

Itwasfoundthattheteacherswereabletoimprovetheirvoicesiftheysignificantlyreducedvocalabusesindailylifeand
practisedspecificstrategiestomaintainclassroomorderandreducetheuseofvoiceinteaching(Chan,1994).Thefour,1
hourclasssessionsonvocalhygiene,includinganatomyandphysiologyofthephonatorymechanism,vocallyabusive
behaviors,voicedisorderscommonlyseeninsingers,andmeasurestopreventvoicedisordersreportedminimalchangesin
vocalhygienebehaviorsandperceptualvoicecharacteristics(Lawrenceetal.,2000).Voicefunctionalexercisesareuseful
alternativeoradjuncttovocalhygieneprogramsinthetreatmentofvoiceproblemsinteachers(Royetal.,2001).The
teachingprofessioncausestheriskofoccupationaldysphonia.Thetrainingofhowtousethevoice

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tothestudentsofpostgraduatecertificateofeducation(PGCE)courseattheUniversityofUlster,NorthernIrelandproved
tobebeneficial(DuffyandHazlett,2004).Acourseinclusiveoftwolectures,ashortgroupvoicetherapy,homecontrolled
voiceexercises,andhygieneisafeasibleandcosteffectiveprimarypreventionofvoicedisordersinahomogeneousand
wellmotivatedpopulationofteachers(Bovoetal.,2007).

Preventativevoicetrainingforteachersislikelytobeeffective(Pasaetal.,2007).Thevocalhealtheducationalactionshad
apositiveeffectonthequalityoflifeandvoiceofteachersbothfromthepsychoemotionalandfunctionalaspectsofthe
voice(Pizolatoetal.,2013).Vocalfatiguefromthedailyuseofthevoicecouldbetreatedasachronicwound.Withvocal
loadingexercisesthevoicecanberecovered(HunterandTitze,2009).

NEEDANDSCOPEOFTHESTUDY

TheliteraturereviewthrowslightonthepracticeswhichtheWestoffersforvoicedisorders.InIndiaYogaisbeing
practisedforanumberofailmentseitherasanalternativeoradjuncttherapy.Yogaalsooffersspecialtechniquesforvoice
improvement.Studieshavenotyetfocusedonthebenefitsofpractisingyogaandpranayamainatraditionalwayfor
improvingthevoicequalityandcorrectingthevocalproblems.

Hencethisisanattempttoconceptualizetheyogasanasandpranayamapracticesinatraditionalwaythathelpincorrecting
thefunctionaldisordersofvoiceproduction.Singersneedtopracticeyogaandpranayamatokeeptheirvoiceintact.

AIM

Theaimofthisstudyistofindoutthebreathingexercises,asanasandpranayamapracticesfromtheexistedliteratureof
yogathatinfluencethevocalmechanism.

OBJECTIVES

Tofindoutfromtheexistingyogaliteraturetheasanasthatcorrectthedefectsofvoiceproduction.

Tofindoutfromtheexistingyogaliteraturethepranayamapractices,helpfulforstrengtheningthevoice.

HYPOTHESIS

Breathingexercises,yogasanasandpranayamapractices(mentionedintheyogatexts)arehelpfulincorrectingthevoice
disorders.Thosemayplayagreatroleinculturingthevoiceofthesingersinparticularbycorrectingthefunctional
disorders.Thepracticeofthebreathingexercises,asanasandpranayamamayincreasetherangeandpitchofthevoice.

PRACTICESFORCORRECTINGTHEFUNCTIONALDISORDERSOFTHEVOICE

Theaimofvoicetrainingistoremovetheblemishesandthefunctionaldefectsofthevoiceandmakeitaspowerfulas
possible.Thefirststepforvocalhygieneisproperbreathingandcoordinatingsoundproductionwithbreathing.The
objectivesofbreathingtechniquesaretoproduceapowerfulvoiceandtoincreaseitsrange.Breathcontrolistheprimary
requirementofsinging.Thereareaseriesofbreathingpracticestoincreasethebreathpower.

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REVIEWOFLITERATURE

BreathingExercises

Smoothflowofairinthelungsistheprimarysourceofenergyforvoiceproduction.Infact,voiceisproducedbythe
vibrationsofthevocalcords.Thesevibrationsareinfluencedbytherespiratorymuscles.Theintensityofthevoice
dependsupontheflowofthebreathcausedbytheserespiratorymuscles.Forsinging,voluntarycontroloverbreathingis
required.Singingrequiresnotonlymoreairbutcontrolledexhalationwhichcanbeobtainedthroughdiaphragmatic
breathing.Innormalbreathing,therateofrespirationisapproximatelyfourteentosixteenminutesperminutebutinthe
processofsingingtherateofrespirationisloweredtosixtimesperminute(Durga,pp.3138).

Toincreasethebreathholdingtime,thebreathingpracticeshelptoincreasethecapacityofthelungs.

Breathingpracticeslikehandsstretchbreathingdogbreathingandtigerstretchincreasethecapacityofthelungsand
tonguemassaging,tongueinandout,tonguerotation,lipstretch,laughter,jawtwistingandtonguetwistingincreasethe
capacityoftheresonators(YogaforVoiceCulture,n.d.).

Yogasanas(PhysicalPostures)

Thetraditionalpracticesofyogasanashelpinunlockingthepentupenergyinthebody.Theyharnessthebody

andmindconnectionsandrelaxthestressedmuscles.Theyhelpinimprovingthefunctionofthemuscles

(VoiceImprovementTechniques,2011).Theyhelpinsmoothfunctioningofthelungsanddiaphragm,whicharetightened
upbytheemotionaltensions(Saraswati,p.11).SwamiSatyanandaSaraswatigivesanaccountoftheasanasthatworkon
differentorgansrelatedtovoiceproduction.Simhasana(lionposture)relievesthetensionfromchestanddiaphragm.It
helpstoreducethestuttering.Itisanexcellentasanafortheeyes,nose,ears,mouthandthethroat.Itdevelopsastrongand
beautifulvoice.Ushtrasana(camelpose)stretchesthefrontofthenecktoningtheorgansinthatregion.Ithelpsincuring
asthma.Dhanurasana(bowpose)improvesrespiration.ArdhaChandrasana(halfmoonposture)releasesthe

feelingsofcongestionbygivinga
good
stretchto

the
neck,shoulders,back
andchest.Padahastasana
(handunderfootpose)helpsinnasalandthroatdiseases.

Sarvangasana(shoulderstand
pose)
revitalizes
the
ears,eyesandtonsils
(Saraswati,pp.115261).

Itexertspressureagainstthethroatandclearsthroatcongestion.Thethroatmusclesgetstimulatedandthecirculationof
bloodgetsimproved.(NaturalTherapyPages,n.d.para,4)Thereisasetofasanaswhichstimulatethemusclesofthevocal
cordsandremovethephlegmandthetoxinsfromthebody.TheyareMatyasana(fishpose),Bhujangasana(serpentpose),
Dhanurasana,Ushtrasana,ArdhachandrasanaandSimhasana(VoiceImprovementTechniques,2011).Thespecialasanas
forculturingthevoicearePrasaritaPaschimottanasana(expandedbackstretchingpose),Vakrasana(spinaltwistpose),
Ardhamatsyendrasana(halfspinaltwistpose),MatyasanaandPrasaritaHalasana(expandedploughposture)(Yogafor
VoiceCulture,n.d.pp.3645).

Chanting

Chantingprovidesanumberofbenefits.Duetothevibrationsproducedbychanting,theprana(vitalforce)blocksare
cleared,peacecanbeachievedandmetabolismcanbechanged.Thestaminaandstrengthofthevoicecanbeimproved.
Thevibrationsandmodulationsimprovethevoicequality(Yogaforvoiceimprovement,n.d.para6,7.).Vedicchanting
increasesthepitchanddevelopsthevoice(Yogaforvoiceculture,n.d.,p.26).Omchantingstrengthens

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thelungcapacity,removesthestressandstrengthensthemind(Gokhale,p.108,ascitedinBanerjie,2013).Itimprovesthe
baseofthevoiceandincreasesthestaminaofthevoice(VoiceImprovementTechniques,2011).

Prnayama(ControllingtheInhalationandExhalationwithBreathHolding)

Pranayamabringsbalanceinbreathingandreleasesthetrappedenergy(Saraswati,p.272,273).Itclearsthecongestionin
thevoicebox.Ithelpsinpitchcontrolandrangeofthevoice.Thevitalcapacityofthelungsisincreasedwhenthebreathis
heldafterinhalationandexhalation.Moreairrushesin.Therearedifferentpracticesofpranayama.Anulomaviloma
(alternatenostrilbreathing)bringsbalanceinbreathing(Saraswati,p.388).Theveryusefulpranayamapracticeforsingers
inparticularisujjai(closedlipsandcontractingthroat)(YogaforVoiceImprovement,2010)andbhramari(producing
hummingfemalebeesound)andbhramara(producinghummingmalebeesound)(YogaforvoiceCulture,n.d.p.26).

Ujjaipranayamaisatranquilizingpranayama.Italsohasaheatingeffectonthebody.Inthispranayamaitistobe
imaginedthatthebreathisbeingdrawninandoutthroughthethroat.Thereisasnoringsoundwhichisaudibletothe
practitioneronly(Saraswati,p.402,403).

Bhramariandbhramarapranayamaincreasestherangeandpitchofthevoiceduetothevibrationsinsidethethroatandalso
throughoutthebody(YogaforvoiceCulture,n.d.p.26).Nadanusandhana(fixingonesattentionontheinnersound)
pranayamaincreasesthepitchandvolumeofthesingersandorators(YogaforVoiceCulture,pp.3033).

Kapalabhati(passiveinhalationandactiveexhalation)cleansthefullrespiratorysystem.Itgivesgoodresonation,
synchronizationofvoiceproductionandimprovesthedepthofvoice.Itactivatesmooladhara(root)andswadhishtana
(sacral)chakrasandtherebyincreasesofenergy(Banerjie,2013).

Bandhas

Bandhas(locks)arefourinnumber.Mooladhara(perineum/cervixretractionlock),uddiyana(abdominalretractionlock)
jalandhara(throatlock)andmahabandha(threetogether).Bandhasactivatethepsychicknots(Saraswati,p.471).
Jalandharabandhagivespressureonthethroatalleviatingthroatdisorders.Itimprovesthequalityofthevoice
(Muktibodhananda,p.353)

DiaphragmaticBreathing

Thesingershavetosingfromthediaphragmandnotfromthethroat.Singingrequiresmoreairinthechest.Theexhalation
alsoneedstobecontrolled.Indiaphragmaticbreathing,thediaphragmismadetodescendtoalargerextent.Theabdomen
iscompressedincreasingtheabdominalpressure.Thispressureagainstthediaphragmcontrolstheexhalation.Thecapacity
ofthechestincreasesandthesingergetsmorequantityofair(Durga,p.37).

IntegratedApproachofYogaTherapy

Inadditiontotheabovepracticesintegratedapproachofyogatherapy(apackageofasanas,pranayama,kriyas(cleansing
techniques)dietcontrol,counseling,devotionalsessions)helpsinmaintaininggoodphysicalaswellasmentalhealthand
stamina(NagaratnaandNagendra,2008)whichisthebasicrequirementforthesingersastheyneedhoursofpracticeand
performance.

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MEASUREMENTS

ScientificexperimentsformeasuringthevocaltonescanbecarriedoutbyOscilloscope,SpectogramandKymograph.
Theseexperimentsprovidethechangesinthevibrationsoftheresonatorswhichenrichthetonalquality.Theharmonicand
inharmonicovertonesofthevoicefrequencycanbemeasuredwithFourieranalysisandVercellianalysisrespectively
(Durga,p.84).

CONCLUSIONS

Therearemanyasanasandpranayamapracticesdocumentedintheyogicliterature.Theefficacyofthoseasanasand
pranayamapracticescanbeinvestigatedempirically,scientificallyandstatistically.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TheauthorsexpresstheirgratitudetoMs.G.Padmashree,Dr.K.SubrahmanyamandDr.T.M.Srinivasanfortheir
guidance.

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