This is where you can use grievances to open the voice, your voice. 

When you think of the grievance does it make you feel light and fluffy inside or does it feel like a heavy pit in your stomach? Heavy? Then there is something there that might be unresolved and unforgiven.  It’s not a right or wrong here its just a choice.  Do you want to continue to have this grievance affect your body and your life?

The heavy pit in your stomach may be an indicator that there is some energetic and physical contracting going on.  This situation may create some tension in your speaking and your singing voice.  The vocal instrument is systemic meaning your thoughts, feelings, belief systems, energy systems and your body all help to create an outcome when you speak or sing.  Do you want the out come to be free, open and expressive  or constricted, limited and small?    Again it is all just a choice. From my experience though free, open and expressive feels  and works a lot better.

So what can you do to let go of these grievances that are halting the possibilities with your voice? 

It seems simplistic and you have heard it before, but what would it take to forgive the person who did the grievance?

Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. (thank you wikipedia)

So  a few important things here that stand out, change in attitude and wish offenders well.  When you can shift your attitude about the situation you begin to shift the contraction in your body and energy. You will physically feel lighter, your jaw may not feel as clenched and it may be easier to breath. When you wish another well, again, you unlock contraction in your body and energy field. This has a direct impact to open the voice.

Everything is energy. A grievance has a denser energy and distracts you from the greater possibilities of you. That energy sits in your energy field and eventually your body.  A more positive attitude and wishing well to someone has a way less denser energy. It has a lighter energy or frequency that feels better in bodies and energy fields and allows you to tap into greater possibilities to open the voice.

What is your knowing? Singing or speaking with a body that is dense and contracted or light and open?    

Want to let go of your grievances to have more possibilities with your voice? Here is a question you can play with.

What am I making vital about the upset I am choosing?

When you ask this question don’t look for an answer just become aware of the energy that comes up and then make a conscious and intentional choice to let it go. Let the upset go.

To let the upset go journal can help too.  Journal about things you appreciate about the person who the grievance are about even if its as little as the color of their eyes. Then journal about the well wishes you have for them.  These simple journaling techniques can lighten the attitude you have around the grievance and not only free you but free your voice.  How do I know?  I have played with this hundred of times! Getting on stage for me was hard and I tried lots of things to open the voice and feel better on stage. This works like a charm.

An added benefit is that it can give you a sense of oneness that your audience can feel.  Connecting you with your audience whether it is with colleagues or a room full of people.  How does it get any better then that!?

Some more on forgiveness from one of my favorite teachers:

  https://youtu.be/MrHEpxh-84k