How, if I ever win a Grammy, I owe it to Yoga.

Voice examples to the side, something else that assists with singing or public speaking will be the sensation of unwinding and adaptability in the throat. While some may rely on hot tea, lemon, and honey to achieve this, there are some yoga poses that help relax the vocal cords and increase the flexibility of the muscles in those areas when exercised. Based on personal research, a particular book called Singing for the Stars by Seth Riggs (a who's who of music industry vocal coaches) specifies that stretching to warm up not only the vocal cords, but the entire body before performing a vocal warm-up is very helpful. With that in mind, I have specifically included those poses that I know will release the cervical region through sensations, which of course includes the throat. (As a bonus, some of these poses free up other body parts, which, by the way, lend themselves to my James Brown-Michael Jackson-Prince moves.) Now I'll show you my options and briefly explain each one. 1. Sun Salutations. It is a mix of stances instead of a prohibitive stance. Its ease and versatility lend themselves to warming up the whole body and increasing blood flow. Plus, with the deep breathing involved (and the corrective effect it has on breathing in general), this unique collage of really very simple movements comes in handy as a warm-up for anything. 2. Wheel Pose: This is a forward-bending pose that stretches the entire body tremendously due to its design. When done correctly, the head will be turned upside down, which in turn stretches the throat and increases blood flow to the head. When I'm doing medium-to fast-tempo numbers, I like to perform a bike pose to get the adrenaline pumping a bit, and also add a spinal twist (think of it as a counter pose) for an even more balanced stretch. 3. Think Scary Movie 1 here for a minute. Remember when Marlon Mayans yelled whup and stuck out his tongue? The execution of this stance follows a similar conception. Plus, I've read that considering its name, it's often a pose recommended overcoming shyness. As some yogic texts claim, when you do the pose, you adopt the traits of the thing or creature for which it bears a name. As for the Leo position, it is thought to boost assertiveness and confidence. For now, let's just stick with the huge throat stretch it offers. 4. Sequence of Shoulder stands: This sequence includes the pose known in yoga as  (meaning it affects all parts of the body). It is a simple inversion pose and when performed with counter poses like Bridge and Fish pose, it relaxes the whole body sufficiently. I can just do this sequence by itself (along with the sun salutations stated previously) if my performance or session is in the morning, and I'll be fine. The fish pose especially relaxes the chest and is often recommended for respiratory disorders such as asthma and bronchitis. 5. Relaxation position: The name pretty much says it all. It is always a good idea to cool down the vocal cords after a session or performance, as this will come in handy with frequent use. Perhaps no other pose comes close to relaxing not only the vocal cords but the entire body, as the Yoga Relaxation Pose offers. I have put this simple relaxation technique on my must-have list as a singer, and it will come in handy for those interested as well. In addition to these postures, and since chanting involves a great deal of breath control, the breathing exercises (aka Panama) associated with yoga are very helpful, as well as some yogic cleansing techniques such as nose, throat, and tongue cleansing. But that's a whole other topic. In addition, the yogic diet-which is similar to the phlegm-free diet of the drug-free brotherhood/lifestyle-helps to ensure that the excess phlegm within is limited. Fasting, another yoga-recommended practice, increases this even more. This is why I rarely run out of breath while performing. Maybe one day when I win a Grammy (hey, you never know), I'll be able to stand on stage and appreciate yoga a lot more for helping me sing better, but for now, if it's your craft, passion, or hobby that requires intense use of your vocal cords, you can benefit a lot by adding some yoga to make them work much better.