Myofunctional VoiceGym
A full body integrated approach to improve your breathing speech and growth
The Myofunctional VoiceGym was developed by Angela Caine, in the UK, in the late 1990’s.
It is a fantastic program for those with airway issues, those who’s jobs involve a lot of speaking, and professional singers. It is recommended for those who have had tongue tie releases, as the exercises allow you to integrate the activities associated with development stages with a tongue that is newly able to function correctly. Toning your airway may help prevent the need for a CPAP device in those with breathing disordered sleep.
Your vocal cords form a part of your airway.
There is a reason we groan when we strain to lift a heavy object, why tennis players become grunters as they hit their hardest shots, and why we begin to make old people noises with movement as we age as our strength declines. These happen because our vocal cords form the top of our core, sealing off our airway, allowing us to brace our core and maximise our strength. Olympic gymnasts who spend a lot of time upside down have even been shown to have larger vocal cords than normal. Exercises that strengthen our vocal cords strengthen and open our airway, not just helping us to speak or sing, but also to breathe and move.
Normal myofunctional therapy focuses on the muscles of the face lips and tongue. Adding voice exercises to this helps us tone our airway and strengthen our core. We talk breathe laugh and sing in bodies that
move. Remembering to add the rest of the body to myofunctional exercises help us integrate everything together.
The Myofunctional VoiceGym works on the whole body. It incorporates exercises for retained reflex integration, core strength, body posture, airway, breathing and voice production at the same time as the muscles of the face lips and tongue are given a work out.
I currently run two levels of the MVG program.
The younger program is aimed at children aged 5-7 and runs for 10 weeks.
From the age of 8 children are able to complete the same program as that used by adults which is a 12 class series.
The program involves an hour class with me once week, with around 20-30 mins of homework to be done each day between classes.
With children it is often best to consider the MVG a school terms extra curricular activity to avoid overload.
The classes work best done in person, though remote classes via zoom can be organised.
Classes size is limited to 4.
