Last Newsletter was about full, natural breathing. I hope everybody got to breathe this week.  Today I will describe an exercise called the whispered ah.
In much of the Alexander Technique you will hear the word expansion; head away from torso, torso away from hip joints, arms away from torso etc.  However, one time Alexander stressed contraction was during the act of breathing. ‘Let your ribs contract’, he repeatedly told a student. He was highlighting the area of exhalation in the breathing cycle, so that you ‘empty’ your lungs so you have something to fill.

With this exercise we want a full, slow exhalation. We want to whisper an open ‘ah’ sound. Listen to make sure there’s no real definite start to the sound; it just flows like you’re riding a wave. Allow your jaw to open fully, as you do when you yawn.
After the exhalation let your lips gently come together and inhale through your nose silently, then do another whispered ah. See if you can release your neck, your jaw, and the back of your tongue. Add a little smile as you exhale. You could do five or ten of these before you give it a rest.