Feet, created to provide the correct support for optimal posture, are often taken for granted, but they are not and should not be! They support our every movement and their twenty-six bones each, cover 25% of the number of bones in the entire body.
In an optimal vocal posture, there are two areas whose support is fundamental: the head and the pelvis. When the head and pelvis are not adequately supported by the body, our vocal power and resonance are affected. The head is like a bowling ball weighing 4-5.5 kg placed at the top of the spine. But the spine cannot support the weight of the head alone; the spine rests on the pelvis, the pelvis on the legs and the legs on the feet. If the head is not adequately supported across the entire body, the neck muscles must work harder to support the weight, compromising vocal ease and resonance.
Additionally, the powerhouse of vocal support resides in your core muscles, most of which are in your pelvis. To access these central support muscles, you need to be adequately supported by your feet and legs. When we engage our feet, we automatically stimulate our leg muscles fully. If we rest mainly on the outside of our feet when we walk, therefore by stimulating the hamstring adductors more, we allow the less trained muscles in the legs to relax excessively. This creates misalignment in the pelvis and lack of connection with core strength. Over the years it also creates problems with the knee and hip joints.
When we support our body correctly from the foundation (from the feet), we can release tension in the neck and jaw improving resonance and we can connect to the deep internal supporting muscles that provide effortless vocal power. Healthy vocal posture starts with your feet. The more correctly we use our feet, the more we support our bodies and our voices!