Speak for Yourself

Chapter Two

Using mindfulness to change your voice

Bringing a conscious awareness to your unconscious behaviours is one of the most powerful things you can do with your brain. There are some amazing neurological findings that suggest even 10 minutes a day of mindfulness will improve cognitive function, reduce stress, and delay the onset of dementia. Whether it’s for changing how you breathe, speak, or in the next exercises, how you stand and hold yourself, mindfulness is a way of tapping into your automatic behaviour, becoming aware of it, and altering it. The exercises on breathing have already introduced you to some of these ideas, as did ‘setting yourself a reminder’ to try out vocal techniques in social settings.

As creatures of habit, ...