1. GENERAL HEADING: Voice and Body Exercises

2. TITLE OF EXERCISE: "The Air Pump"

3. GOALS: To place the breath and allow it to find its natural position; to open the entire ribcage around the center of the body; to allow the diaphragm to freely move in and out; to activate all muscles that support the outward breath; to build breath capacity.

4. NUMBER OF STUDENTS: Group Exercise: unlimited maximum

5. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES: None.

6. CLASS TIME NEEDED: 5 - 10 minutes

7. STEP-BY-STEP-DESCRIPTION: With feet together, flop over from the waist, keeping your neck and head as untensed as possible. Bend your knees, enabling yourself to place both fists on the floor just in front of your feet. As you breathe in you should simultaneously push down with your arms and try to straighten your legs on the intake of breath. The air will pump in and down low. As you breath out you release the pressure and feel your bottom lowering and your knees bending. Do these several times and then return slowly to center.

8. POINTS FOR OBSERVATION, DISCUSSION: N.A.

9. SOURCE/REFERENCE: Patsy Rodenburg's The Right to Speak, NYC: Routledge, 1992.

10. ADDITIONAL READING: N.A.

11. VARIATIONS: N.A.