1. GENERAL HEADING: Voice and Body Exercises

2. TITLE OF EXERCISE: "The Bear-Hug"

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:

• Begin by hugging yourself with your arms crisscrossing your breast, with wrists and hands wrapped around the back.
• Now try and hug yourself without creating and shoulder tension or raising your shoulders.
• Let your head drop the chin down onto your chest but stay as loose as possible and do not strain your neck.
• Flop forwards from the waist, keeping your knees slightly bent.
• While in this down, hugged position take your time to breathe in and out fully.
• After several breathes like this, release the hug and let your arms drop down towards the floor, coming up very slowly and back to center.

8. POINTS FOR OBSERVATION, DISCUSSION: None

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

10. ADDITIONAL READING: N.A.

11. VARIATIONS: N.A.