When we talk about posture and the singing body we often look at outer forces shaping our body, considering things like the ways we move and don’t move, the chairs we sit in, the shoes we wear, and how much we are on devices.

Those all matter and paying attention to them is a good idea.

BUT…there are inside forces at play in our posture as well, and if you aren’t considering those you might be missing how to best help your singer.

First, some context: The human body is symmetrical, right? 

When we look at the body from the outside we are aware of the symmetry: 

Two eyes

Two ears

Two arms

Two legs

Two feet.

When we see something that appears symmetrical we expect it to move and function in a symmetrical way. However, our bodies do not tend to move or function in symmetrical ways.  Not only because of the way we sit or more, but because inside, we are NOT symmetrical. Inside we have singular organs like the liver and the heart each placed on different sides of the body. 

What creates the greatest singular inside force that shapes our posture? The diaphragm!

While many muscles are found in pairs, we have only one diaphragm. This large sheet of muscle spans the entire width and depth of the body at the base of the ribcage. When we look at the two sides, we can see they are not symmetrical.

On the right side of the body the diaphragm is slightly larger and sits a bit higher in the body than it does on the left. Why? Because on this side we have the liver and 3 lobes of the lung impacting the diaphragm. The right crus, the tendinous attachment of the diaphragm, attaches lower down on the lumbar spine than the left. The placement of the liver on the right side, sitting just underneath the diaphragm makes the lung shorter, broader and more concave. 

On the left side of the body we have a slightly smaller half of the diaphragm that sits a bit lower than the right side does. Why? Because on this side we have the heart and 2 lobes of the lungs, The diaphragm crus on this side attaches higher on the lumbar spine than it does on the right side.

This means on the right side the diaphragm moves more easily on exhale and on the left side the diaphragm moves more easily on inhale. 

The combination of the easier exhale on the right, helping to create suction, along with the right-direction spiraling of the muscle fibers of the diaphragm means our posture can be impacted by the diaphragm.

We breathe around 20,000 times a day. That is 20,000 contractions of the diaphragm; 20,000 times the right side of the diaphragm can more strongly suction up on the right side of the body. 
Essentially, the diaphragm is turning us to the right and many of our bodies’ compensations are simply our attempt to pull ourselves back to the left.

Mechanics of the Diaphragm

In passive breathing, the diaphragm is the main driver of breath. It contracts and pulls downward as external intercostals engage, pulling the ribcage outward. This causes pressure in the lungs to decrease and as space increases, air rushes in to fill the space. On exhalation the diaphragm slowly relaxes and domes back upward. Intercostal muscles relax allowing the ribcage to come down (in forced exhalation, internal intercostals are also active). When we are active physically and vocally there are more muscles of the torso involved in helping us to move and create sound, but the diaphragm is still a primary contributor to breathing, stabilizing and moving.

How does the ribcage move?

The ribcage has the potential to move in 3 directions: up and down, side to side and front to back.

Ribs 1-5 move like a pump handle and can increase the front to back expansion of this portion of the ribs – this is seen as chest wall expansion and expansion in the upper thoracic/shoulder blade area. Please note expansion is NOT elevation – this is not about shoulders rising while you breathe!

Ribs 6-10 move like a bucket handle creating an outward expansion of the ribcage in all directions.

The ribcage’s ability to expand can be compromised due to our turning to the right and attempting to turn back to the left because of the way that turning creates compression and tension in the body.

What does that look like in a body?

Many of the common postural patterns you see in a body can be linked back to the compressions and tensions created by the diaphragm’s movement. As we go through them below you may realize you’ve seen these before!

Rib Flare

We see the impacts of this in our ribcage first and foremost: we see a more inhaled (flared) position of the ribcage on the left and a more exhaled position on the right.

We can also look at what is called the infra-sternal angle – the angle of the ribs meeting the very bottom of the sternum. The angle the ribs form tells us good information about how someone is managing pressure in their body. We can also see altered angles from one side to the other. The right side might be closer to a 90 degree angle and the left side might be wider, due to the greater flare of the ribs.

What does rib flare mean for the singing body?

When rib flare is present in the front of the ribcage, we have a corresponding compression or flattening of the back side of the ribcage. Remember, the presence of the heart on the left side of the body means the diaphragm has a harder time exhaling on the left side. To adapt to this, we change our posture and how we breathe and that ends up driving more compensations in the body.

Where there’s smoke there’s fire…or rather, where there’s rib flare, there’s a dropped sternum.

Very often, compression in the chest accompanies rib flare. This compression can mask rib flare when we are standing. Chest compression is almost always present when you have a forward head position as well! And, when we have a forward head position, you tend to have overactive external abdominals (the rectus abdominus), especially in the upper portion near the ribs.

Restoring functional capacity of the diaphragm.

Restoring functional capacity of the diaphragm is fundamentally about getting the ribcage well aligned over the pelvis. In the upper body, when the diaphragm has improved function we often see resolution of compression and flare issues in the ribcage. Additionally we can see neck and shoulder issues (such a common place of complaints for singers!) clear up. 

So goes the ribs, So goes the pelvis

• When we have alterations in the ribcage we usually see alterations in the position of the pelvis as well. 
• Overall the pelvis can appear tilted forward or tucked under. 
• When there is a ribcage flare, we often have a tilted pelvis (sometimes called the open scissors position, or duck position). 
• When there is compression in the ribcage, we often have a tucked pelvis (with a hidden rib flare). 

There can be greater subtleties from side to side – many of us stand with our weight more on the right leg and the left half of the pelvis is more externally rotated (opened) and we tend to see more left sided sacro-iliac issues.

We can also see issues with pelvic floor function both from the standpoint of doing its job as the foundation of the singing voice, but also in terms of incontinence, painful intercourse and other issues. 

When we breathe, the pelvic floor needs to be able to descend on inhale, sucking the viscera of the abdomen down and then helping to elevate it back up on exhale. When the diaphragm is trying to move within a compressed ribcage,  the viscera can be pushed more to one side and the muscles of the pelvic floor can’t do their job as well. 

When the ribcage is better stacked over the pelvis and the larynx is better stacked over both, we get better pressure management throughout the entire torso.

For a singer, restoring functional capacity of the diaphragm translates to moving and singing with more ease and control.

How do asymmetries in the diaphragm show up in the body? 

When you look at a singer you might notice these things in their posture:
Stand with more weight in the right leg.

The right side of the body can appear slightly compressed relative to the left side which appears more open.

Right shoulder tends to be lower

Left foot tends to be placed slightly in front of the right.

If you look closely you might see shoulder blades that sit slightly differently on the back body and/or one side of the ribcage slightly pushed forward (on the left) and pulled back (on the front right).

How our bodies adapt is unique to each individual and typically we have layers of adaptations going on in each body.

How do we address the asymmetries driven by the diaphragm?

Now that you know this you might be wondering WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT!? Once you understand what you are seeing in the body, you can start to make visual assessments of things like shoulder height, shoulder blade position, the ability to rotate the body, where the ribcage is flaring and what a person’s passive breathing strategies are. This does take training, so don’t run off with this info and start making pronouncements about people’s bodies!

Ultimately, we want to improve how the ribcage stacks up over the pelvis. This happens in layers. The first layer is done through positional breathing work and from there we need to challenge the body under different loads and ways of moving.

If you are interested in addressing issues like this in your body, you can purchase the Singer Synergy Movement Series, a 9-week self paced movement program and if you want to go a step beyond that, when you are finished you can join the Aligned and Aware Library where we have more in depth trainings on various positional breathing techniques and classes on the singing body and how to help it move better.