5 Stretches for Singers Whose Breath Is Stuck High (Part 1)
14/05/2026
If your breath consistently feels tight, high, and hard to manage, it is worth asking: is this a vocal issue? Or is it a pelvis that is gripping, bracing, and taking the diaphragm with it? I put together a series of stretches for singers – not including the one in the image above, hehe.
Initially, I focused on hypermobile singers. Then I realised… every singer needs it.
- People who sit at a desk for hours,
- train hard at a sport like running, hiking or cycling,
- drive a long commute,
- stand on stage (or at the bus stop, or anywhere) with their weight unevenly distributed,
- carry stress in their lower body – which most people do, without knowing it.
Why I Made this Series of Stretches for Singers
So. My physio told me to stretch more.
Hypermobile people often hear the OPPOSITE: “Don’t stretch, you’re already too flexible, just strengthen.” And that might sound like good advice. But isn’t. Because they are not “flexible”, their joints are lax. That paradox is the whole story. Stretching the bendiness that’s already there won’t fix it.
Waking up muscles that forgot how to work, thàt will. And this is the interesting part for non-hypermobile singers!
Here is what happened: I hike in the Spanish mountains every day, about an hour, to manage osteopenia on the verge of osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease, facet arthrosis and stenosis around L4 and L5. It has been working beautifully: I am almost pain-free. But recently, I started getting groin pain every time I twisted in yoga or Pilates. My physiotherapist’s verdict: my leg muscles and iliopsoas had become tonic and overactive from all that hiking, and they were compressing my hip joint. That explained a lot.
But then it explained something else, too.
For weeks, I had felt my breath staying stuck high in my chest. The connection with my pelvic floor was gone. My voice felt tight and pushed. Of course: the iliopsoas attaches directly to the diaphragm via shared fascia. Turns out that no, it wasn’t anxiety. More on the anatomy further in this post!
So I started working through a series of stretches. I documented the whole thing in a 5-part Instagram series, because the connection between these muscles and the singing voice is too important not to share.
And then something interesting happened…
I suggested these stretches to singers I’m teaching, none of them hypermobile. Their breath stuck high. The low support that was gone.
And it worked!
That is when I realised: I had made a series for hypermobile singers, but the body-voice chain it describes belongs to everyone.
These Stretches Are for Every Singer. Here Is Why
The anatomy in this series is not a hypermobility specialty. It is just anatomy. Click on the names for beautiful images!
- The iliopsoas connects to the diaphragm.
- The rectus femoris pulls on the pelvis.
- The deep hip rotators (like the piriformis) sit next to the pelvic floor.
- The hamstrings attach to the sacrum.
- The adductors feed into the pelvic floor from the inside.
These connections exist in every human body, singer or not. The pathway they create is this:
Muscle tension in the hips and pelvis → pelvic floor gripping → diaphragm cannot descend fully → breath stays in the upper chest → low breath management disappears.
You do not need to be hypermobile for this chain to become a problem.
A breath that stays high is one of the most common complaints I hear from singers. And sometimes the answer sits quite literally in the hips.
Passive vs. Active and Dynamic Stretching
Most of the stretches in this series uses one of two principles, and neither of them involves passive stretching (pulling a muscle to its limit and holding it there).
- Active stretching works by activating the opposing muscle. The nervous system then tells the target muscle to release, a reflex called reciprocal inhibition. The release is neurological, not mechanical. You are not forcing tissue longer; you are giving the nervous system a reason to let go.
- Dynamic stretching works by moving the joint through its range repeatedly, with control, without stopping at the end. The movement itself, rather than a held position, is what creates release.
Both approaches are smarter than passive stretching for the same fundamental reason: they work with the nervous system rather than trying to override it.
A passive stretch can temporarily release tissue, but it does not teach the nervous system anything new. The tension reasserts itself as soon as you let go. This explains why I often feel amazing during a yin yoga session, but worse a few hours after. I never understood why, until I learned that I’m hypermobile.
For hypermobile bodies, passive end-range stretching carries the additional risk of destabilizing joints that are already insufficiently supported. But for every singer, active and dynamic stretching are simply the better tools. They build body awareness, create more lasting change, and do not leave the body feeling unreliable the next morning.
No holding. No forcing. No end-range. That is the philosophy throughout.
Stretch 1: The Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch (Iliopsoas)
- Half-kneeling position.
- Posterior pelvic tilt.
- Gentle glute activation in the back leg.
- No pushing, no pulling, no end-range.
Just the psoas finally letting go. The breath drops. The core stops bracing. Hallelujah. 🙌
Why the iliopsoas matters for every singer:
A tonic iliopsoas does not only show up in hikers and athletes. It shows up in people who sit for long periods, people who carry chronic stress in their lower body, and people who habitually brace their abdominals or hold their breath in daily life (or on stage).
In other words: a significant percentage of singers who come through any voice studio door.
Why not a standard hip flexor stretch?
A deep lunge stretch loads the joint into end-range extension. This frequently causes the pelvis to tip forward into the stretch, which is exactly the opposite of what you need, because it increases the anterior tilt that the tonic psoas was already creating.
It can also compress the hip-joint, which was causing my groin pain by stressing the labrum.
Stretch 2: The Active Quad Stretch (Rectus Femoris)
- Standing tall
- Posterior pelvic tilt
- Gentle glute activation
- No pulling the foot to the buttock with force
- No end-range.
Why the rectus femoris matters for singers:
When the rectus femoris becomes tonic, it pulls the pelvis into anterior tilt. The front of the pelvis tips down, the lower back arches, and the whole system compensates upward from there.
You already know that anterior pelvic tilt is a frequent structural contributor to high, shallow breath.
It also carries the additional risk of compressing the front of the hip joint (hello, groin pain 👋) and loading the lumbar spine (hello, lower back pain 👋).
Why not a standard quad stretch?
Forcibly pulling the heel to the buttock loads the knee joint and tends to encourage the pelvis to tip forward, exactly the opposite of what is needed.
The active version of this quad stretch uses the same principle as Stretch 1: activate the glute of the bent leg, and the rectus femoris releases through neurological release, not by forcing tissue. No pulling. No knee strain. No lumbar dump.
Coming up in Part 2: the Deep Hip Rotators, the Hamstrings, and the Inner Thighs
Part 2 of this series picks up where the hips get even more interesting.
We move to the deep hip rotators, the hamstrings, and the inner thighs: three areas that are even less likely to come up in a voice lesson, and just as directly connected to the breath.
Including one stretch that is not really a stretch at all. And one that looks completely ridiculous but changes how the hamstrings work entirely.
Click here to read!
Want More?
This is exactly the kind of work I do with singers in my studio. I don’t “fix your voice”. We look at the whole system it lives in: your breath, your body and your nervous system.
Book your Free Discovery Call to explore how online voice lessons with me can help you build not just vocal technique, but a body that actually supports it.
Esther De Bièvre - Recovery therapist
Nele - Singer & Youth Library Worker
Stella Handley, Avocational singer
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Kenneth Ottoy, Singer of Plagiaat & Piron
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Janet Wilson - Vocational singer
I leave our lessons feeling inspired and with new tools to use with my voice students. I particularly love that I now have language to identify and describe with more specificity the different kinds of sounds that live in pop/rock styles. Working with Sarah has made me a better teacher for my students!
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Dr. Tracy Smith Bessette - Singer, Voice Instructor, Early Music Coach & Course Lecturer
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Kim, Avocational Singer
Bec Tilley, Voice Coach & Singer
Frequently Asked Questions About These Stretches for Singers
My breath always feels stuck high. Could this be related to my hips?
Quite possibly, yes. The iliopsoas and rectus femoris both have direct anatomical connections to the pelvic floor and diaphragm. When either becomes tonic or gripping, the effect travels up: pelvic floor tightens, diaphragm cannot descend on the inhale, breath stays in the upper chest.
Why active stretching rather than regular stretching?
Active stretching works through the nervous system, not through mechanical tissue loading. When you activate the opposing muscle, the target receives a neurological signal to release — a reflex called reciprocal inhibition (Sherrington’s Law). This release tends to be faster and more durable than what passive stretching achieves, because the nervous system has participated in creating it. For hypermobile bodies, passive end-range stretching carries the added risk of joint destabilization. But for all bodies, active stretching is simply the smarter approach.
What is the difference between hypermobility and flexibility?
Flexibility refers to the capacity of muscles and fascia to lengthen. Hypermobility refers to excessive laxity in ligaments and joint capsules — the passive structures that hold joints stable. A hypermobile person may look very flexible, but what is actually happening is that the joints are insufficiently supported, and the muscles compensate with tension and guarding. This is why hypermobile people can be simultaneously too loose in the joints and too tight in the muscles — and why passive stretching is often the wrong approach.
Can I do these stretches as a warm-up before singing?
Yes, and they work particularly well in that context. Releasing tension in the iliopsoas and the muscles connecting to the pelvis before a rehearsal or performance gives the diaphragm more room to move from the very first breath. Keep the movements gentle and unhurried — the goal is to invite release, not to work hard. Think of it less as a warm-up and more as a conversation you are starting with your body before you ask it to sing.
RESOURCES:
- Jeannie Di Bon, Hypermobility rehabilitation specialist, creator of the Integral Movement Method. Windscreen wipers and the ball-between-the-knees breathing exercise from part 2 of this blog series are both drawn from her work.
- Dr. Melissa Koehl, DPT, Physical therapist with hEDS. The Frankenstein walk from part 2 of this series was inspired by her recent Instagram content.
- The Fibro Guy, Active rehabilitation approach for hypermobility and fibromyalgia.
- Dr. Orit Hickman, Pain Science PT
- Disability in adolescents and adults diagnosed with hypermobility-related disorders: a meta-analysis. Scheper MC et al. (2017)
- Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists (4th ed.) – book by Thomas Myers
As always, feel free to send me your thoughts, questions, and feedback in the comments below this blog, via the contact form or in the singsing! online community 
Cordially,
Sarah