Listen: Guided Relaxation
One of the most basic and important elements of acting is relaxation. If you are tense, you can’t act because you can’t breathe properly, support your words, or access your emotions. When you are tense, your body and face are frozen, awkward, and uncommunicative. When you are relaxed you can breathe deeply and freely. You will feel the play of emotions as they travel through you and the smallest changes will register on your face and the camera or your acting partner will be able to pick them up.
The problem is that we are so used to our everyday tensions that we don’t even notice them. We don’t notice that our shoulders are up around our ears or that our hands are clenched into little claws. So the first thing we need to do is feel what it is like to let go of our day-to-day tensions.
As a gift to you this holiday season, this podcast is a guided relaxation where I will take you through your body, helping you to locate and release tension. This podcast should not be listened to while you are driving, working, or involved in any other activity. Put it on your phone or mp3 player, and use it regularly. It will help you to relax and you can use it to get to sleep or to rejuvenate yourself before performances or events.
Happy New Year. I hope 2010 is a happy, healthy, and productive year for everyone.
© Eric Barr. All rights reserved