Barbara Tanze - Breathing Coach

Barbara Tanze - Breathing Coach Manual therapist for breathing and voice
Functional singing coach
Breathwork Optimal breathing for your best performance

Last week, I wrote that breathing is simple until we start thinking about it... But you know what makes it really compli...
24/04/2026

Last week, I wrote that breathing is simple until we start thinking about it...

But you know what makes it really complicated? When we start listening to others tell us how we "should breathe correctly" 😆🙈

The truth is: There isn’t one correct way to breathe —
especially for singing.

What works for one body or voice can feel restrictive, unstable, or unnatural for another.

Good breathing isn’t about copying a method or blindly following someone who claims to be an expert.

It’s about coordination. YOUR coordination.

→ how your breath supports your sound
→ how efficiently you manage airflow
→ how your body responds under demand

The goal isn’t control for the sake of control or for the sake of doing it right because domeone else says so.

It’s a wonderful exploration of our anatomy, physiology and ability to adapt to our own needs.

What do you think?

I've been down the breathing rabbit hole since 2013... That's 13 years of studying, researching, practicing, asking, ans...
14/04/2026

I've been down the breathing rabbit hole since 2013...

That's 13 years of studying, researching, practicing, asking, answering, self-observing and of course, sharing.

It's nunerous certificates, diplomas, clients and workshops.

It's learning more every day and still feel like I know nothing...

It's my life 😊

And I'm happy to assist you if you think all of this experience can help you on your journey.

There's a lot of controversy about "correct breathing" - and to be honest, I don't understand why 🫣Breathing is a highly...
23/03/2026

There's a lot of controversy about "correct breathing" - and to be honest, I don't understand why 🫣

Breathing is a highly adaptive coordination of many different structures AND everyone experiences it a bit differently - that doesn't mean that they are breathing "incorrectly".

A lot of people who ask for my assistance are completely confused as to what their body is supposed to DO when breathing.

Often, they have been taught oversimplified - or even counterintuitive - cues that can, in the worst case, lead to actual dysfunctions.

Breathing is an integral part of our bodily systems, so it can get thrown off AND regulated by different players:

➡️ our autonomous nervous system
➡️ our mental state
➡️ our physical health
➡️ our beliefs about how it should work...

So let's get down to the basics, shall we?

Not as a cookie-cutter solution, but as an individual exploration that takes personal needs and limitations into account.

My last post about the diaphragm was quite a hit... so let's see what you say about this one! The diaphragm is so often ...
09/03/2026

My last post about the diaphragm was quite a hit... so let's see what you say about this one!

The diaphragm is so often misunderstood - and it's truly crazy what kind of diametrically opposed opinions are out there concerning its function and meaning for respiration, vocal use or pressure regulation.

While it is true that there are very few sensory nerve endings in the diaphragm (and that's probably for the better as feeling it go up and down 20,000+ times a day might be slightly unnerving 😅), we CAN feel the effects of its up-and downward motion and also, we CAN influence what it does indirectly.

That’s why, when working with the voice or with exhale-based instruments, it helps to understand how the diaphragm works.
This makes it much easier to design exercises that don’t confuse us — or our students.

I know that this can be confusing. It took me a while and many versions to get it as simple but still as precise as poss...
17/02/2026

I know that this can be confusing. It took me a while and many versions to get it as simple but still as precise as possible and I hope it's clear now!

Just because the diaphragm moves upwards on the exhale doesn't mean that it exerts any FORCE while doing so (it can't!!!!!!!!!). That force is created by muscles that can contract in a direction to actually REDUCE space inside the ribcage - from below or inside the ribcage wall.

The diaphragm goes along for the ride while releasing its contraction more or less quickly as needed.

Coordinating this intricate system of agonists and antagonists (who switch roles on inhale/exhale) for the subtle pressure regulation of singing can be a challenge - especially when trying to micro-managing structures like the diaphragm that don't offer direct any sensory feedback.

So can we please all stop giving instructions that make people believe that we can? Let's move on from those towards a more functionally informed exploration of muscle collaboration PLEASE.

I'm happy to discuss 😊

This will be fun! Join and me tomorrow at 9am CET (8am GMT) for a chat about all things voice and body - and how those ...
05/02/2026

This will be fun!

Join and me tomorrow at 9am CET (8am GMT) for a chat about all things voice and body - and how those can be misrepresented online 😆

Of course you are welcome to ask anything, either during the live or in the comments below.

Looking forward to it 😊

Isn't it funny how we think it's normal that it takes many years to master an instrument - but with singing, we somehow ...
27/01/2026

Isn't it funny how we think it's normal that it takes many years to master an instrument - but with singing, we somehow expect it to work immediately?

The voice is so much more complex than even the most elaborate musical instrument, and it's normal that it takes time to fine-tune it.

Making singers believe that there are "magic tricks" that will "fix" their voice is misleading and creates unrealistic expectations - which can lead to frustration, abandoning singing altogether or, in the worst case, dysfunctions or injuries.

Do "clicks" sometimes happen in singing lessons or masterclasses? Of course. Feeling something "open up", going higher than we ever expected was possible or feeling a connection with the body is amazing! However, in order to create an actual skill from that click is a journey that takes time, patience and flexibility of body and mind.

What do you think?

This is another thing that has been on my mind for years. I know that most teachers use symbolic violence because they a...
22/01/2026

This is another thing that has been on my mind for years. I know that most teachers use symbolic violence because they are trying to do good.
However, letting students speak freely and openly about their sensations instead of giving them a limited framework to operate in is sooo rewarding for both!
And then, let's not forget that we CAN'T feel certain structures like the diaphragm or the vocal folds anyway - so telling students what to feel in them is physiologically impossible and can distort their understanding of their body and voice (I see that all the time).

What do you feel about this?

I knew almost nothing about breathing when I left university with an MA in vocal pedagogy 20 years ago. And even though ...
06/01/2026

I knew almost nothing about breathing when I left university with an MA in vocal pedagogy 20 years ago. And even though I know that things are slowly changing as more emphasis is finally being put on functional voice&breath training (I was crying happy tears when I was asked to teach exactly this at the .ag - after 13 years of still ongoing training and research in this field), I see inaccurate and confusing content being posted online EVERY SINGLE DAY by both classical and CCM voice teachers.

IT'S SO FRUSTRATING AND YET, I SOMEHOW UNDERSTAND THEM.

They have not been taught to view breathing for the voice as something that is complex and individual. They have been taught the same myths and half-truths and regurgitate them because this have somehow luckily worked out for them - or at least not done them any harm. If they only opened an atlas of anatomy once or understood how muscles work, they might not perpetuate this stuff... and here's the problem.

To both teachers and students: Please keep on learning. Stay curious. Don't limit yourself to one method, technique or "guru/maestro", especially if it doesn't feel right or there's any sort of abuse. If you have questions, ask them. If an answer doesn't satisfy you, keep on looking for it.

17/10/2025

It's been months that I've been sitting on this secret, now that it's official I couldn't wait telling you!

As of this semester, I am a teaching assistant for vocal pedagogy students at the Music Academy in Ljubljana - more specifically, I'll be teaching functional breathing to future classical singing teachers 🤘

I can't wait to start to deepen my understanding of the subject matter (learning by teaching fdw!!!) and to collaborate with who so kindly offered me this position.

Of course, I will still be available for on- and offline sessions if you wpuld like to learn more about breathing and/or the voice - I'll just have a new, fancy title 😉

Have a great weekend 💙

16/10/2025

Talk talk talk vs. do do do - what do you think?

I'm so sick and tired of listening to people on social media trying to explain breathing for singers. Most of it is complete BS but because people use big words (that they apparently don't even understand themselves) and seem really confident, they get a lot followers.

The longer I work in this field and the more people I get to help, the more I realise that you can't teach funktional breathing by explaining it, only by experiencing it. And that goes with exploring, observing, ysing all our senses and caring about giving students accurate information about anatomy and physiology (as far as we know it by now).

What do you think?

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