In this lesson, we will discuss how should we start our riyaz with Sa riyaz. Sa riyaz is usually done in the morning before kharaj riyaz.

This lesson is in A# which is suitable for females. If you a male watch this lesson instead, Sa ka riyaz | C# Male. First of all, we should sit straight, preferably on a mat on the floor, cross-legged. No need to sit too tight or loose, the seating position should be comfortable. Then play tanpura and start listening to it carefully. Then start focusing on your breath. You can breathe using mouth, nose, or a combination of both. While breathing in, our chest should not move much. We should store our breath in our stomach (diaphragm). While breathing in, the stomach will expand and while exhaling, the stomach will contract to its normal position. While listening to tanpura, we should first do this breathing practice. Take a breath in, while breathing out, sing Sa. Try to match your Sa to the tanpura. We should try to sing Sa for as long as we can and try to hit the note directly/precisely. Watch the video for the demonstration. Try to sing the Sa in various vowels, it will open up your mouth and improve your tone. Start with Aakar (Aa sound). In Aakar, tongue should be placed comfortably near the teeth and the mouth should be opened up in an egg shape. And while singing, our mouth should not close. To increase aakar, is to open your mouth properly and not necessarily to get louder. Watch the video for the demonstration. Do take a few seconds of break between every Sa sadhana, so that the voice doesn't get tired and you start fresh every time. Be aware of the sur while singing. This riyaz is also called 'sur bharne ka riyaz' by pandits/ustaads. You can see it similar to filing a large container with water. Every breath you take in is similar to filling up a bucket and then you are emptying it into the container. You should try to do this riyaz daily. Try doing it as per the timings which work for you. It will be good if you can do this riyaz for 30 minutes, 1 hour or even more. At least try to practice it for 15 minutes. The more you practice, the better the results. This riyaz will bring stability in your voice, will improve your vocal tonal quality, will improve your concentration/awareness, breathing will improve. You will get more familiar with your breathing and your voice. This will help with shakiness in the voice. Though it will take consistent practice over time to see these improvements. Next, we can try doing this similarly in Om sound (Omkar), ee sound (Eekar), ae sound (Aekar), Oo sound (Ookar). In Ookar mouth shape will be somewhat similar to bansuri/flute, with a small opening. Then try Ae sound (Aekar), hmm sound (humming). You should try practicing Sa in all these vowels, though the majority of the time should go to aakar riyaz. Different ways we can do Sa ka riyaz:

• Aakar
• Eekar
• Aekar
• Ookar
• Okar (O sound of Om)
• Humming

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