American Idol for 2011 has completely captured my attention. I am loving it! Finally they have a group of judges who all are insightful, honest, compassionate, entertaining and funny! Steven Tyler is a total delight! He listens with his eyes closed and feels the music as contestants sing. Sometimes he sings along with relish. Jennifer Lopez brings the sweetest and most compassionate loving heart. She feels for the competitors. She roots for them and she tells them the truth. And finally Randy Jackson can shine as a judge. He is the one who blurts out the awful truth when the singers are bad and stands to applaud when they are great.
And the singers! Oh my, there are some real unique voices in the competitors so far. And the best voices are coming out of the mouths of the 15 year olds. How can they be so great at 15?
What I want to draw attention to is what the best singers all have. They have presence, real resounding presence because they are grounded in their bodies. Grounding is a palpable sense of full-body awareness that radiates the presence of spirit. Grounding allows them to each be unique because they are expressing what comes from their souls. It allows them to take their time, to be in the moment, to get into their zone, to feel what they are singing and to make genuine connection with the judges. Watch and learn. See how at ease the best contestants are, pay attention to how they live in their skins. That is grounding! And you can learn their secret.
If you are a singer, actors, speaker, performer or musician, you can develop presence through the action of grounding in your body. Grounding is an exercise you can learn and practice. I know because I have been practicing and teaching grounding since 1987. Prior to that, I was without much presence, always in my head and unable to experience being in the moment in front of audiences. When two friends taught me a grounding exercise, it transformed my life as an actor, speaker and teacher and as a human being.
You can learn my grounding exercise. In just a few minutes a day, you can develop a stronger presence. If you are a performer or presenter, learning to ground will increase your comfort and confidence immeasurably! It is such a simple exercise but it will change your life for the better!
