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Hello! Today I'm going to explore the role of posture and alignment in speaking and singing
using ergonomic furniture. I'm speaking to Ning Yap of Crosscom.
Ning, can you tell us more about Crosscom? Crosscom is the first in Singapore to start
ergonomics in the early 1990s. And when we started ergonomics in Singapore,
nobody knows what's ergonomics so we had to educate the public.
So that again, we brought in the workstation as well as the writing materials and we introduced
more and more ergonomic items to the public. Today, we are going to review 3 ergonomic
chairs. The first one is the Swopper (tm).
The second is the Varier (tm) balans (r). And the third one is the Varier (tm) Move
(tm). Sitting on the Swopper (tm), is like sitting
on a gym ball. You can bounce up and down.
You can move side to side, back to front,
and all around. There is also adjustable seat height so that
you can use it for adults and children.
Now the Swopper (tm) works by disrupting habituated patterns of the way you use yourself.
Imagine you are on the bus. Everytime the bus jerks,
your body is forced to re-adjust so that you can stand straight
and you don't fall off. This is exactly how the Swopper (tm) works.
Your body is forced to release any unnecessary tension
so that you maintain your balance. Now we're going to do a demonstration with
the Swopper (tm). I'm going to have Ning read something off
the Crosscom brochure. Take it away.
'When ergonomics was new to Singapore and Asia in the early 1990s,
Crosscom invoked the importance of adopting an ergonomic lifestyle with Moll (tm), Posture
and ergonomic backpacks. Since Crosscom has established a reputation
for selling real ergonomic products from Germany that have received medical endorsement worldwide
and testimonials from satisfied customers.' So now, we are going to have Ning read again,
only this time, we're going to have her sitting on the Swopper (tm).
'Swopper (tm), the world's first three-dimensional movement chair,
is created by German world-class physiotherapist and structural engineer
to ease back pain caused by conventional sitting. Swopper(tm) adapts to every human's natural
movement for you to tilt
bounce and sway in all directions
like on a therapeutic exercise ball. On Swopper (tm), you are engaged in active
sitting and muscles are effectively exercised.
This strengthened, the effect has been proven to relieve back pain
and has won numerous design as well as endorsement from numerous orthopaedists
and doctors worldwide.' So Ning, how is this different from when you
were reading standing upright? OK, for this one, because I'm being forced
to sit naturally straight, OK, so when I read, it feels very much, I
mean the voice just comes out naturally. OK.
So this is how I feel. Yeah, your voice is also much clearer, much
stronger, that's what I hear.
Yes, yeah. The second chair is the Varier (tm) balans
(r). This chair is excellent for people who slouch.
Now when you slouch, a couple of things happen
that mess with your voice. The first thing is that your lungs and your
diaphragm get squeezed. That means, less air.
The next thing that happens, is that your head-neck alignment is thrown.
This causes resulting tension to the throat, jaw, and,
the tongue. I'm going to get Ning to read something while
slouching. 'The Variable(tm) balans (r) encourages your
body to move and reacts to every bend in its movement.
Body and chair, action and reaction is a cycle of continuous motion
that energizes and elevates your body and mind.'
How do you feel when reading when slouching? I feel breathless
It is a little difficult for me to also focus and read out the words in a more natural tone.
Why do you find that it's not natural? Because my, when I slouch, I feel as if
this part is being congested. It's a little bit tight as well.
For the record, Ning is not a singer. Ok, so now, we will have Ning sit on the Varier
(tm) balans (r) to read again. Take it away.
'The Varier (tm) balans (r) encourages your body to move
and reacts to every one of those movements. Body and chair, action and reaction,
in a cycle of continuous motion, and energizes and elevates your body and mind.'
OK, so how it is different sitting, reading from the Varier (tm)?
Ok, when I read sitting this way upright, I feel that I'm able to read better when I
read and the words is able to utter more natural.
OK, do you feel any difference in your tongue? Is it looser, are the words easier to flow
out? Yes, I think I feel that it's more natural
when I read and when I speak in this position.
Rather than it feels like it's going backwards. Are you aware of any changes in the tone of
your voice? I think I'm able to utter the words more clearly
and more loudly. So this is the Varier (tm) Move (tm).
This is one of the chairs that I do not currently own.
So I'll let Ning introduce it. Ok, this is Varier (tm) Move (tm) from Norway.
It creates a very variable sitting. You can actually have it stand and sit with
it. Alright, the movement is very fluid
so it gives you dynamic sitting, preventing fatigue.
And the base, though it's small, is very steady. Have a sit and tell me how it feels.
OK. My back feels really straight.
My neck feels really straight. I'm trying to hunch but can't,
I can't hunch without my lower back feeling the pain.
What else? My voice feels extremely light. This is the position that I would be standing
in if I were singing and performing. I find this extremely handy for classical
singing. What else am I experiencing?
Yes, my voice is very light and my chest is really open which helps me to breath a little
bit better. I can certainly feel that my voice is different
in fact, it's much clearer. And, what's actually happening is I feel psychologically,
in this position, a lot more confident, like I can't get stressed