Singing question.........?????

Question:

Singing question.........?????

Im taking private voice with this teacher( a woman) and her teachings are a lot different than what ive been told. My concern is breath support while singing(or exhaling) She told me to focus on my epigastrium region and to "push out" the epigastrium. she told me while im doing this all of my other muscles will do there job. it has worked fine for me but im having a little trouble trying to grip the understanding of "pushing out." from bad habits in the past, i always thought support for singing were similar to the force of doing a sit up. But i find that pushing out on the epigastrium area really helps. Im just wondering if there is a certain "spot" where i should focus on on the epi and what is the difference between pushing out and pushing in. they feeel almost the same..( i know this question sounds crazy and probably most people have never heard about useing the epigastrium but i would appreciate it if someone had knowlege on this subject and would like to share with me insight.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It may sound crazy, but there re 2 things I can sugest that will help you to find the right area to focus on...

1...lay down flat on your back and put a book on your stomach. Breathe in...the object is to make the book rise! If the book does not rise, you are NOT Breathing properly for the purpose of good support.

2...Put your hands on your upper hips and breathe in...if you are using those muscles properly, you will feel the muscles push your hands outward. They key to it, however, is support and RELEASE between breaths!!! (The release is the part people often mis. It's easy to learn how to breathe, but make sure you are releasing those muscles in between breaths...otherwise you are using the muscles in vain because you will still not be using your air properly!)