Our voices aren’t just about how we sound; it’s also how we create in the world, says Jurian Hughes, a voice coach and yoga teacher at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Your voice is connected to everything you do,” explains Hughes. “It connects you to yourself, to others and to the Divine. We’re constantly giving voice to something. It’s about all the ways you express yourself—whether through art, taking action, speaking, writing, moving, playing or being creative. With your voice, you’re experiencing the full power of who you are.”

“Voice is vibration,” she says. “It’s a reflection of the breath; it’s amplified breath.” The breath moves through your vocal cords and reverberates through every bone in your body. Making sound creates a connection to yourself. Bringing sound to yoga poses or an exercise workout “amplifies the experience… helping you to feel stronger and more confident.”

It’s about finding your own organic sound. “You’re shifting the focus of attention from the external world to your inner experience.” When we’re in touch with the “felt sense” of our bodies, it’s easier to speak our truth.

“Truth has a vibration,” says Hughes. “Ask yourself, ‘How does what I’m saying feel and vibrate through me?’ You can feel the truth.”

For instance, Hughes suggests pairing a quiet sound such as “om” with a restful floor pose such as child’s pose, or a loud, strong sound such as lion’s breath—which is a deep inhale and loud exhale—with a standing warrior pose.

Hughes stresses that it’s not what the sound is; it’s how it feels.

To tap into our inner self and strengthen our voice, try these five practices.

Sing. Just start making sound in whatever way feels natural. Sing in the car, in the shower, in the kitchen.

During yoga practice or an exercise workout, sigh, moan or groan. If you are in a difficult pose, let out a sigh. Sound moves energy through the body. Often in a pose there’s a tendency to tighten and clamp down instead of releasing. With sound, we release and let go instead of withholding. “Just like a newborn baby cries and makes sounds as a way of releasing energy,” Hughes says. “You also need to release through sound.”

Don’t judge the sounds—let them be exactly as they are without trying to change or fix anything. Swami Kripalu said, “The highest spiritual practice is self-observation without judgment.” When we judge less, we engage more fully in the moment.

Use the “I am” affirmation. Hughes recommends saying “I am heard” or “I am understood,” or your own mantra, while in a yoga pose or exercising. Our words go into our ears and affect the body. Let the words land in the cells of the body as you say them.

Stimulate the breath. “The breath and your voice are one and the same. If there’s no breath, there’s no voice,” notes Hughes. During stressful times, the breath becomes shallow and tight. Slow, deep belly breathing relaxes the nervous system and strengthens the immune response.

“Your voice has the potential to heal yourself and the world,” adds Hughes. “Your body benefits when you speak your truth.” There’s a sense of relief that comes with telling the truth—no matter how hard it may be.