Find Your Voice, Find Your Community, Find Your Health
CAYA Creative Health supports health, wellbeing and quality of life through group singing and related holistic activities. Whether you are living with a chronic condition such as COPD, hypertension or depression or are looking to belong to a community, CAYA provides friendly, inclusive singing groups and breathwork to support this. Scientific research shows that humans are evolutionarily hard-wired to connect through shared movement and song and that doing so improves our mental and physical health. It’s not about being a “singer” or sounding “good” - come as you are!
We have weekly in-person and online sessions built around singing and breathwork, which blend movement, breathwork, mindfulness, vocalising, and song-singing. We use techniques that are firmly rooted in evidence for promoting health - and which conveniently align with the best practices for keeping our voices healthy, too. The songs we sing are varied and fun so that we can explore and develop both our voices and cultural experiences. We sing anything and everything from pop, folk, world, gospel, original songs and much more.
As part of our commitment to evidence-based practice we also conduct research into the health and wellbeing benefits of our groups, along with providing resources and training for singing leaders, teachers, health professionals and anyone looking to incorporate a holistic, accessible practice for all ages into their work.
Why 'CAYA' - Come As You Are?
Singing with others is personal and vulnerable which is why we're called Come As You Are. It’s your permission to show up without any pressure - no prior talent, no experience, and no special kit needed. Just bring your authentic, wonderful, vulnerable self and share in a moment of joyful connection that promises to leave you feeling lighter, brighter, and deeply connected. We'd love for you to join us!
What happens in a CAYA session?
You will be warmly greeted and welcomed. We understand that it is nerve-wracking turning up to a new place with new people so a friendly welcome helps a little.
You are invited to take part in a warm-up which involves movement, gentle stretching, voice, brain, music and rhythm exercises to prepare our minds and bodies for healthy singing, along with starting to get to know each other. Everything is an invitation which means that you do not under pressure to do anything you do not feel comfortable doing.
We look at 2-3 songs which are taught by ear without sheet-music so that your hands are free and you are encouraged to listen and interact with the other people as you are singing. There is no pressure or expectation to remember lyrics/melodies - we work with where we are at any given moment in time. In fact the more mistakes we make, the more we laugh!
We believe that music is meant to be heard and shared, which we do at local community events, where everyone is encouraged to participate in some way - whether by tapping a beat, singing along to a chorus or listening attentively.
“we sing but are not a choir, we do movement but not dance, we support and care for each other” - Wendy, Joyful Voices
Why Vocal Expression & Singing Matter for Our Health & Wellbeing
Life can be tough, and sometimes it's the simple things that make the biggest difference. Expressing yourself vocally with others is one of them. Here is how group singing and vocalising fit into the 5 Ways of Wellbeing model:
Connect with others: When we join our voices, our bodies release feel-good hormones that help lift our spirits and calm our minds. Additionally when we sing together our hear rates synchronise (entrainment) so the feeling of connection we experience is more than that - it’s actually happening to our hearts. Our groups are safe, non-judgemental spaces where you can connect with people, make new friends, and feel a sense of belonging.
Be active: Group singing has been shown in lung health research to be comparable to a brisk walk in terms of its effect on our heart and lungs. In addition, our sessions involve the whole body and include gentle movement and stretching, breathing, voice and body-rhythm exercises carefully designed and evidence-based to support optimal lung, heart and brain health.
Take notice: Music happens over time so concentrating on a song, coordinating with others to sing together along with the body and breath awareness exercises we incorporate into our sessions, means that we are actively taking notice of ourselves and what is going on around us without even trying. It is mindfulness in action.
Keep learning: All our sessions are paper-free which means that songs and exercises are learnt by heart. We take the time to do this is in a relaxed, fun and co-creative way, supporting different learning styles. This also means that people can go away having learnt something, which they can then share with others at home or do themselves outside of sessions.
Give: Turning up to a session and using your voice and whole person to contribute to the whole sound is an act of giving. Similarly a fundamental part of what we do is going out into the community to share the joy, fun and connecting power of music and songs with the wider community in sharing events