I tried my first acting class as a non-actor and it was an unexpected journey into mindfulness, confidence, and discovering the power of letting go.
When it comes to self-improvement, there are many workshops that can enhance your skills or improve your speaking. But, have you ever thought about attending an acting class to improve your communication and confidence? I haven’t, until opportunity knocked. So I decided to step outside my comfort zone and attended an acting workshop in Singapore, thanks to Kris.P Production. Spoiler alert: it was nothing like I imagined and exactly what I needed. Here’s what I learnt from my first acting class…
1. Confidence begins with mindfulness
An acting class that begins with meditation? Sounds novel, but Kristina, my coach for the day, founder KrisP.Production and a professional actress, champions mindfulness as the key to both communication and performance. Whether you’re an actor or not, her classes begin with mindful exercises around deep breathing and stretching, getting familiar with your body and the environment. If you’ve done yoga before, you’ll recognise a few key poses like downward dog and child’s pose.
How often do you observe your own breathing? One of the exercises involved placing my hand on one ribcage, breathing in as deeply as I could to expand it, almost as if I was trying to push it outwards. And upon exhaling, using the gentle pressure of my hand to push the ribcage back down, exhaling as much as possible. A few rounds of this and the exercise was repeated on the other side.
It seems simple enough, but it accomplished two things: the deep breathing did wonders to calm my nerves, while bringing my awareness to parts of my body I don’t normally think about (I can’t remember the last time I observed how my ribs move!).
These exercises were an easy way to destress and find calm, with slow movements that allowed me to be aware of any areas of tension or discomfort in my body, while taking conscious steps to slow down my breathing. I’d highly recommend learning these exercises for practical situations: for calming your nerves ahead of important meetings, public speaking events, networking sessions and more. Just a few minutes of breathing can work wonders!
“Confidence is about living in the moment, it happens when you’re focusing on your body and you’re aware of yourself,” Kristina says.
2. Authenticity is about letting go of expectations
Can you remember a time when you were angry or upset but bottled up your feelings instead of expressing them? Kristina has observed many students with suppressed emotions that affect their confidence, communication, and presence. Letting go of your expectations of how a situation will go or how others think of you are the keys to authentic self-expression.
“How would you move if you were walking in water?” Tailoring Michael Chekhov’s acting techniques to suit the class, Kristina guided me to express myself via speech and movement through various elements like water, fire and air. From moving in slow motion through water to prancing around like I was floating on clouds, it was an exercise in ‘letting go’ of myself and just being in the moment.
It was pretty freeing – and the best part is, you can try it at home. Imagine being in slow-moving water to put yourself in a state of calm. This has applications in preparing for stressful situations like high-stakes meetings, enabling you to move and speak with composure. If you’re recording a video for social media about a fun topic, you might benefit from tapping into the element of air to place your mind in a state of lightheartedness, and this will translate to your movement, manner of speaking, and even the sparkle in your eyes when going on camera.
3. You already have the ability to be your best self
I went into the class with a list of expectations and things I could improve on: I wanted to learn how to be more confident at work, more engaging on screen… But after the class, I realised that all these skills were already within me. Kristina’s expert guidance and step-by-step teaching helped too, of course. As she took me through the different techniques (drawing from Chekhov, Meisner and Viewpoints), I accomplished all the tasks by focusing on the present and fully immersing myself in each scenario.
“How would you speak if you were lifting up a box?” “How would you walk if you were moving through fire?” By diving into different scenarios, I realised I already had the abilities within. I just needed to let go of any expectations and lean into the moment. Kristina had me record myself saying the same line after each scenario, and it was amazing how my delivery and movements differed drastically through the power of imagination and a few simple exercises.
There are no right answers in this class, but the goal is to show you how you already have the ability to behave, speak, and carry yourself in various ways – you already possess the ability to be your ‘ideal’ self, whatever that version of yourself might be. I finally understood what Kristina meant when she said, “I always tell my students: I can’t teach you confidence – you already are, you’ve just forgotten it because you’ve been suppressing your emotions. You’ve been suppressing yourself. Confidence is when you are aware of the value you are giving, and when you accept all the different sides of yourself. Just let yourself be you.”
Wanna try this acting workshop in Singapore?
You don’t have to be an aspiring actor to benefit from Kristina’s acting workshops in Singapore. These sessions are a goldmine for anyone wanting to up their communication game, learn how to be comfortable in front of the camera, boost their confidence, overcome their fear of self-expression, or simply have some fun. It’s all about connecting with yourself, and Kristina’s infectious energy and expert guidance make it a safe space to explore, experiment, and express.
As a professional actress, acting coach and producer with extensive experience and knowledge in acting techniques, she’s coached actors and non-actors alike. Her acting classes for non-actors are designed to improve communication, creativity, and self-expression in both personal and professional realms.
One thing’s for sure: this acting class is more than just about performing for the screen. It’s about stepping into your power, letting go of your hang-ups, and finding your voice. And if that isn’t worth a couple of hours of your time, I don’t know what is.
This post is in partnership with MIE Agency.
