The way you inhale is one of the crucial elements to proper breathing for singing. Regardless of the type of singing you will be performing, it is imperative to get used to inhaling very deeply in a quick manner. In order to be successful at this type of exercise, you must use visualization of the air entering your lungs to get used to the feeling of properly breathing for singing. Practice inhaling as though the air was heavy and concentrate on allowing it to drop into your lungs with some weight.
When you sing you exhale air, so you must be able to control the amount of air you exhale to control your singing. Smooth exhalations can lead to better control, so practice metered exhalation as a breathing exercise. Try to blow a feather up in the air to see how well you can control a small stream of air upon exhalation. When exhaling, concentrate on the direction and pressure of the breath and always exhale all of the air in your lungs before inhaling again.
Posture is as crucial to your singing as both inhaling and exhaling air and must be practiced as well. The three elements work together to produce your best singing and careful attention must be paid to each. Lie on the floor with a book on your abdomen. Note the rising and falling of the book to understand what muscles and parts of your body move when you are singing. Get on your hands and knees to see how your back moves while singing and how that differs from the lying down position.
Squat down to see how your breath changes the physical aspects of singing and the different muscles and parts that are used depending on your position. If you can control your breathing in a nontraditional position, your singing standing up may improve. Slump over and try to perform breathing exercises. You will notice that your lower back opens rather than your abdomen. Your lower abs will also move, which will be an uncomfortable experience at first, but will eventually help you understand the importance of breathing in a traditional posture.