•  DO NOT start the practice immediately as you wake up. Give sufficient time to your voice to stabilize. Gargle with warm water. Talk to people. Get your tongue to movement and moist your throat before you start the first practice for the day.

•  DO NOT practice in very high pitch (Shruthi) when the sun is right on the head (that's between 12 and 4) in the afternoon. If your pitch is five and half, better to practice in five (say half a pitch lower than yours), at this time of the day. This would avoid wear and tear.

•  Every saadakam should start with a varnam preferably; varnam is structured in a way that would exercise the voice in all possible ways.

•  Learn to modulate your voice. DO NOT sing with the max voice beyond upper sthayi rishabhan.Soften the voice to reduce the stress on the vocal chord. This doesn't mean you bring in false voice. Using false voice would help in effortless singing, but that would not leave the audience with the feel of divine music. Know the difference between singing with open voice and singing loudly. And the difference between singing with a false voice and singing softly.

•  Proper physical posture is required for a good voice production. Certain voice types would get strained with 2-3 hours of practice but some people can go upto 5-6 hours in one stretch. It is important that you understand the nature of your voice and its limitations. One should know his/her own capacity to practice and NOT overdo! If the posture and the singing technique followed are correct, at the end of the practice session, the abdominal muscles should get strained and not the voice chords. This could be a self check. (Nabhi hruth khanta rasana-Origin of voice is from the abdomen)

•  Nasal touch is required for a proper alignment with Shruthi, but nasal twang shouldn't occupy your voice completely. This is where we need to sing with open mouth to reduce the nasal twang.

•  Diet plays an important role in maintaining the voice health. Drinking warm water helps; hot tea, Clove in honey, ginger kashayam, and pepper milk do wonders to soften the voice and clear the throat. Avoid eating out, oily food, and cold items.

•  Avoid overuse of your voice, don't scream, talk softly, have limited talks; Last and the most important being "Get rid of the fear of falling sick!" Have a strong mind and a committed soul.

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