One of the most common problems in untrained singers is vocal strain, this can often happens to even famous singers who perhaps have had no formal training in how to get the best from their voice.
What causes vocal strain is to much tension within your body as well as a lack of voice training, however often the level of relaxation in our body is often ignored and we allow ourselves to become tense, especially prior to performances. Learning ways to relax your self is an excellent way to protect your voice as well as increasing the level of your performances, because when you are relaxed you will tend to perform to your optimum ability.
Watch this short video by lee Boniface on a great breathing technique that helps you relax, its called ha-breathing.
Also click here if you would love to know how to take your voice to the next level of excellence