The first of these habits is failure to use voice while practicing.
Practitioners place the hand in the position for the vowel before actually articulating the vowel.
If hearing-impaired persons were watching you they couldn't possibly guess when the vowel actually began and ended. Repeat the preceding exercise, but this time notice that just before vocal onset you tighten the muscles in your lower abdomen for breath support. It will not prove helpful after the first syllable in a multisyllable word or phrase, but we can deal with that later. Maintain a neutral body posture. Lips lightly together while you breathe normally through your nose.