yoga Archives

Wellness Retreats for Musicians: Why Are They on the Rise?

I knew there was no way I could practice the amount I needed and not just completely destroy my body. I wondered how other people did it. It never occurred to me in college that it was something I could learn - University of Denver, USA, 1989 On line, or off, pandemic or no, wellness retreats for musicians are all the rage. With so much more now on offer in music colleges and schools in terms of a holistic approach, I set out to find out why so many young musicians are drawn to finding alternative support. In a survey I recently conducted about wellness as experienced by students in music schools and colleges over the last fifty years, it became apparent that, from the beginning of this period, horror [...]

By Ruth Phillips|2024-03-18T13:24:48-04:00June 18th, 2020|Categories: Artistic Vision, In the Practice Room, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: meditation, yoga, breathing free, stage presence, inspiration, breath, Growth, wellness, power, Practice|

Improve Your Talent: Breathing Awareness and Control — by Gregory Beaver

In "Developing a Technique to Improve Your Talent," I laid out 6 things that I have been using actively in my teaching to improve my students’ talent. This post will investigate the first of these, Breathing awareness and control. “I am so totes aware of my breathing!” you might be thinking, especially if you are a vocalist or a woodwind/brass player. However, in my experience, there are very few people who are truly aware of their breath. Breath awareness is not just about being able to breathe in and out and notice it. It is the ability to do something very complicated and still notice your breathing. For those who do not use their breath to create the music, it is about using your breath to provide energy and power when needed, and [...]

By Gregory Beaver|2022-02-28T11:40:29-05:00May 27th, 2013|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: relaxation, breath control, simple formula, skill, breathing with scales, smoothness, CD player, musicians, stomach, muscles, chest, practicing, strengthen the diaphragm, body, controlled frenzy, Technique, trouble passages, breathing, diaphragm, improvement, T’ai Chi, yoga, cello, emit sound, unbalancing the body, Beaver, cellobello, heart rate, talent, weakness, Gregory, cellists, Improve your talent, balance, advanced breath control, control, light-headed, Coordination, aerobic exercise, Awareness, oxygen|

Cultivating Softness, Strength, Clarity, and Calm: 3 Basic Yoga Techniques for Musicians — by Elana Katz

There are many yoga techniques that one can use to cultivate heightened awareness, calm the nervous system, center one’s thoughts, and achieve increased mental clarity. As an artist and performer myself, I can testify that yoga can help to foster creative and artistic clarity as well. What follows is a brief introduction to a few basic principals and practices in yoga that can be useful for musicians, with the instrument and in daily life. 1. Breathing Deepening the breath calms the nervous system and oxygenates the blood. In physical yoga positions, which are called “asanas”, deep breath is used continuously over the course of the whole practice. "Deepening the breath" means an elongation of both the inhale and the exhale. When we are nervous, the breath becomes shallow. Some people [...]

By Elana Katz|2019-06-10T15:15:28-04:00March 26th, 2013|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, In the Practice Room, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: exhale, meditation, inhale, cellobello, stretching, integrated into daily life, clarity, artistic clarity, lungs, comfortable position, muscular strength, concentrated creative expression, yoga, Cultivating softness, balance, Elana Katz, strength, elongation, movement, energize, release, energy levels, softness, nervous system, heightened awareness|