Has Your Concert Yoga Gotten Rusty?
Photography by Brittney Bush.
What Is Concert Yoga? To me, as an Indian, it is my ritual of being mentally and physically alert before any concert, or even just before I sit down to practice scales.
My habits that make up my concert yoga are probably obvious, some may be new to you, some might strike a note with your habits, and others you will scoff at.
- Work Out: One of the main factors I find that influence your form and performance is physical fitness. I’m not saying you need to have a BMI of 18 and a resting heart rate of 10, but a good cardiovascular system is not only healthy for your everyday life, I truly believe that good control over your circulation helps keep your mind calm before a concert.
- Sleep: Physical Fatigue is antoher huge one for me, especially because I get all hyped up the day before an important event and hardly get any sleep. A good cup of warm tea, a good face scrub and classical music get me into a sleepy mood. Just don’t put in the choral from Beethoven’s ninth (unless it actually makes you sleepy, in which case please contact me for I shall spank you).
- RespirationAbout one hour before a concert, I sit back, close my eyes, breathe deeply and practice Pranayama, which is, essentially, breathing in through the left nostril, keeping the air in and breathing out through the right. Follow the link for more in-depth guides.
- Backstage-Meditation: Just before I go out on stage, about 10 minutes ahead of showtime, I sit back, breathe once more, listen to my piece in my head and smile. Studies have shown that smiling makes you happy by triggering the corresponding hormones.
- Practice physical stretching: My guitar teacher hasn’t failed at showing me a couple of exercises to stretch, strengthen and make flexible my arms, neck and back - three crucial body parts of guitar players. Ask your teacher for help on this, he should know something simply from experience.
What’s your musical yoga?
POSTED IN: Your Instrument & You
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