Why should all musicians consider yoga?
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At Artsy & Me, we use a three-pronged approach in all our services:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Social
In our Yoga for Musicians classes and workshops, we customize these approaches to the specific needs of musicians.
Physical challenges faced by musicians
Most musicians develop physical problems associated with their playing. Many pianists, for example, develop hand arthritis, and guitarists have an increased risk of ulnar nerve problems. Back and neck problems are common among all musicians, and some of us even develop a debilitating neurological condition called dystonia.
Our approach
At Artsy & Me, we teach you customized yoga poses to protect your body from these repetitive movements and asymmetrical positions. The poses can even heal some damage already done. The yoga practices we teach you also build physical stamina and focus on your breath, and we help you to incorporate all these practices into your existing practice routine!
Emotional challenges faced by musicians
Many musicians also face mental health struggles. Most commonly, we suffer from performance anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Will we hit the right notes? Evoke the “right” emotion?
Our approach
At Artsy & Me, we teach you to welcome these emotions, rather than push them away. With unique yoga poses and practices that focus especially on the breath, we guide you to tune into those feelings – and their associated physical tensions. In doing so, you will – in time – come into tune with them, lifting the weight they have been imposing upon you. We teach you to incorporate these tools into your daily routines, empowering you to keep that fight-and-flight response in check… anytime, anywhere.
Social challenges faced by musicians
Music is social. It is connection. Yet many of us feel disconnected… disconnected with ourselves, disconnected with others. The isolation of the COVID pandemic has made this even worse. So how do we, as performers, reconnect again with an ensemble? And how do we, as conductors, get our ensembles reconnected?
Our approach
Yoga is all about connection. So when incorporated effectively, yoga is the perfect tool to connect an ensemble. Artsy & Me can teach you how to accomplish this. Our customized yoga practices build self-awareness, social-awareness, and a sense of safety. This empowers us to see and feel our interdependence, which then – inevitably – leads to a desire for collaboration.
We will always use this three-pronged approach in working with you. This, we have found, is simply the most effective way to strengthen and reconnect our bodies and minds, no matter who we are, or what challenges we are facing.
Looking for something that is more for the group? Check out our Social Emotional Learning Workshops.
Contact us today to express your interest in Yoga for Musicians! Also, subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all our services!