Developing Resilience, Awareness, and Compassion

Chapter Five is dedicated to the adolescent student, who needs stimulation and active movement as well as opportunities to quiet the body and mind. Students at this age commonly experience performance anxiety as well as academic and social stress. The sequences in this chapter include two thirty-minute sequences for brain integration and confidence enhancement as well as a progressive relaxation script to help students become aware of physical tension and learn to release it. The script for a loving-kindness meditation at the end of the chapter may be used by students at any age to instill feelings of compassion and mutual understanding in a way that counteracts competitive tendencies among musicians.

Gaining Courage and Trust

Chapter Six is intended for advanced musicians, from college students up to professionals, as well as professors who teach at the college level. For professionals, constant travel and the stress of performance along with long periods of practice without rest can lower the immune system, cause fatigue, and impede performance. These unhealthy behaviors put them at great risk for the development of injury and stress-related disorders. This chapter includes postures to lower the risk of developing an overuse injury, including stretches for mid-practice breaks. It also contains a thirty-minute “heart and hip opener” sequence that might be used on a regular basis before performance, as well as an hour-long sequence to boost confidence. Perhaps the most useful section of this chapter features three fifteen-minute pre-performance routines that combine yoga and breathing; videos of these routines can be found on the companion website.

Healing the Body and Mind

The most research-oriented part of the book, Chapter Three, describes how yoga has proven to be beneficial not only for physical health and wellness, but also for emotional well-being and optimal cognitive functioning. The emotional benefits of yoga directly lead to its physical benefits in reducing the symptoms of disorders that are caused or magnified by stress. This chapter outlines yoga’s potential in relieving performance anxiety, improving concentration, and increasing the likelihood of achieving a flow state in performance. Finally, research on attention, cognition, and the benefits of yoga for students with ADHD and other behavioral disorders demonstrates the usefulness of yoga techniques to increase retention and focus in the music lesson.

Connecting the Body and Mind

Chapter Two delves more deeply into the holistic practice of yoga as it bridges the “conscious mind” and the “feeling body”—two parts of the “self” that are often considered as separate entities, but work holistically to impact well-being. Information on mindfulness, meditation, and pranayama, or the art of breathing, show how mindful movement and attention to the breath enhance focus and impact peak performance. The section on pranayama, or breath work, describes diaphragmatic breathing and the ujjayi breath as well as more advanced breathing techniques that either relax or stimulate body and mind. Basic information is given on yogic concepts such as chakras, bandhas, drishtis, mantras, and mudras to provide a foundation for the use of these techniques with specific populations.

Starting a Practice

Chapter One sets the foundation for an understanding of what yoga is and how that definition has changed over the last century, especially in the West. Beginning with an explanation of the original intention of yoga—that is, to yoke the mind, body, and spirit—this chapter will explore how the practice of yoga and music work synergistically to develop better body awareness, less physical tension, and greater physical and emotional well-being. After describing the types of poses and their benefits as well as how they may be sequenced for a well-rounded practice, sections on necessary supplies and safe practice tips will give pertinent information to teachers and students who are just beginning a yoga practice. Principles of breath, movement, and alignment are outlined so that teachers know what to watch for in their students and what cues to use as they begin to incorporate yoga postures into music lessons.

Establishing a Foundation

Chapter Four explores how early childhood music and movement classes might utilize appropriate yoga postures and breath work for very young children from the ages of three to six, concluding with a sample curriculum for an eight-week summer music course. Building on research on the benefits of music education starting in early childhood, as well as research on the importance of slow, integrated movement for optimal learning and neuromuscular development, this chapter shows how introductory musical concepts may be blended with yoga postures and breath work to enhance attention, motivation, and aural awareness. Some of the proposed poses emphasize crossing the midline, which enhances integration across the two hemispheres of the brain. The postures and breath work may also be used with elementary-age students, so the final section describes how specific techniques might be incorporated in the private lesson, as well.

Preserving the Body and Mind

Recreational Music Making classes are becoming a common option around the United States for seniors, offering music classes that are fun, social, and relaxing without specific performance expectations or requirements. The research that initiated the RMM movement showed that music lessons correlate with stress reduction, better physical health, and less cognitive decline for the aging population. The booming population of seniors currently seeking personal fulfillment through music study benefits when stretching is combined with music study, resulting in even greater stress reduction and physical well-being. Describing how to maintain a safe practice for students with osteoporosis and other physical ailments, this chapter includes poses that can be performed on a chair or bench. It concludes with a suggested eight-week curriculum for a group of retired adults using safe postures with appropriate modifications.