Yoga within the music studio.

Over the years I have noticed that when students arrive for their lessons, many are tired, sleepy or lack concentration. Small talk, a short game or sight reading helps them somewhat to think of music. However, while their mind might be able to shift to the present, their bodies are far from ready to play an instrument. Their back is tense from carrying a heavy backpack, their legs are tired from kicking a soccer ball, their arms are stiff from holding tennis rackets and the list goes on and on. Asking a tired student to start with scales and arpeggios may not help either. Thus began my search to help my students, and I found the answer in my own yoga practice.

Yoga is one of the six orthodox Indian philosophies that are collated by Patanjali in his "Yoga Sutra." In its totality, yoga is "the yoking of all the powers of the body, mind and soul ... the disciplining of the intellect, the mind, the emotions, the will ... to enable one to look at life in all its aspects evenly." (1)

There are eight limbs or stages of yoga, one being the practice of the asanas or the poses. Most health clubs and studios in the U.S. emphasize this aspect of yoga. Practicing the asanas teaches total concentration and focus of the mind, control of the breath and every part of the body in a mindful and conscious relaxation. These very characteristics of the practice of asanas also are the fundamentals of optimum athletic and musical performance, the essence of which is the union of the body and the mind. Not surprisingly, yoga is embraced in large numbers by Hollywood, athletes and musicians.

One of the first musicians to embrace yoga was Yehudi Menuhin, who, in 1966, wrote a foreword to B.K.S. Iyengar's book Light on Yoga. He wrote: "The practice of yoga induces a primary sense of measure and proportion. Reduced to our own body, our first instrument, we learn to play it, drawing from it maximum resonance and harmony. With unflagging patience we refine and animate every cell as we return daily to the attack, unlocking and liberating capacities condemned to frustration and death." (2) As such, yoga can be another tool for music teachers to help students in their attempt to unlock and liberate the capacity to play an instrument.

There are several helpful asanas. Because of the space limitations and lack of yoga aids, such as a mat, in an average music studio, I have chosen the simplest poses that can be practiced while sitting or standing. Teachers can choose one or two poses for each lesson according to the student's age and length of the lesson. The added benefit to the teacher is a better transition and relaxed time between students. Shoes and socks should be taken off so the feet are grounded. Keep in mind that all exercises should be done in a relaxed and unhurried manner.

BREATHING

One of the eight limbs of yoga is pranayama, the science of breath. Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy or strength. (3) This limb is about control and extension of inhalation, exhalation and retention. To the yoga practitioners, the breath is life itself, Many other healing arts, such as tai chi and qi cung, also emphasize "correct" breathing.

In this aspect, American medicine agrees. The American Society of Hypertension advocates slow breathing exercises for fifteen minutes a day, three to four days a week to lower blood pressure (4) and to prevent heart disease. For musicians, deep breathing before and during performance calms the nerves, enabling them to concentrate and immerse themselves in the music. Therefore, teaching good and slow breathing should be part of the teaching of music.

The Exercise

The breathing asanas are difficult even for advanced yoga students, but the slow breathing cultivated at the beginning of each yoga session is easy to teach and beneficial for everybody. Yoga students are taught that in addition to inhalation and exhalation, there also is the time between each. One can imagine a racetrack where the longer sides of the track constitute the inhalation and exhalation and the shorter sides the changeover.

Start the exercise by asking the student to sit straight on the bench with feet firmly grounded, while pretending the crown of the head is reaching reward the ceiling. Shoulders should be down and chest widened (called opening the heart center in yoga lingo) by getting the shoulder blades in the back to move toward each other, squeezing the muscles together. Hands should be placed relaxed on the lap, palms facing up with the thumb and the pointer making an O.

Help the student start breathing deeply through the nostrils with eyes closed, while slightly constricting the throat. Instruct the student to relax the body starting from the top of the head, to all parts of the face (including the tongue) to the upper torso, lower torso, down to the legs and the toes. Some instructors teach students to say "sa" as they inhale and "ha" as they exhale or hum like a bee or say "Om" (the sound of the universe) during exhalation. The objective is to completely ignore external sounds and thought and "park" the mind somewhere else.

I call this a time to shut down the outside world and go to the inner world of oneself. Some call this "conscious relaxation" or "a state of mindfulness," a state when the outer world ceases to exist and only the inner world exists. This is parallel to the state when a musician is so immersed and concentrated in the music that only the music exists. The exercise described above serves to introduce students to enhance the power of the mind to override everything else but the music or whatever else they are being occupied with at that moment.

For the last breath, exhale through the mouth forcefully. Students should then rub their palms together until they are warm, place them over their eyes to let the warmth soak into the skin, open their eyes slowly and then remove the hands.

EYES

Several years ago, a study was conducted in which a group of people was shown a television program where the dialogue had been changed so the new dialogue did not correspond to what the people saw. Researchers found most viewers did not realize the change, proving that people rely mostly on what they see and not what they hear.

This is not totally unexpected because vision occupies about 40 percent of the brain's capacity. (5) Vision is controlled by six cranial nerves, two of which are shared by other functions. The cardiac and the digestive functions both are controlled by only one nerve. Surprised? So was I.

It is not surprising that the optical sense nerves are involved in the "fight or flight" defense mechanism. When in danger, animals' pupils become dilated to better view the enemy and plot the escape route. This also is one symptom of stage fright, it, therefore, makes sense for music teachers to teach their students how to relax their eyes. Cupping the palms over the eyes at the end of the previous exercise also serves to calm the eyes. According to Robert Abel, author of The Eye Care Revolution, (6) closing the eyes is the simplest way to alleviate eye stress due to constant stress of light. Moving the eyes in directions other than straight ahead (which we do a lot of when reading music) will exercise the optical muscles and help them relax.

The Exercise

Begin by placing the piano bench facing, but not near, a window. The student should sit straight but relaxed; keep the head and neck still. The following exercise should be repeated ten times in each direction, holding the gaze for a few seconds in each corner. Time the movements with inhalation and exhalation. If the student wears glasses, ask the student to remove them before beginning.

Look vertically straight up and straight down; horizontally all the way to the right and all the way to the left; follow with looking diagonally up right to down left and up left to down right. Imagine a clock and move the eyes slowly clockwise from the twelve o'clock position three times. Then move them counter clockwise three times.

Next, stretch your hand in front with the thumb pointing up. Look straight ahead to the farthest object, then to the thumb three times. Next, look at the thumb, draw the thumb slowly toward the nose, while continuing to look at the thumb. Repeat several times. Follow with rubbing palms together until warm, then placing hands on the face. Take a deep breath and exhale forcefully through the mouth. Open eyes slowly under the hands, then remove hands.

GETTING THE WHOLE BODY READY

When playing an instrument, the body has to move very differently than when performing everyday tasks. For instance, while our arms normally hang by our sides with our palms facing the body, they are twisted for an extended time when playing the piano or holding instruments such as the violin. Additionally, while we use our fingers together to grasp a pencil or a tool, very rarely do we move the fingers separately in succession.

It, therefore, is not unexpected that beginners--young and old--become tense as they learn to control the body, while at the same time learning to play the instrument. Unfortunately, when one part of the body is tense, the rest of the body also gradually tenses.

A good experiment to show this effect is by curling the toes of one foot while doing something else for an extended time. In the beginning the tension is felt around the curled toes. Gradually, it grips the whole foot, moving up to the entire leg. If you do not quickly let the toes return to their original state, the tension soon will consume your whole body and attention. Similarly, if one finger is tense, very quickly the whole hand becomes tense and soon the entire arm.

Optimum performance happens when the mind, body and spirit unite and the instrument becomes a natural extension of the body. For this to happen, no part of the body can be tense. Additionally, tension acts like brakes: it does not allow the fingers to move as quickly as the mind. One can see this clearly when watching a performance of great musicians. At no point do they lose control of their body, mind or instrument, always moving with great ease, great concentration and no tension. Of course, the first prerequisite is to have a flexible and relaxed body.

THE EXERCISES

The Neck

Stand in tadasana (mountain pose), feet apart. The idea behind this pose is that the whole body is at once rooted to the ground while at the same time the crown of the head growing upwards. Let the shoulder blades move toward each other without the rib cage being thrown out. Engage the core body muscles and tighten the leg muscles without becoming rigid. Arms should hang down alongside the body with fingers splayed pointing down.

Inhale and exhale as you look to the right. Inhale and exhale as you look to the left. Repeat twice. Next, inhale and exhale as you move the right ear toward the shoulder, keeping the shoulder down. Inhale center and exhale while moving the left ear toward the shoulder. Repeat twice. Return to center. Inhale and exhale as you move your head toward the chest. You should feel the muscles in the back being stretched. Inhale center and exhale as you move the head back, looking at the ceiling. Open mouth wide and let shoulders scrunch up toward the head. Move back to center and let shoulders come down. Repeat twice. Follow with moving the head slowly in a circle from right, down to left and up to the right, while continuing to inhale and exhale. Repeat twice and reverse direction.

The shoulders

Inhale and throw the arms back, palms facing up while squeezing the shoulder blades together. Exhale and move the arms close together, back of hands touching. You should feel the muscles of the back being stretched outward. Repeat several times. Another simple exercise is what you undoubtedly have learned in a physical education class. Simply roll shoulders up, forward, down, back and around. Repeat twice and reverse direction.

The Wrists

Extend the right arm straight in front of you, hand bent and fingers pointed toward the ceiling. With your left hand gently pull fingers toward the body. Hold for several seconds. Point the fingers down and gently pull fingertips toward you. Repeat with the other hand. This exercise stretches and opens up the arm muscles. It is particularly good to prevent tendonitis. Follow up with circular motion of the hands in one direction. Some prefer to do this exercise with hands in a fist; however, I prefer to stretch and spread out my fingers. Repeat, moving them in the opposite direction.

The Whole Body

The fallowing exercise is beneficial for the whole body. It also is good to teach students to feel the mass of the arm as their arms are swung because of the twisting of the body. Stand with feet about two or three feet apart. Leave arms hanging on your side. Bend your knees and begin swinging the body all the way to the left and all the way to right, letting the heels of the feet lift from the floor to avoid twisting and injuring the knees. The arms will be thrown about freely and will hit the back gently. Keep the head in alignment with the spine, turning in the same direction as the body.

Another important yoga concept is stretching. This concept is grounded in the idea that for joints to continue to be flexible, one must continue to stretch them. This also allows air to go between the ribs and the backbones. Start by standing in tadasana. Lift both arms with palms facing each other. Arms should be straight but away from the ear. Reach up as much as possible while remaining grounded. For side stretches, lift one arm only and bend to the opposite side as much as possible. Repeat on the other side. The above exercise also can be done while sitting.

The Back

If you teach gangly teenagers, you know they stand as if they do not have backbones. When they sit, they tend to hunch down. Pianists know that such posture does not allow them to use arm weight to depress piano keys. This results in a shallow and weak tone. Singers know good posture helps proper inhalation and exhalation that are necessary for excellent breath control. The following exercise is a favorite of mine.

Stand up straight, feet apart, hands clasped behind the back. Keep the shoulders down and squeeze the shoulder blades together. Bend down from the hips so the upper body is parallel to the floor. For more of a stretch, bend down as low as possible. Gradually raise the arms as high as possible and hold position for a few breaths before moving back to the original position.

Unclasp hands but hold palms together with fingers pointing down. Slowly turn the hands up in reverse prayer position, fingers pointing up. Gradually, let the hands creep up the back as high as possible; hold for a few breaths. This second exercise is quite challenging for those with stiff shoulders but forces one to open the heart center and straighten the back. A caution: do not do any bending exercise when the student has just eaten a meal.

The Spine

The spine is the conduit of all the nerves, going from the brain to all parts of the body, making it an indispensable part of the body. The flexibility of the spine is important to facilitate many body movements. Hence, flexibility exercise is always part of any yoga class.

One of my favorite exercises, called the cat and cow pose, is normally done from the table position, kneeling with hands on the floor. But it also can be done from a sitting position.

Begin by sitting up straight. Inhale, and as you exhale, tighten your abdominal muscles, curve the back and lower the head. Hold and then inhale, straighten your hack, chest wide by squeezing the shoulder blades together and raise your head to look up. Repeat several times. Another exercise called the spinal twist involves twisting from the waist while the body remains facing forward. You can help yourself by holding the right knee with the left hand as you twist. To complete the exercise, turn your head in the direction of the twist.

Balancing Pose

Concentration remains one of the obstacles in the study of musical instruments. Yoga can help cultivate concentration through balancing poses. The balancing pose is a challenge for both the body and mind, requiring immense concentration and awareness of the whole body as it strives to achieve the exact musculature to keep the body motionless.

Start with tadasana. Put hands together in a prayer pose. Pick up one leg and place the sole as high up as possible oil the thigh of the opposite leg. When students feel steady enough, ask them to raise their arms. The position of the hands can vary: one can cross the fingers, except for the second and the first fingers, or have arms apart, or arms out with palms facing up or with hands bent oil the wrist while palms reach out. To complete the pose, look at the ceiling.

Learning a yoga pose is similar to learning a song from total absence of knowledge to total presence of mind within the body. As far as yoga students are concerned, holding a pose for a period of time requires subtraction of the outer world, total awareness of the whole body and total immersion of the mind in the pose in the absence of judgment. It is only then that the union of the physical and the metaphysical becomes complete, and the body does what the mind tells it to do.

Conclusion

Yoga students are taught to celebrate their accomplishment, no matter how small it might be that day, without comparisons to fellow students. Very often what seems to be easy yesterday is difficult today, but yoga students are encouraged to continue to strive, because yoga study is a process. The journey toward the ultimate goal is more important than the goal itself. These also are wise words for music students because the music study journey is as difficult as how one judges oneself, but as easy as one can celebrate each accomplishment, major or minor.

Note: There are several yoga styles, each with its own philosophy. One advocates for firming and stretching muscles as much as possible, while another for a more relaxed pose. One might want you to inhale making your abdomen balloon up, and another might feel that is totally improper. Whichever you choose, it is advisable to take a class from a reputable studio where the teacher gives specific directions and actually corrects your pose. Incorrect pose is as much a cause of bodily injuries as incorrect technique when playing an instrument results in various ailments.

NOTES

(1.) Iyengar, B.K.S., Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga--Its Philosophy and Practice--by the World's Foremost Teacher. (Paperback revised edition, Schoeken Books, 1979): 19.

(2.) Ibid., 11.

(3.) Ibid., 43.

(4.) AARP. (September/October, 2003): 18.

(5.) Ruiz, Fernando Pages, "Insight for Sore Eyes," Living Yoga. (September/October, 2000):1.

(6.) Abel, Robert, The Eye Care Revolution. (Kensington Books, 1999).

RELATED READING

Iyengar, B.K.S., Yoga, Path to Holistic Health. (A Dorling Kindersley Book).

Evelyn Lee Soen holds an M.M. degree from Yale University and is an independent teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has taken yoga for four years. This article is dedicated to Monique, Kristine, Tori, Lisa, Michael and Joel, who have shared their wisdom, Special thanks to Tori for her help with this article and who posed for the accompanying pictures.

Editor's Note: Before undertaking any exercise program, one should consult a physician. Instructions contained in this article are based on the author's experience.