Intentions can help us stay positive and focused even when the current moment doesn’t match up with our desires or goals, allowing us to accept what is without giving up our agency to make change. There is a lot in life we can’t control - most things, if we really think about it - but there are very few things we can’t influence either directly or by addressing our perception or approach to the matter.

Do you think about your shoulders often? Musicians probably think about them more than the average person, but I would guess that we all think about them more than people did even two decades ago before the prevalence of personal computers and smart phones.

What are you observing when you practice?

Understanding our skills of observation can be the key to unlocking confidence and musicianship.

Thoughtful Refresh Series: Check In 2. How it’s going, what I’m noticing, where I started…

If you follow along with me on Instagram or The B-List newsletter, you know that my big personal project for the summer is working on my routines.

What do our breathing patterns, posture, low back, and leg muscles have in common? A relationship with our hips. Whether we can feel the connection or not, our hips are a major determining factor in our ability to breathe efficiently and to navigate low back pain or discomfort.

Thoughtful Refresh Series: Check In 1. How it’s going, what I’m noticing, where I started…

If you follow along with me on Instagram or The B-List newsletter, you know that my big personal project for the summer is working on my routines.

A love letter to my practice to articulate a heartfelt gratitude.

If pain blocks awareness, then maybe the reverse is true - building awareness builds proprioception, which in turn builds the effectiveness and ease of the skills we work so hard to develop and maintain.

What we are willing to lovingly layer into our every day life with consistency is what will create the greatest impact in our well being long term.

By becoming more acquainted with ourselves we become more efficient observers and more accurate and efficient managers of our construction.

Building a base level awareness of what’s happening in our bodies is the first step toward finding neutral and creating efficiency. 

What does the breath have to do with finding a flow state?

A warm up is the signal to your body and mind that it’s time to wake up and do what you have trained to do.  

At first it can feel like a far stretch to combine the chakras with an aspect of musical performance like tonal resonance. As we grow our understanding that the body and mind are always intertwined, we close the gap between thinking of them as two separate entities and open up new resources for ourself as musicians.

The body is the home of our creativity. By developing a truer understanding of our experience in the world we become adept at helping ourselves adjust to the changes and challenges that will certainly come. 

Finding your footing to express freely.