Introduction
Whether you're a music teacher, student or seasoned professional, you'll know that the journey of a musician can sometimes be tough. We can run into challenges that affect not only our performance but also, sometimes, our well-being. Issues such as stress and performance anxiety, and musculoskeletal problems like cramping or nerve disorders, are quite common among musicians. But finding a solution might be easier than you think - through yoga and meditation.
Many of the intrinsic principles of yoga and meditation - deep breathing, postural awareness, concentration and physical stretching - align closely with the disciplines required to play and perform music. If you add to this yoga’s potential to encourage feelings of immersion and ‘flow’ - which are also sought by many musicians - it’s no surprise that yoga and meditation can be used to resolve a range of physical and psychological issues among musical performers.
In fact there is a growing body of research which recommends making yoga and meditation part of your regular practice routine. One example of this is the controlled research trial: ‘Effects of a yoga lifestyle intervention on performance-related characteristics of musicians: A preliminary study’ that was undertaken by Sat Bir S. Khalsa and Stephen Cope in 2006.
The Study
10 experienced musicians participated in an intensive 8 week music retreat, which included regular yoga and meditation sessions. A separate group of musicians took part in the musical retreat only i.e. without attending any of the yoga or meditation sessions - this was the ‘control’ group.
The 10 musicians in the main group put together their own individual yoga and meditation schedules during the retreat - they attended at least 4 yoga or meditation sessions per week initially, and then an average of 3 sessions a week after the retreat’s music program started taking up more time.
All of the participants (including the ‘control’ group) filled in questionnaires at the start of the retreat, and again at the end of the 8 weeks, to evaluate 4 specific elements: performance-related musculoskeletal conditions, performance anxiety, their mood, and and also their musical flow while playing.
The Results
The results of Khalsa and Cope’s study were quite compelling. At the end of the 8 week retreat:
- those musicians who had participated in the regular yoga and meditation sessions reported a significant reduction in performance anxiety, and so greater levels of confidence, particularly during solo performances;
- the yoga and meditation group also reported a greater sense of enjoyment during their performances, which they attributed to an increase in stamina, concentration and overall focus;
- lastly, the yoga/meditation group all scored higher on tests that were designed to measure their musical ‘flow’ - suggesting they achieved a greater degree of immersion in their music.
In terms of musculoskeletal disorders, the study did not produce any significant results. But in their research paper, Khalsa and Cope reiterated yoga's proven potential to alleviate these sorts of physical issues, and also the close relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and performance anxiety; other research has shown that, for many musicians, the two are often closely connected.
To summarise, the research study provided strong evidence that yoga and meditation can provide an effective and holistic solution for musicians, especially for those suffering from performance anxiety.
Conclusion
All of the musicians who took part in Khalsa and Cope’s research trial recommended that others should use yoga and meditation techniques to refine their music practice. So whether you want to reduce performance anxiety, alleviate any postural or other muscular pain you are experiencing, or just improve your stamina and focus when practicing, integrating yoga and meditation into your routine is definitely worth thinking about.
And the changes you make don’t have to be drastic - they just need to work for you. Simply using deep breathing techniques, doing some light shoulder, back, wrist and hand stretches, and meditating for a short while before and after practice sessions, might be very beneficial for you. These techniques probably won’t be a cure-all solution, but they can be helpful tools in balancing your practice routine.
The research by Khalsa and Cope shows that yoga and meditation can facilitate greater levels of immersion in our music, make us more resilient in the face of anxiety and other performance-related challenges, and ultimately help us find satisfaction - and enjoyment - in studying, learning, playing and performing.
(NB: if you are experiencing any physical discomfort during your practice, please do remember to discuss it with your teacher, your doctor, your physiotherapist or another medical professional).
