The Conductor as Yogi:  Self-Study When the Heat is On

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle

You may be peaking for a year-end concert or finalizing details for Easter services.  Or perhaps you just finished that massive collaboration that took months of planning.  Exhausted?  No doubt.  Exhilarated? Hopefully.  Still feeling the heat?  Yup.  Now is the best time for some self-study.

The last thing we tend to do in the midst of our busiest times is to think deeply and reflectively—we are too busy with the final details, managing things and yes, sometimes people, to make it over the finish line of the concert race (that’s how it feels, sometimes, if we are honest).  But now—as we are living in the result of our actions—is the best time to become aware of how it’s all going, especially if we find ourselves repeating unhealthy patterns or dealing with the same musical “emergencies.”

After a concert, major event, or end of the academic year, we are flooded with relief, accompanied by  warm feelings of the people around us and the music we made together.  There is joy and gratitude (the good stuff) mixed with leadership amnesia (the not-good stuff), all of which fades as we head into summer and the new year . . .  and start the cycle over again.  So while we are in the heat of it, this is the time to be real with ourselves, about ourselves, if we are going to grow in ways we most need and that will best serve the people around us.

Self-study is central to our personal growth and, by extension, to our professional success.  Taking the viewpoint of an outside observer watching our actions and our thoughts, can provide a window into our motivations, fears, habits, and wisdom. While we may be more emotionally charged when in the heat of things, it is instructive now to sit with the discomfort of poor planning or to acknowledge the calm that we feel, in spite of the busyness, and discover how we got to either place.  Be honest, not judgmental, with yourself.  Ask key questions and make some notes so when you begin preparing the next cycle, you can take that “observer’s” non-judgmental advice to move forward.

How does life feel right now?  Did we use our time well?  Are singers prepared to enjoy the event with confidence and skill?  Did the repertoire fit our time frame and singers? Are the supporting technical and administrative pieces in place for the event to flow comfortably?  Did I respond to surprises and things out of my control with integrity, and lay the groundwork for a smoother process and better relationships in the future?  What is one thing I can do, right now, to grow myself and this program, even in the smallest way?  Am I being my authentic self as I create, lead, and live?

At a deeper level, self-study as presented in the yoga practice of svādhyāya (svā = self, and ādhyāya” = lesson, reading, or contemplation), invites us to understand ourselves as connected to a larger, universal wisdom.  With your personal reflection as a start, consider following up this summer with readings and resources that instruct and inspire you to take the next step to becoming who you were meant to be; to live the life you may only sense a whisper of now.

Dr. Ramona Wis is the Mimi Rolland Endowed Professor in the Fine Arts, Professor of Music, and Director of Choral Activities at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and the author of The Conductor as Leader:  Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the Podium (and video course through Forward Motion, https://www.fwdmotion.org/sp-ramonawis-conductorasleader).  Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) and a certified Brain Longevity® Specialist, a research-based certification on yoga and integrative medicine for brain health and healthy aging. Reach her at: or ramonawis.com.