The Conductor as Yogi: At Our Core

“You are this vastness. This vista you see, this grandeur, this enduring strength—if you go deeply enough inside yourself, you will find not something small but something immensely spacious.  This is the essence of the human spirit.”
Donna Farhi, Yoga Mind, Body, & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness

The new year or season has begun.  For most of us, this signals a noticeable change in our schedules and habits.  How we spend our time and energy, what we think about –and fret about.  Will we have strong ensembles?  Enough money or support?  And will we have the creative clarity that we need to bring all the pieces together, again?

While there is an organic wisdom to moving with the ebb and flow of seasons, including artistic seasons, what we sense deep down is the desire for a core that does not change.  A stability of purpose and inner awareness of who we are and why we exist, whether in front of an ensemble or in a family or a world.  A release, finally, from juggling multiple “selves” in an attempt to be all, to all, all the time.  A move towards internal unity and a new realization of wholeness.

In a musical score we find a theme from which the entire piece is born.  This theme becomes a thread that winds through the piece, morphing creatively to express nuance in sound and text and energy.  But the theme is a stabilizer, the sign of unity and connection, leading to a sense of wholeness and clarity of purpose.

How about us?  What is our personal “theme” upon which we live our life?

When we take the time to know ourselves at our core, the self which is the same even when the outer circumstances change, we find an inner calm, a sense of direction, and an assurance that goes beyond the season we are in.  Rather than feeling we are starting over every time the context or environment changes, we instead begin to realize that we carry a familiar soul from place to place.  Our unique spirit and sensibility may contribute in distinct ways given the situation, but at our core, we are rooted in a rich centrality that allows us to experience moments of wholeness regardless of circumstances.

So—before we are too far into this new season, let’s take a moment to step back and make a practical commitment to ourselves.

Commit to finding several small “landing points” in your day where you can pause, take a breath, and remember who you are.  That you are more than what you do.  Rather than thinking “I am a choral director” (or parent or community member or board president or . . . ), zoom out and consider that you are a human—with significance—who uses your unique giftedness—for a purpose—to bring yourself and others towards a better place.  The pause creates some space, preventing us from knee-jerk reacting when things don’t go as planned.  The breath and release remind us that we are bigger than any one situation or challenge, on and off the podium.  We see with fresh eyes, less fear.  We learn to develop a state of equanimity—a richer awareness, more balanced nervous system, and a tempered pace that slows us down just enough to lead and live better.

Just as we teach that piece around a central theme, we can live with that same sense of rootedness, of internal unity and purpose.  Pause-Breathe-Release.  Invite your singers to do the same.  Together, acknowledging our human worth and the promise of others, even on days when it’s harder to believe.  And as we come back to our core, we experience a generosity of spirit, encouraging ourselves and others towards whole.

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.