It wasn’t the first time that I heard powerful words while sitting on a yoga mat. Last week, as a prelude to the practice, my yoga teacher read this poem by Martha Postlewaite, called “The Clearing:” Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense […]
The Conductor as Yogi: An Encouragement
As I sat down to write this last CAY blog post of the year, I contemplated various topics but kept coming back to an overriding sense that what we all need right now is Encouragement, capital E. At the root of the word “encourage” is the French “coeur” or heart. Encouragement is a way of […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Nuggets of Gratitude
“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.“ Jon Kabat-Zinn It’s easy to think about gratitude when the calendar tells us to. Thanksgiving Day is a traditional time to celebrate gratitude as we gather with others and eat a large meal (and fall asleep afterwards to the lulling sounds of the big football game). […]
The Conductor as Yogi: (Become) Aware, Adapt, Repeat
“Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.” Thich Nhat Hanh I recently presented a webinar entitled, “Our Voice as Our Superpower: From Sound to Mission” for the yoga and Brain Longevity® Specialist community, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. It was an interesting opportunity to explore the […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Own Your Purpose, (Re-) Define Your Mission
“Actually, you can only expect a fulfilling life if you dedicate yourself to finding out who you are. To finding the ineffable, idiosyncratic seeds of possibility already planted inside. There is some surrender required here.” ~ Stephen Cope When I think about the times in my life when I felt the most engaged and focused […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Seeing Ourselves Whole
“Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together.” B.K.S. Iyengar It’s hard to believe I am starting my fifth year writing this blog. My intention in those early days of the pandemic was to encourage conductors, […]