I’m a deep processor by nature. I think through most tasks and plans in a detailed way, use my foresight to the best of my ability and yes, sometimes take a long time making even a simple decision (please, no 8-page restaurant menus for me). Deep processing, I have read, is a sign of intelligence (I’ll […]
Leadership
The Conductor as Yogi: “The Only”
“And the mind becomes fit for concentration.” Patanjali, on dharana Admit it—you’re distracted. You might call it “busy,” “multi-tasking,” “overwhelmed,” or “the norm for this time of the year.” But do you struggle to stay with one thing at a time without checking messages, doing a chore, letting the dog out, ordering a holiday gift or a coffee-to-go, […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Lead with Ahimsa
“Structural flaws can cause harm to individuals; conversely, conceptually sound and ably administered institutions can build people and enrich society. All too often we seem to disregard this important influence that institutions can have on people.” Robert K. Greenleaf How do we frame our work? As conductors, we have an overarching belief system that guides […]
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. […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Making Sense One Note at a Time
“The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another … and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.” Leonard Bernstein One note following another. The linear, technical, […]
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 […]