“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). […]
Yoga
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, […]
The Conductor as Yogi: What Have We Learned
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” Phil Collins There is a pause, if we choose to take it, after a concert season, academic year, major project, or significant life experience. Like savasana at the end of a yoga practice, we take the opportunity to assimilate, to feel the effects of […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Ordinary (Extraordinary) Wisdom
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau I don’t know how often we think of ourselves as “wise.” That word seems reserved for the sages, the super seniors with long beards or gentle voices and twinkling eyes, sharing mic-drop pearls that stop us in our tracks. Yet, […]