It’s a new school year, a new season. We spent time this summer reading, taking coursework, watching videos, or reviewing (a lot of) repertoire as we programmed for our ensembles. We come back to our work renewed, “fresh.” But is this “freshness” our rediscovered self or a duplication of everything and everyone else out there? […]
Yoga
The Conductor as Yogi: Takeaways, then Getaways
For most of us, the performing season or year has ended or will end, soon. With a combination of celebration and relief, we look forward to the change that summer represents. But before getaways, let’s look at the takeaways; let’s tidy up the desk of our minds as we wrap up and make space for […]
The Conductor as Yogi: First Things, First
I am in that slice of time between the end of classes and finals week with its culminating experiences, including honors ceremonies and commencement. This “slice” also includes an out-of-state wedding, my first time on a plane since 2019. My emails are all “now” items, my tasks are many, and as I begin to think […]
The Conductor as Yogi: The To-Be List
“To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment.” Eckhart Tolle It’s concert day. My to-do list has been updated regularly and I check it once, then twice (OK, more than that), to be sure all is in […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Timely Intersections
“The study of asana is not about mastering posture. It’s about using posture to understand and transform yourself.” B.K.S Iyengar A few weeks ago, I received an exciting message in my inbox from Yoga Alliance, the primary professional organization for yoga advocacy, standards, and research. YA regularly tracks legislation or regulations that can have an […]
The Conductor as Yogi: The Subtle Energy of Green
From gray to green. That’s how it is this time of year. The gray that characterizes the early months of the calendar slowly, surely, gives way to green, the color of spring. Writing this on St. Patrick’s Day, I see green everywhere and it instantly brightens my mood, enlivens my thinking, and lifts my energy. […]