Wellness

We are wrapping up this year—and what a year.  It is typical now to look back and to look forward, considering the past and planning for the future.  In our current world, the past is revealing on so many levels and the future is still (always) a question mark.  

When I began this blog in late June, I started with this mission:

In the same way my book The Conductor as Leader applied foundational leadership principles to our conductor-teacher-leader roles, The Conductor as Yogi blog will explore mindfulness, wellness, inspirational writings, and classic yoga philosophy and practice to encourage readers towards greater wholeness in their professional and personal lives.  

The Conductor as Yogi is an authentic, conversational approach to finding one’s personal voice amid a sea of chatter and to letting that voice speak in the practice of life.

As I look back, I believe I have stayed on mission and I thank those of you who have written to tell me how a particular post impacted you in some way.  I tried to write with a real person in mind and to situate the topic in the context of our current musical lives and larger world.  As we go forward into the new year, I will continue to seek a balance between feet on the ground and in the rehearsal room, and heart towards the sky, looking to hope, possibility, new ideas, and joy.  

As we experience this End and this Beginning, I share a Metta (“loving kindness”) meditation, something you can say anytime for you and for your singers and for the wider world.  In yoga classes, sounding “om” (the primordial sound) three times has a unique significance in that the first “om” is focused on you; the second, on the class around you; and the final, on the world at large.  In the same way, a Metta meditation starts with “I” but then expands to “you” and finally, to “all.”  This focused awareness of others—in particular, others who we may have neutral or even negative feelings towards—helps us extend good will in ways we might not normally choose to do.  This is an important step in seeing others as equally human and the only way we can all move forward to something better.

This Metta meditation can be a calming device for us as we go through the day, a kind of prayerful meditation, a mantra during a run, or a grace said before a meal (even one shared via Zoom).  You can substitute the words in ways that speak to you, but the simple form remains.  I suggest (as my very first yoga teacher, Bridgit, always taught us) that you experience these words as though they have already happened.  Then release them, non-grasping, and with assurance.

May I be well.  May I be at peace.  May I experience clarity.  May I know joy.

May you be well.  May you be at peace.  May you experience clarity.  May you know joy.

May all be well.  May all be at peace.  May all experience clarity.  May all know joy.

My very best to you this season.  See you in the new, most promising year ahead!

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.  Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) with training in yoga history, philosophy, meditation, energetics, pranayama (breath work), anatomy, Sanskrit, and the teaching, sequencing, and adaptations of asana (posture-based) practice. Reach her at:  

Check out these resources from Greater Good in Action:  Science-based Practices for a Meaningful Life:

Teaching children to share good will in 5 minutes a day:

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/better_than_sex_and_appropriate_for_kids

Or an expanded Metta script:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/loving_kindness_meditation

Ramona M. Wis

I remember when our daughter would come home from college at the end of each school year and seemingly slept for 2 weeks.  There was this huge release from an “always-on” pace, countless activities and responsibilities, heavy intellectual, artistic, and emotional challenges, and the pressures of proving oneself in an academic and professional environment.  It’s a lot.

But that’s what we are all experiencing now, the result of Life In 2020, Fall Edition, both on and off the podium.  The constant outpouring of teaching, strategizing, creating in new ways, and holding our breath to see if it “takes,” and then, oh, yeah, living life in a bigger way with family, health watching, and all the required tasks of just making it through the day.

We need a break to restock the well.  

I know—we are moving from our professional responsibilities right into our holiday to-do list, different though it will be.  But energy expended is energy expended, regardless of how much we might enjoy our family or believe in the mission of our work.  We need to release the weight of all we have been shouldering, perhaps unknowingly, in order for us to be well in any sense of the word.  

So how do we restock the “well?”

Yoga’s ancient “sister science,” Ayurveda, provides some insight.  Translated as “the knowledge of life” (or the knowledge of longevity), Ayurveda is the “traditional, holistic system of health science from India, which has been practiced for over 5,000 years. Ayurveda seeks to restore the natural balance and state of health to mind, body & soul.” (Ayurveda Wellness Center). Ayurveda has become more integrated into western culture because of its emphasis on prevention and on building wellness from what we ingest, how we assimilate it and release what we don’t need, and how we live the rhythms of our lives.  

A central element in Ayurveda is Ojas (pronounced OH-jus), “a Sanskrit term meaning ‘vigor,’ and it is best understood as essential energy for the body and mind.” (Yogapedia)  Ojas is the result of the process of digestion (of food and experiences); optimum levels are characterized by radiance and clarity, both physically and energetically, and a feeling of lightness while also being grounded and content.  Who wouldn’t want more of that?

So what determines our level of Ojas?  What depletes or increases it and how do we shift our thinking and practices to get more of that radiant energy and well-being, stocking the well for now and for the long term?

 “According to Ayurveda, excessive activity and stress deplete Ojas, which creates free radicals causing damage. Our health is determined by the body’s ability to properly digest not only food but the constant stream of information and stresses that cross our paths each day.”  (Three Seasons Ayurveda)

The skeptic in us says we have no choice in our activity and stress levels; we have jobs, kids, or responsibilities, so “that’s just how it is.”  This unprecedented fall took every bit of our energy—physical, intellectual, and emotional.  But as we restock the well, could we start by mindfully monitoring what we ingest—both food and information—eliminating how much time we spend on social media, scrolling through texts and emails that really can wait?  Can we practice “selective neglect” and stop being on call to the world, living in reactive mode all the time? How might this practice alone lower our stress levels?

When we ingest more wisely, including better food (Ayurveda says “food is medicine and medicine, food”), we find a clarity that may lead us to other positive changes, such as creating a structure or rhythm for our life that suits our needs and unique nature.  We might find that putting our creative work or family task list after we go out for a morning walk addresses both the challenges of mental energy and the motivation to move.  Or that, once we get away from excessive evening screen time, we discover a regular sleep schedule that leaves us feeling more refreshed.  Finding a rhythm requires us to examine our current habits; just because we are typically lesson-planning at midnight doesn’t mean it’s good for us—it just means we have been doing it a while.  Restocking the “well” is a great time to step back and look at habits and decide what needs to go if we are to be the best version of ourselves.

Lauren Gernady, of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, cites ample sleep, nature, yoga and meditation, whole, fresh foods, laughter, and positive relationships (pets, included!) as contributing to our ojas. Given our lives right now, some of these are more do-able than others, but being aware—as in all yogic practices—is the first step toward making it happen.  

As conductors and teachers, we are accustomed to giving all our energies to our singers, only to find ourselves depleted and numb when all is said and done.  Rather than thinking of this cycle as inevitable, or a badge of honor, or “only temporary,” can we compassionately remind ourselves that we are best for others when we come from a place of being whole, healthy, and rested ourselves?  

Let’s make restocking the well our gift to ourselves this season and may we find benefits that continue into the new, more promising year . . . and beyond.

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.  Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) with training in yoga history, philosophy, meditation, energetics, pranayama (breath work), anatomy, Sanskrit, and the teaching, sequencing, and adaptations of asana (posture-based) practice. Reach her at:  

Disclaimer:  This blog post is informational and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological conditions.  Always consult your medical practitioners who know you and your needs and can advise you accordingly. 

References:

https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5328/ojas

https://kripalu.org/resources/what-ojas-and-how-can-i-get-more-it

https://www.threeseasonsayurveda.com/post/got-ojas

Ramona M. Wis

“By contentment, supreme joy is gained”

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra II.42

Writing about gratitude and contentment as we near Thanksgiving is not particularly original.  Yet, this year, it may be more challenging than ever to be grateful or content when so much of our lives has been upended.

At the outset, let me say that I realize some of you reading this post have experienced deep loss and grief during this pandemic era and nothing I write here is meant to gloss over that.  But I hope that something here may speak to you in a healing way—if not for now, then later, when you may have more time and emotional room for your conducting life.  For all of us, this season may be a surprising opportunity to reframe our thinking about gratitude and contentment, both for our work and our broader awareness.

We often use the words gratitude and contentment interchangeably, though at closer look, they are distinct.  Gratitude is a practice that requires us to pause and see that in any situation, we can be grateful for something.  

If your choir is not meeting right now, you can be grateful for the extra time to take better care of yourself, to recalibrate professionally, or focus on your family’s needs.  If you are meeting virtually, you can be grateful for singers who are committing to a different way of “doing choir.”  If 30% of your ensemble dropped out due to Zoom fatigue or doubt, you can be grateful it wasn’t more than that.  

Have you found new ways of operating that will enhance your teaching and leading when we fully return to in-person rehearsals and large audiences?  Maybe some new singers or collaborators have come into your life, people you might not have otherwise met or worked with; and maybe you got to know your singers better because of all the individualized instruction you are doing.  All things to be grateful for.

Gratitude is always available if we pause long enough and seek a different perspective on “what is.”  If we start with small thanks, soon a gentle flow of gratitude is released and our emotional state and our breathing and our sense of “being OK” improve.  Being grateful is being aware of good in the midst of not-good; even in our current world, we can find reasons to be grateful. 

So how does gratitude differ from contentment?

Gratitude is often dependent on what lies outside us, while contentment or Santosha resides deep within.  

Santosha is a Sanskrit word which translates as “completely satisfied or content.”  Gratitude is embedded in our understanding and practice of Santosha, but true contentment requires us to go beyond our circumstances, accomplishments, or material resources (even if they are all good things); to be freed of the opinions of the outer world or the shifting emotions of our inner world.  Gratitude that is qualified (“I am really grateful, but . . .”) leaves us craving or wanting more or feeling somehow incomplete.  So while we can be grateful, we can still be discontent.

Contentment means knowing we are more than our current situation or the sum total of our stuff (even our “mind-stuff”).  Contentment emanates from a clear sense of Dharma or mission, a connection to a higher power, an acceptance that all is impermanent, and an inner awareness that there is an authentic “I” underneath the layers the world has put upon us, but also desperately needs.

Patanjali’s sutra—that by contentment we experience supreme joy—seems like a tall order, especially now.  But as conductor-teacher-leaders, we know moments of contentment, don’t we?  Those human interactions with our singers that trigger a glimpse of compassionate insight. The slow-motion experiences when the music we hear or create, even in those virtual videos, soars past correct rhythms or well-tuned chords to an elsewhere unimagined.  What began as work and then, gratitude becomes, at least for a time, deep contentment.  Needing nothing more than that moment. No craving, no comparing, no judging.  In that moment, we are content, and we know supreme joy.

As we begin this winter season, can we start with gratitude—finding ways to be grateful for something—and let it take us to our inner core where unshakable joy resides.  Let’s remember who we are and recommit (yes, after some needed rest) to our mission and to those we are privileged to lead.  Let’s be open to a higher source that brings us stability and insight and unequaled strength.  And let’s remember the music is still, always, with us.

Then, even for a moment, we can know supreme joy.

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.  Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) with training in yoga history, philosophy, meditation, energetics, pranayama (breath work), anatomy, Sanskrit, and the teaching, sequencing, and adaptations of asana (posture-based) practice. Reach her at:  

Check out this short gratitude meditation:

Ramona M. Wis

We are nearing the end of a year that will forever remain in our minds, our hearts, and our personal narratives.  A year that, when we look back, will be that slowly unfolding “moment” where we dug deep, fought a relentless pandemic, considered serious questions and made important decisions, found new skills and creative energies and insights, and sometimes, celebrated and danced when we saw goodness, large or small.

In the middle of it all, our choral community can continue to be a source of grounding–for our singers, and for us.

Today, I am sharing a meditation that I do with our choirs.  I usually lead this at the beginning of rehearsal to get us settled, focused, and ready for whatever we have planned, but you can also tailor it to be a shorter closing practice for the end of rehearsal.  This is a breath meditation with some attention to the muscles of the jaw and eyes, where we hold a lot of tension but rarely realize it.  In particular, taking time to relax the eyes during a screen-heavy day is most helpful.  And yes, I do this in our virtual rehearsals and it has been an important part of our time together this fall.

You may want to record this meditation for yourself so that you can experience it first and then you will be more comfortable guiding your singers.  This is not a rigid script; I change this every time, but it is a good starting point especially if you have not done this before with your choir.  Use a moderate pace and warm timbre; pause where indicated to give them enough time to tune inward.  Watch singers so you are aware of any adjustments you need to make in real time.  If someone is restless and opens their eyes, smile and nod at them to assure them they can just sit and breathe with eyes open until the meditation is done.  Let them be.  

When you are done, don’t shock the nervous system by rushing on to your agenda.  Smile, have them stand and find good singing posture and ease into your vocal warm-ups, starting with something of moderate tempo, range, and volume, and connect the awareness you just experienced in your mindfulness practice to what you create in your “singing practice.”  Gradually, you can build from there and singers will be ready for the challenges and the opportunities and the joys of the day.

The great gift of yoga is that it teaches us to draw inward so that, with time and practice, we can return to our outward lives with greater equanimity.  To be able to pause, breathe, notice, and let go. 

A Meditation for Singers

Come to the forward edge of your chair (or couch or bench) . . .  wherever you are.  Take a tall seat, allowing your sit bones to anchor you and help you feel grounded, while lifting up through the crown of your head to create lightness and freedom.  Let your feet rest on the floor, and your hands, rest gently on your thighs.

You can either close your eyes, if you are comfortable, or soften your gaze.  Keep your chin level to the floor, but allow your gaze to float downward.

Begin to settle in: to this space . . . this time . . . this body that houses your spirit.  Breathe.

(Pause for a few breaths)

Notice your breathing:  the pace, the quality.  The balance between your inhale and your exhale.

Without judging or fixing, or feeling that it needs to be “right” . . . just become aware of your breath, like an outside observer remarking,  “Isn’t that interesting?”  Then let it go.  

(Pause for a few breaths)

Continue to breathe naturally as you draw your attention to your chin and jaw.  Unclench your teeth and allow gravity to melt your facial muscles into release.

Relax the eyes.  Soften any holding here.  Let your eyes be heavy in their sockets and let your lids be light.

Smooth out the skin of your forehead between the eyebrows. 

Breathe and rest in this moment.  You are grounded and you are light.  You feel spacious and free.

(Pause for several breaths)

Begin to deepen your inhale and pause.  Lengthen your exhale and pause.  Then return to your normal breathing.

(Pause for a few breaths)

On your next inhale, gently flutter open your eyes.

~~~

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.  Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) with training in yoga history, philosophy, meditation, energetics, pranayama (breath work), anatomy, Sanskrit, and the teaching, sequencing, and adaptations of asana (posture-based) practice. Reach her at:  

Check out these meditations on YouTube, designed for musicians and for students:

Intro to Meditation for Musicians  https://youtu.be/A2Il5R9TW7k

5 Senses Meditation for Musicians  https://youtu.be/v0cHm7WnLbo

A Meditation for Managing School Stress  https://youtu.be/TCY7m10sCF0