Exhale, Release, Reset

Revisiting An Earlier Post

Now that I have got your thinking about wellness, here is a great post from April about releasing the tension that tends to build up as we play or focus on any activity for an extended period of time.

Think about it, if you a hyper-focus on a goal, you put all of your energy into that ONE facet of what you are doing.  For example, if you want to even out finger changes, you narrow your attention to notice and fine-tune the changes that take place among the fingers.  As your attention narrows, so does your body. The narrowing tightens muscles, restricts movement, makes fingers work harder. So what are you really doing?

Here is a way to respond as you propel expression and skill development.

Practicing and performing often includes a lot of baggage that we carry from the past.   In my classes, musicians often comment on how they tense up by thinking about practicing or when they see their instrument.  This tension is brought into practice sabotaging efforts to learn.

Today, we are going to integrate resetting the body throughout our practice session.  You can take this into the other aspects of your day too to get to know the feeling.

Before you begin playing, exhale, and invite your body to release. Picture the soft tissue (muscles, fascia, etc) releasing onto the bones of your skeleton. Imagine a piece of fabric draping over your arm, this is helpful imagery. Then deliver instrument or hands and play.

As you play, use this process periodically to release tension that can build up.  Some people like to do this after every measure they play for a portion of their practice time.  You can do this or you can set a timer for 1-3 min and exhale, release and reset at the end of the time.

You can also use the exhale, release, reset if you are playing along, and notice the tension that inhibits your expression. Pause, exhale, release, reset, then continue on.

What do you notice about your sound, articulation, technique, phrasing when you interject exhale release, reset?

Go through this process with curiosity. I am looking for you to experience the release and reset over creating the “perfect” sound.

Be curious…