The Power of Knowing Your "Why"
Hello Reader!
What I’m about to write is largely inspired by a conversation I had with oboe/cor anglais player and performers coach Jessica Mogridge as part of her “experiential presentation” about identity inside the Wellbeing for Musicians Facebook group (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you take a look, it’ll be available until the 12th March 2021).
ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS
Jessica is the kind of person who asks good questions. And one of her questions to me and anyone watching that day was “Why do you do what you do?”.
EARLY YEARS
You see, in my case, I started learning music very young. In fact, I learned to read music before I even learned to properly read words! Before I knew it, I was spending most of my afternoons after school at the music school. Chorus, singing, flute, wind orchestra, you name it. It was my world.
And so it happened that when I was about 14 and deciding where to go next after grammar school, my then flute teacher asked whether I’d like to apply for a place at the local conservatory (a specialist music high school). I didn’t even stop to think about it. It was a no brainer.
LOOKING BACK
Years later, I started asking myself, how was it that I stuck with this career? Getting a job as a musician is no piece of cake. Let me tell you, there are lots of kids out there with a flute who want to make it as a professional musician and the thought of giving up crossed my mind more than once.
But here’s the thing, you need a powerful “why” to take you through those difficult times. I wasn’t aware of mine at the time but having been asking myself this question for a while, I finally figured it out. So here it is, my “why” condensed into three parts:
- Love of music
This is the core of my “why”, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going without it.
- Community
Music was a place where I belonged with people I resonated with (no pun intended :) )
- Excellence
Playing the flute was something that made me stand out.
YOUR TURN
Self-study is a crucial part of the larger yoga philosophy so I invite you to think about your “why” as well! And for extra points, feel free to share your thoughts inside the Wellbeing for Musicians Facebook group.
SHORT AND SWEET
Lastly, because I’m not a fan of long blog posts, I’ve decided to break this one into two. Next week - why I teach yoga for musicians.
Have a wonderful day and see you on the mat soon.
Lots of love,
Veronika
Musicians' Yoga with Veronika
Hello Reader! These past few months I’ve been spending a lot more time at my computer than I’m used to. You’d be surprised how much typing, emailing and zoom calls are involved in being a yoga teacher/musician. :) Or maybe not, maybe you're experiencing exactly the same thing during the lockdown. LOCKDOWN SHIFTS Lucky for me, I actually enjoy all the “behind the scenes” stuff as well as teaching. But it means that I’ve traded hours and hours of sitting in rehearsal or a concert holding the...
Happy end of the year celebrations, Reader! Let me tell you something. I have yet to come across a musician that hasn’t at one point or another struggled with some sort of back pain, myself included. It’s actually what led me to start doing yoga in the first place! I know, not a very elevated reason but yoga’s been working wonders for my back. We musicians spend our lives in quite extraordinary postures when it comes to our spine. Couple that with the sedentary nature of today’s lifestyle and...
Hi Reader! I started practicing yoga about 10 years ago and let me tell you, it was a very different story from what I’m about now. I dare say the types of yoga I was drawn to were very much “one size fits all” with lots of discipline and repetitive sequences. Now we all go through different stages in life and there’s certainly a lot to be said about discipline. Many people benefit from what I’ve just decribed. But throughout the years, I’ve really come to be kinder to myself and that’s what...