In part one of this series we learned about the origins of performance anxiety and what the yogic perspective is on that state of mind. We now know the roll the brain plays in putting us into the fight or flight stress mode and how if we stay there too long we will wire our brains to worry. In this post we'll look at specific yogic practices and how, when in engaged in on a regular basis, they can help alleviate nerves felt around performing.
Yoga teaches us to practice awareness of our
body, our breath and our mind. When we become mindful of these elements in our
yoga practice, we can be mindful off the mat as well and apply them to our
practice and performance. I define mindfulness as the act of maintaining
a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.
It also involves acceptance, meaning we pay attention to our thoughts and
feelings without judging them. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune
into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or
imagining the future. Yoga also encourages us to connect; with ourselves, our audience and our fellow performers. If you are a spiritual person you can also work to build a connection to God or the greater Universe. Remember that we all fundamentally want the same things in life and very likely we are more alike than we are different. It can also be useful to remind yourself that people attend concerts to see you succeed, no one goes to watch you fail!
The first step in dealing with performance anxiety is becoming aware of it. Perhaps you've known for a while that you get nervous when you have to perform but you've never sat down and really looked at when those nerves hit or where you feel them in your body when they are happening. If you have a performance coming up commit to being mindful in that experience. Just observe yourself without judgement. Try saying to yourself 'how interesting I'm _____' (fill in the blank with whatever you notice yourself doing or feeling around that event). (N.B. This is a practice you can use anywhere - in teaching, working etc. I use it frequently when I get frustrated with my children as a way of becoming more mindful of what sets me off and how I can spend less time annoyed with them!)
This is a step that may come easily to you or it may take you a while. I believe we can not effect change until we fully understand the behavior we are engaging in. Become friends with yourself and really delve into what is going on. You may find it helpful to document the feelings in writing and keep a journal.
Assuming you master this phase and you know what is going on and what triggers you have, you can engage in breathing, meditation and physical practices to help modify your stress reaction.
Breathing: It might seem sort of strange to tell a singer they need to pay attention to their breath as it is easy to presume you already know more about the breath than the average person, but I would challenge that there is still more everyone can learn and the way yoga encourages you to look at your breathing is very different than how a voice teacher might teach breathing. Often
there is an emphasis in singing lessons on inhaling, or the intake, of breath. How
we exhale is equally as important!
Breath
Awareness/Ratio: Lie on your back in constructive
rest (knees bent, feet flat on the floor). Rest your hands half on your belly and half on your ribcage. Allow
your eyes to fall closed. Breathe through your nose and notice the motion in
your belly and ribcage as you inhale and exhale. After a few rounds, begin to
count the length of your inhale. Keep your pace of counting consistent. After a
few rounds, count the length of your exhale, again keeping the pace o f your
count consistent. What is your ratio? Are your inhale and exhale equal or is
one longer than the other. What we want to avoid (both in life and in singing)
is an inhale that is longer than the exhale. To promote relaxation, we want an
exhale that is longer than the inhale. You can also add a sigh to the exhale as
a way of promoting relaxation.
Complete Yoga Breath –Dirgha Breath
The complete yoga breath is a
foundational breath practice. Mastering it means you have developed an
awareness and freedom of your breathing which will enable other breath
practices and also your singing! Begin by practicing it on your back and then
try it in a sitting position. Lie on your back in constructive rest, or, if you’ve
mastered the breath lying down, sit in a comfortable cross-legged position (sukasana). Place your hands on your belly. Breathe in
and feel the belly rise on inhale and fall on exhale. Do this for a few cycles.
Then, move your hands to your ribcage. Inhale and feel the belly expand and
then feel the breath cause the ribcage to expand on inhale and retreat on
exhale. Do this for a few cycles. The third part is to feel the breath move
into the area under the collarbones. Breathe in, feel the belly and ribs fill and then a
slight rise of the collarbones as breath enters the upper lung tissue. This
final step is subtle and small. Be sure not to confuse this with the optimal breath
for singing – this is about finding freedom in the muscles involved with
inhalation in exhalation such that your diaphragm can descend enough to allow
for a deep inhalation and your ribs expand to accommodate your filling lungs. If you feel light headed while doing this, back off
from the practice and lie with your legs up the wall or on a chair for a few
minutes while breathing normally.
Asana Practice:
Specific
poses are also beneficial for reducing anxiety. While regular asana practice will help
you long term, you can also identify what your energy levels are like the day
of a performance and tailor your practice. If you are low energy, you can do a
practice that will raise your energy to help you. If you have a lot of nervous
energy and practice that burns some of that off to help you focus will be
beneficial. When you engage in your asana practice, try to use the complete yoga breath as your guide. When your breathing strays from being easily full, you are working too hard in a pose and should back off.
Poses
that help alleviate anxiety by helping to calm the mind and open the heart
center include:
Meditation: Meditation
is another useful tool for singers to alleviate anxiety. By training the mind to be present, we can
be more open to our performances. To sing our truth we need to be sure that our
hearts and our heads are in agreement. This meditation is meant to unite the
two so you have a calm mind, connected breath and can sing from your heart.
Meditation can cause emotions to arise, so don’t try to hold things back, just
let go and experience whatever comes your way. This meditation is a great place
to start to begin to build an awareness of how busy your mind can be.
Counting Meditation –
Sit in a comfortable
cross-legged position, or sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
Allow your eyes to fall closed so your attention turns inward. Take a few
breaths to settle in. Begin counting silently in your head:
1 on inhale. 1 on exhale
2 on inhale. 2 on exhale
3 on inhale. 3 on
exhale….continue up to 10
*When you are counting, your
thinking mind is apt to engage. When you notice that you are thinking, start
back at 1 on inhale and go again towards 10.
* If you make it to 10, start
back at 1 and go through the steps again.
*Remember that the goal isn’t
to get to 10, the goal is to become aware of your thoughts.
* If you become comfortable with this meditation, you can move away from counting and instead choose a phrase, a mantra to repeat silently on inhale and exhale - perhaps you need more focus, or patience or persistance. Use whatever word or set of words speaks to you.
Begin with a short, 5 minute
practice and add minutes on as you feel ready. Setting a timer can be very
helpful and can keep you from watching the clock when you are supposed to be
meditating!
Visualization Meditation –
Nearly every performer gets
nervous before going on stage. As performers we want to turn this nervous
energy into positive energy that propels our performance to be even better. One
way to do this is to practice visualization. In yogic thought, anxiety stems
from a sense of being disconnected and having a limited vision of ourselves. If
you create a ‘me vs. them’ situation with your audience, you are disconnected
from them. But, if you can believe that you are all a part of the same world,
want the same things and they are there to receive the gifts you offer through
your singing, you build a sense of connection.
If you have a concert coming
up, I recommend starting two weeks before the date of performance (if you are someone with a very high level of anxiety, add more time, perhaps start four weeks in advance). Set aside
time every day to visualize going through the concert flawlessly.
Find a comfortable seated
position – can be in a chair, on the floor or the couch.
Orient your mind towards your
performance and take 3 breaths to center yourself.
Envision yourself backstage
where you will perform – be specific about what you will wear, who is there
with you etc.
Imagine yourself walking on
stage to stand wherever you will begin your performance. You fill the room with
your presence, knowing the audience has come to see you succeed. Through your
singing, you will connect with them, sharing your artistry.
Imagine yourself taking
whatever position you will take and bowing your head to prepare to perform.
Pick your head up and imagine yourself singing through your program flawlessly.
This has ended up being a long post, but I hope you've made it this far!
Once you try some of these practices on the mat, there are some off the mat exercises you can do too.
1. Think of three times during your day that you can be mindful. When you reach those moments in your day, stop and observe your thoughts and what you are feeling.
2. When you listen to someone else perform, think first of three things you liked about their performance.
3. When you practice, focus on only one element at a time - rhythm, text, sound quality etc.
4. Try re-framing an experience you perceive as negative to cast it in a positive light.
5. Build time into your day to do nothing - turn the tv off, put away your smart phone and just sit in silence.
Good luck! If you would like to have some help talking through the elements of performance that cause you anxiety and develop a strategy for how to shift your anxiety into positive energy to propel your performance, please contact me.
