How Yin Yoga Improves your Musicianship

Every musician knows the feeling of being under pressure. Often a difficult passage is all it takes to hyperventilate and lose your nerve. When you think about it... What happens when a person stops breathing? It is obvious, the muscles and the brain have no more fuel to function. The oxygen available in the blood is used by the muscles, and after a few seconds the body does not respond anymore! Knowing how to control these moments of pressure can be learned, and Yin Yoga is probably one of the simplest and most effective ways to take control of your emotions and your body as a musician.

Yin Yoga and the Breath

In Yin Yoga, breathing is very important; there is a whole branch of it dedicated to the art of breathing. You will find it under the name "Breathwork". Some breathing techniques result in calming the nervous system of the musician. Other techniques allow to improve the oxygen supply in the muscles and in the brain. All this happens through the control of CO2 in the blood. By speeding up or slowing down the breathing, it is possible to dilate or contract the blood vessels, which facilitates the adjustment of the delivery of oxygen to the muscles of the body. Of course these techniques cannot be learned in a few minutes, but you will already have spectacular results in three weeks of daily practice. In doing so, breathing well for music will become second nature.

Yin Yoga and the Nervous System

The considerable advantage of Yin Yoga is its accessibility to everyone. Indeed all the postures (asanas), are accessible to all. However, with Yin Yoga, we are not in poses that you would normally see in magazines, but rather in poses which will challenge the nervous system of your body through stretching for a certain duration. Your body will gradually learn to relax, but also to resist tension. As a bonus, you will strengthen your immune system, improve your endurance, and increase your flexibility.

In just three months of practicing Yin Yoga, you will notice that your progress on the guitar will be dazzling, as if you were passing a huge milestone in one go. You will feel as if you are playing in "slow motion".  You will also find that your posture will be better, and you will be able to play longer without getting too tired as quickly. Yin Yoga works the deep tissues that keep you strong. The only disadvantage of Yin Yoga is that the gains are slow, but if you stop practicing, the loss of acquired abilities is also very slow, so you can enjoy your skills for many months!

If you persevere in learning the guitar, I strongly recommend that you couple your passion with a sport or the practice of Yoga. The cumulative benefits of both disciplines will allow you to play better but also to improve as a person. This is a true bonus!