MINDFULNESS

For Lauretta Violin Studio, the mantra for December is MINDFULNESS. 

Before I dive into this month's blog post, I want to take a moment to discuss common misconceptions of mindfulness. Mindfulness originated 2,500 years ago, and long-term Buddhist meditation practitioners may have mixed feelings regarding mindfulness in today's Western society. 

Mindfulness is NOT - 

1. a calm, empty or quiet mind. Sometimes mindfulness involves "sitting with" intense emotions and experiences.

2. always associated with meditation. One's mind may easily wander during a meditative practice.

3. a passive act. Mindfulness requires the active awareness of thoughts, emotions, sensations, and behaviors.

4. the active awareness of every single moment. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the pioneer of bringing mindfulness into Western medicine, says, "...becoming even a tiny bit more mindful is good. You do not have to be totally mindful at every hour of the day and night. That is merely an ideal."

Mindfulness IS - 

1. Present-focused awareness

2. An accepting and open attitude

3. A non-judging approach

4. Compassion for oneself and others

5. Mindful energy in day-to-day interactions

The month of December often feels busy due to the holidays, and when musicians are gigging every weekend or night (HAPPY GIGMAS), the month feels even more hectic. This month, I'm embracing mindfulness by checking in with my body when I pick up my violin. I've learned that my body often feels stress, anxiety, and deep emotions before my mind catches up, and these experiences often translate into my playing: raised shoulders, tense arms, achy hands, and a tight neck. Therefore, I recently started to do a simple body scan while I warm up on the violin in the mornings -

Body Scan Scale (one note per bow, slow, non-vibrato, three-octave scale starting on 1st finger) - 

When I place down my first finger, I scan my feet and ground myself to the floor. 

With second finger, I scan my knees and keep them spongy.

With third finger, I scan my hips and torso, and maintain energy and connection from head to hips to toes.

Finally, with fourth finger, I scan my shoulders and neck, finding release and letting go of tension. 

*This scan may change depending on what I need that day. Instead of the entire body, I may only scan the upper half of my body: shoulders, neck, arms, and fingers, for example. 

I find that after doing a simple body scan in the morning, I feel more centered, grounded, and able to contact the present moment throughout the day. 

My doctoral research document focused on reinterpreting mindfulness-based therapies and sport psychology practices for musicians. If you are interested in reading it, you can search for it online through the WVU library system, or message me directly on my website. See bibliography for more information. 

I encourage you to find MINDFULNESS during the month of December. Happy Holidays and Happy Gigmas! 

Bibliography: 

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. New York: Hyperion, 2005

Zizzi, Sam J. and Mark B. Anderson. Being Mindful in Sport and Exercise Psychology: Pathways for Practitioners and Students. Morgantown: FIT Publishing, 2017.

Werner, Lauretta M. "Mindfulness for Musicians: Bringing sport psychology and mindfulness-based therapies to the practice room and concert stage." West Virginia University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports, 2019, https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3810.