In my eagerness to find a solution, I added to my stress. It was only when it was suggested to me to attend a local yoga class that I felt some hope. During the meditation in the class I was forced to practice patience, and sit with my stress. I had no choice but to accept the situation I was in. Mia Olson explains the relationship between yoga and acceptance in her book “Musician’s Yoga” and I believe this is what promtped my realisation: “There is no competition in yoga. It’s all about discovering, observing, and having compassion for yourself. Go to the point where you feel the stretch and have self-acceptance that this is where you are.” (p.xiii) In my eagerness to improve to match the level of my ‘competition’, I pushed further than my body allowed. During this initial meditation I was encouraged to address my injury with compassion and acceptance. Following this, I knew I wanted to pursue yoga practice and implement it into my injury recovery.
Through this research I hope to implement more ease into my playing whilst bringing awareness of injury prevention into my practice. I also hope to demystify the practice of yoga to the brass community and highlight the importance of listening to our bodies during practice. The brass community is a predominantly male-dominated field, subsequently all my teachers have been male. Upon reflection I have noticed that some aspects of my early teaching has been carried out through a more traditionally masculine lens. Through these values it was taught to me that more means better. More air, more tongue, more power, more effort. This resulted in years of pain and tension emerging in my practice. However, since entering the world of yoga it has encouraged me to take a step back and wonder if I might be able to approach my practice with more efficiency, patience and compassion.
During my undergraduate studies I suffered a persisting pain in my abdomen as a result of overuse and incorrect technique. It developed towards the end of my fourth year as I was approaching my final recital. As the pain grew and spread to my throat it soon began affecting my life outside the practice room, so I sought the advice of a medical professional. The doctor had multiple theories: overactive mucus gland (for which I was prescribed a nasal spray), acid reflux (prescribed Gaviscon), and even Celiac Disease. Lastly they mentioned stress, this was something I knew I could begin to manage on my own, so I began exploring. As I was nearing my recital I was keen to find a solution. I took lessons with an Alexander Technique teacher, had hot baths every night, took up running and practised various breathing exercises.