Abstract
The workshop is part of the International Doctoral Conference on the Theory and Practice of Music Education VIII and follows the conference paper "What can yoga bring to piano students and other instrumentalists".
How simple yoga techniques can be used in teaching a musical instrument, in practicing the instrument itself, or in preparation for public performance. Connecting movement with breath and active awareness at the instrument are the main principles of yoga for musicians. The method, which originated from a personal experience of physical difficulties during piano studies, gradually developed through the study of piano pedagogy, my own yoga practice, and completing yoga teacher training in India and Prague, and finally resulted in a doctoral study and research into the effects of yoga on musicians with the aim of finding a long-term solution and functional prevention of musicians' health problems.
This hands-on workshop offers the opportunity to try on your own body a sample of the yoga methodology for musicians, which the author of the workshop will present in part in her conference paper. In the workshop, enriched with the knowledge from her doctoral internship abroad, she will guide the participants through basic breathing techniques, a simple sequence of exercises that can be used to prepare the body before playing an instrument. It will introduce ways to effectively relax the body, mind and stretch exposed parts of the musician's body with special attention to the hands.
Her personal vision is to offer yoga as an effective tool to improve the physical and mental health of musicians. In her workshops for music students and their teachers, the author combines her piano performance and teaching practice with yoga techniques. All are welcome regardless of musical instrument, physical ability, or previous yoga experience.