Sincere Gratitude has the power to transform our entire being and our attitude towards performance…
… from a dreadful ordeal to a life-affirming celebration.
To that end, let’s do a simple guided meditation…
Transcript of the above…
- Go to the piano… and sit as you normally would.
- Close your eyes… and take three deep breathes… all the way into your belly… slowly in through your nose… and slowly out through your pursed lips.
- With your eyes still closed… reach out with your hands and touch the keys… and realize what a privilege it is to have access to the remarkable instrument in front of you.
- With your eyes still closed… think about the music you love to play… and realize what a privilege it is to have access to such a rich inheritance.
- With your eyes still closed… realize what a privilege it is to have the time and freedom to make music part of your life.
- With your eyes still closed… realize what a privilege it is to have two working arms… and two working hands… and ten working fingers.
- Realize what a privilege it is to have… two good ears to hear… and two good eyes to see.
- With your eyes still closed, realize what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to share your love of music with others!
- Finally, drop your shoulders and breathe deeply… feel your whole body relax… and allow an easy smile to come to your face.
- Now we are ready to begin our work.
And so, let’s aspire to make this a routine practice every time we sit down to study-practice or perform… until such appreciation becomes so automatic that it permeates who we are as human beings.
In doing so, we will discover that profound gratitude is a master attitude of sorts… with the power to transform fear and self-consciousness into joy… not just in the world of music-making, but in life in general.