Don’t use it, you lose it.

How are you doing my fellow musician? I hope you’re keeping your spirits up. It can be tough these days.

I’ve thrown myself back into yoga and performance wellbeing projects which is something that really helps my mental health. Having something to focus on… In particular, I’ve been doing a lot of research about spine and back pain.

NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL

You see, before the holidays I excitedly announced my upcoming pre-registered series and left enough time in January to carefully research and prepare it. But the more I learn about this topic, the more I realize how complex it is and that there’s no one size fits all solution. I actually had a bit of a meltdown the other day thinking “How am I gonna cram all I’d like into six weeks of classes???” :)

DON’T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT

Luckily, there are certain guiding principles that are helpful for musicians. You probably heard of this one: “Don’t use it, you lose it.” And it’s certainly true of the spine. You see, your body has evolved to move. All of its tissues need stress (in a positive way) to stay healthy. Think about it, even your bones can become denser when you put them through a healthy load.

But now think about the kind of movements you do on a daily basis. My guess is, not much variety in there. You probably sit a lot, walk, bend forward to carry things… But there’s so much more to explore and yoga has some amazing tools in this area.

LESS TALK, MORE PRACTICE

I’ve done a little practice on this topic called “Wake-up Your Spine” in the Wellbeing for Musicians Facebook group. Feel free to check it out.

AN INVITATION

And if you want to join me for a more in-depth practice, I’m offering private sessions! Jump on a free consultation call with me to see if we’re a good fit.