Pianodao Wellbeing – Page 4

When you feel ignored

Fermata • The Pianodao Blog
Short Reflections by Andrew Eales

If you have ever felt ignored, passed over, or overlooked, these profound words by the Daoist writer Deng Ming-Dao (from his popular classic 365 Tao Daily Meditations,206 (Harper Collins, 1992) will perhaps resonate with you:

“Help others for all the times that you have been ignored;
Be kind to others, for all the times that you have been scorned.”

These are powerful sentiments, which point towards a wholeness which can be ours if only we respond to life’s disappointments and hurts with wisdom and generosity.

It can seem counterintuitive to be kind when we are scorned, and to help others when we ourselves have been ignored. Shouldn’t we fight back, hold our ground, pursue our own agenda, and put ourselves first?

And yet it is within our nature to have empathy; if we ignore the impulse to do good, we diminish our own humanity. Having been scorned we know what it is to be scorned. Having been ignored we know what it is to be ignored. Surely we will want to spare others such pain.

Deng Ming-Dao isn’t suggesting we be kind to the very same people who have slighted us. We should set clear boundaries, and not leave ourselves vulnerable to the same recurring toxicity and humiliation.

Rather, he highlights our continuing commitment to show kindness in general, and to all who need it, so moving on from self-pity. Our generosity to others should neither be a veiled mechanism for settling scores, nor an excuse for self-promotion.

More Breathing at the Piano

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

In my article about Breathing at the Piano, I shared some tips and simple exercises to help you reconnect with your breathing while playing.

That article was warmly received. I have heard from and worked with many players who found the simple exercises helpful, even revolutionary for their playing. If you’ve not already printed off and tried the FREE exercises, please check them out before going on.

The aim here is to help players easily check in with our breathing when at the piano. To understand the importance of this, please read about “Awareness in Breathing” in my article Qigong and Piano Playing and refer back to my article András Schiff and Natural Breathing for more background.

In this article, I will now build on the foundation of the exercises and ideas previously shared…

The Pianist’s Kindness

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

As I write this, I am in India on a yoga retreat. Each day here begins sat on the floor together, listening to a reflective discourse on the ethics outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the classic text that provides the start point from which all yoga theory subsequently developed.

The first, foundational ethic presented by Patanjali was ahimsa, which can be literally translated no harm, and essentially means be kind. Without kindness, there can be no true yoga. And yet, as our teacher wryly and rather decisively noted:

“There are plenty of people in this world who can touch their toes, but who are still basically arseholes!”

As usual, what is true in one field can equally apply in another, and certainly from my own observations of pianists, both in online forums and the ‘real world’, there are plenty of very fine piano players and teachers who seem to be somewhat lacking in kindness towards others.

So how can we encourage the piano community to be a kinder one? Let’s sit together and reflect on the meaning of ahimsa…

The Pianist’s Overthinking

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

“Leave your thoughts in a place you will not visit, and let yourself return to the natural way.”

Most of the pianists that I have met are easy to describe as “deep thinkers”, and I would argue that an aptitude for analytical thinking is an essential skill for the advanced piano player.

But the jump from analytical thinking to overthinking is a small one. And here’s the problem. In recent years, we have become increasingly aware that overthinking any problem can break rather than solve it, and can often lead us to bizarre conclusions. Overthinking is inextricably linked to anxiety.

If we overthink an upcoming performance, this can undoubtedly contribute to performance anxiety. And in the same way, if we overthink life in general, this can have a significant and debilitating effect on our whole lives.

A growing body of research supports our suspicions that many physical health problems are rooted in the activities of the mind. Overthinking can be associated with anxiety, fear, paranoia and mental instability, all of which can have serious physical as well as social consequences.

The Piano Teacher’s Posture

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

All good piano teachers are concerned to teach and monitor good posture to their students, and as players we are hopefully equally aware of our own posture at the piano.

But how about our posture when we are teaching? This, in my experience, can too easily be overlooked as a less important concern.

I am trying to address my own posture while teaching, so write this article to share my experiences and findings, while also suggesting a few easy tricks that other piano teachers can incorporate into their thinking and practice where helpful.

In this article I will hope to touch upon:

Should we sit less, and if so how?
What about good posture?
What other factors have an impact on our working environment?

How to Warm your Hands

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

In this short video, I will explain and show you how to warm your fingers using an easy, gentle qigong massage technique.

This is a simple practice taking under five minutes, which I regularly teach to students in my studio as well as using myself:

For more information about the background and impact of Qigong practice and its benefits for piano players, see: Qigong and Piano Playing

Qigong and Piano Playing

Qigong practice can lead to improved physical health, mental clarity and emotional well-being. And it can also have a surprising impact on your piano playing…

Exercises & Resources

These easy stretching and breathing exercises, which draw from classic Qigong forms, support healthy piano technique, as well as offering significant general health benefits.

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The Lunar Tao

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

Regular readers may have noticed that I often quote from the contemporary Daoist (Taoist) author Deng Ming-Dao, and as we rapidly approach the Chinese New Year it gives me pleasure to recommend his recent book “The Lunar Tao”, published by Harper-Collins in 2013.

According to the publishers:

“The lunar calendar is a main pillar of Chinese culture, encompassing many stories and festivals. Deng Ming-Dao looks to the lunar calendar and highlights where these festivals and stories coincide with Taoism, giving readers a renewed and original way into this ancient philosophy…
Each day of the lunar year is represented with a reading meditation, original translations, illustrations and illuminating facts about festivals and traditions, providing readers with the context that gives Taoism such depth and resonance.”

The Pianist’s Emotions

Pianodao Wellbeing
Article written by Andrew Eales

Louise Eales has more than 30 years of clinical experience as an advanced mental health practitioner, with specialisms in child and adolescent psychiatry, and neurodiversity. She is also a fully qualified practising acupuncturist. I am grateful for her professional insights, range of specialist advice, and collaboration in the writing of this important article.

Emotions are an essential aspect of our basic humanity. But when they are out of balance they can become problematic, with the potential to leave us feeling shipwrecked and adrift.

This is true for everyone, but for piano players there can sometimes be some additional challenges, and the back-and-forth swing from over-excitement to terrible disappointment can become our daily emotional landscape.