Playing and Living • Beyond the Notes
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…
Continue reading The Pianist’s Kindness