21/05/2015
BENEFITS OF YOGA by DiDonato, Dessay, Hampson, Sting, Measha and Madonna!
I am beginner in yoga practice but what I can say about benefits of yoga after 16 days of making it every day, that this physical & mental practice overgrowth my expectations!
Yoga has a HUGE IMPACT on my body and mind.
- It relaxes me,
- builds my strength
- perfects my posture
- makes me happier
- releases tension from my whole body!!
After practicing yoga, my voice sounds better and all muscles around my voice box are relaxed.
Today you can read about amazing benefits of yoga for your singing and not only! Also you can find parts of interview about yoga practice with international stars like Joyce DiDonato, Thomas Hampson, Natalie Dessay, Measha Brueggergosman, Sting and Madonna.
THEY ARE ALL ADVANCED YOGINS!!!
"I don't want them to be thinking, 'Wow, listen to that breath control!' I want them to just let me disappear into the characters. While I was in San Francisco, I was staying in Hayes Valley and went everyday to Yoga Tree -- a great yoga studio just around the block from where I was staying. Yoga is the biggest help to me. When I'm in one of those endless phrases and think 'Oh-my-Lord, I'm not gonna make it' -- it's my ability to relax. Once tension starts coming in, the breath has to work a lot harder to be efficient. The more relaxed you can be and not panic, the more efficient the breath will be. I think yoga builds strength, flexibility, and calming of the mind -- which is never a bad thing. And during a concert, when I'm in a pose for a long time, I have the ability to relax into it and let it be. My whole approach is holistic health. I've learned that you don't need a lot in life. If it can't fit into a suitcase, you don't really need it." ( Joyce DiDonato)
'' I do find that yoga is a GREAT resource for me. I know that once the overture STARTS, the adrenalin will be there. Personally (and each singer is different), I sometimes need to dial down the adrenalin, because that can be just as dangerous as nerves - you can have too much excitement, and then the voice starts flying off the charts. But yoga is a very calming, invigorating and challenging thing that I can do anywhere, and I find that it has been a great thing for my mental and physical health. (Although I don't recommend starting out in yoga in a foreign country - my first classes were in Paris, and boy, was that a challenge!)''
(Joyce DiDonato)
'' If you ask me if there’s one absolute thing that has to be done on any day of any performance, it is certainly work out, it is certainly exercise. If I’m in a hotel that doesn’t have an exercise room, then I’ll have a nice jog and a stretch. I stretch every day of my life, otherwise I’d turn into a pretzel. I always have some kind of yoga discipline in my life, which is absolutely part and parcel. My voice is completely hooked up with the rest of my body. So I gotta be awake in my body before I can be awake in my voice. Again, it’s a balance question. The sine qua non is certainly exercise, getting the day started and having a good and proper lunch, and eating earlier in the day." (Thomas Hampson)
“I think yoga helped me a lot for that also, because when you do yoga, for one hour and a half you only concentrate on your body and the physical feelings and sensations. And that’s exactly the same as with opera.” (Natalie Dessay)
“For once in my life it’s not something that you have to achieve, the failure or the succeed is not what counts. The travel is what counts and I was not used to that. I was used to getting results, to be good at once, to be able to do it right away. With yoga you have to be patient, you have to be strict with yourself but also kind with yourself. And that’s very new to me.” (Natalie Dessay)
"I took my first Bikram class in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the fall of 2005 and swore I'd never go back. I was wearing sweatpants, I had a polystyrene cup of water and a face cloth - it was a total disaster. It took me a year to go back. When I was trying to decide what to do after heart surgery as a form of exercise, I thought 'What's the hardest thing I've ever done?' And after my second class, I knew I WANTED to be a teacher."
(Measha Brueggergosman)
"I try and do between 60 and 90 minutes of yoga a day—preferably before breakfast, but sometimes it’s later in the day if I’m on tour. What struck me at first was that I didn’t think I’d like it. When I was younger, I preferred more aggressive exercise, SUCH as running, and didn’t fancy the idea of sitting on the floor contemplating my navel, as I rather naively considered it at the time. Of course, I was totally wrong. Ashtanga Yoga REQUIRES a great deal of physical and mental effort, and it wasn’t long before I became hooked." (Sting)
" How has your practice inspired your creative life?
Sting: It composes my mind; it gives me more energy, and, as a consequence, I find I am more productive. As a singer, I also think some aspects of yoga, SUCH as breathing properly and eating well, are key to maintaining a healthy voice. So, yes, yoga is an important part of my creative LIFE. I’m sure my lung capacity has also increased—I can certainly hold notes longer than I used to be able to. For me, yoga has become more than just exercise: It’s about control, discipline, and emotion, and those are useful tools for any songwriter." (Sting)
"Yoga has enriched my life by allowing me to improve physically, which is very inspiring, especially as you get older. I tour an awful lot, and being on the road is not always easy. Yoga is a great way to offset the downsides of TOURING by bringing much-needed peace and sanity into what can be a hectic life. Like music, yoga is a journey, one that is long enough so you keep developing, and keep learning. I don’t see an end to it. " (Sting)
“Yoga is a metaphor for LIFE. You have to take it really slowly. You can’t rush. You can’t skip to the next position. You find yourself in very humiliating situations, but you can’t judge yourself. You just have to breathe, and let go. It is a workout for your mind, your body and your soul.” (Madonna)
I hope that post inspired you to starty with yoga practice!
Don't wait and start it today!!
In next post I will write to how to start it!!
ENJOY!:)
Sting: http://www.yogajournal.com/article/lifestyle/asana-meditation-and-rock-n-roll/
Measha: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/power-crunch-why-this-soprano-likes-her-yoga-hot/article1214728/
38 health benefits of yoga: http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/count-yoga-38-ways-yoga-keeps-fit/
