3 Reasons Why Pro Musicians Should Practice Yoga!

Here's a special message on yoga from Tony Horton, creator of P90X.



Whether you blow a brass or woodwind instrument, play electric guitar for Toto or play cowbell for Blue Oyster Cult, your body, mind and spirit could benefit greatly from the regular practice of yoga. As we all know, travel is rough on the body and causes stress, especially in the lower back and lower extremities if traveling for extremely long distances. Add the mode of which transporation is being used and the pain can get a little better or a little worse. Here are three reasons to add yoga once a week to your routine.

1. Yoga shortens recovery time.
Go ahead and run your scales for F# melodic minor, or trade eights with your bass player in the saddest of all keys, D minor! But until you make sure you save 30 to 45 minutes to put Yoga into your weekly routine, you are going to discover that the wall of fatigue you see in the side view mirrors is closer than it appears.

2. Yoga promotes endurance.
Does this mean that guitar players that practice yoga regularly will be able to play extended solos in their nightly sets like Alex Lifeson or endure an amazing drum solo like Neal Peart? Yes, that is what I mean. You won't be a virtuoso like those two awesome players without some practice on your instruments...ok, maybe lots of practice on your instruments. But the ability to last longer while in the act of performing live is a definite advantage to be had. Many triathletes use yoga to boost their endurance or longevity.

3. Yoga prevents injury.
I hear stories all the time about musicians who have given up their love of playing an instrument because of injury. Joe Satriani ices his hands down for 20 minutes before hitting the stage because of past injuries when he was younger. The principle is simple. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. Tony Horton, the creator of P90X says, "Yoga is the fountain of youth." We all want to play and enjoy our instruments for as long as we can. It's hard to do what we've been called to do if we have injuries, especially if we play for a living.

There you have it. 3 reasons why professional musicians should practice yoga. Do you have questions? Maybe you need a Yoga exercise routine that is right for you. I recommend "The Fountain of Youth" in Tony Horton's One on One series, or his newest one, "Patience Hummingbird" from the same series. You can get all the information and buy those yoga workouts by logging on to this link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/fit2praise Namaste!

Preview the "Patience Hummingbird" workout: