Better Live Performance by Connecting With Your Heart Center

Part of the reason why I am so passionate about working with people to help them step out there with tools and confidence is because I am the first one to understand the anxiety that can accompany performing & singing in a live setting. What some of you may not know is that for many years when I first began to play out I was often crippled by fears that would prevent me from performing. So, I studied & learned a lot in the process of overcoming these anxieties.

Here are some tools & yogic insights that I want to share:

1. The audience wants to hear you do your best! At a club or bar the people are there to have fun and to enjoy great music. If you allow them, the audience can be your biggest ally in having a successful performance. Wherever you go, I know there are troublemakers...., but once you begin to open up it becomes easier to ignore those Few critics. Most importantly they are not the ones you want to communicate with. When you open your heart, Focus on your allies! Shifting our mindset allows us to connect with people and to affect them more deeply with our writing and our voice.
2. When you are out there doing your thing, be prepared, be comfortable with your material by being well rehearsed. By not having to think about the next chord or lyric, you can focus more on sharing your voice & music, which enables you to shine brighter. I advocate (from experience!!) being over-rehearsed, especially when you are new to performing. I understand that occasionally we have a night where perhaps the music part is a little rough, (been there!). Even so, this next concept still applies and can even help you with that.
3. Focus on opening your Heart Center - our fourth chakra (chakra means wheel – they are vortexes of energy within our bodies) The heart chakra is located in the middle of the sternum / breast bone. The color is green (or pink). Take a moment and visualize a light there – I usually see a circle of green glowing energy. But know that in the process of visualization, everyone's experience is different. Allow your visualization to be unique to you – there is no wrong answer here!!
4. Next step, Relax your shoulders (you can do some slow shoulder rolls back and front to open them up and to release some of the tension there. Also raise your shoulders to your ears and then drop them down a few times) Roll your shoulders slightly back and gently dropped down. Raise your chest slightly which Opens Your Heart Center. This helps you to share your message with your audience from the center of your emotions. Also, just as important, it helps to open up your voice. When you keep your chest open and slightly lifted, this enables your sound to flow more freely. If your rib cage is collapsed, it hinders both breath and alignment which closes off your instrument and makes projection & creating clear tone more difficult.

Once out there, remember to keep your chest open – practice, remind yourself and it will get easier! Radiate your music & your unique voice from that glow in your heart center. This opens Your voice & allows a true connection with others.