Mental Health Resources
Hi! How are you doing?
If you came to this page, maybe the following words are a part of your life:
stress, anxiety, exhaustion, distraction, non-stop busy schedule
As a musician, we experience these words often - maybe even daily. My dream for musician life is not to banish these words or feelings, but rather learn how to manage them...maybe even cultivate their powers for good!
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I am not a mental health professional, but I have experienced a wide range of negative emotions that come with being a student, musician, and a human. This page is dedicated to some of my favorite and most recommended mental health strategies. I hope that one (or all) can be a service to your happiness as a musician, student, and human.
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~Rachael
body
Yoga for the Neck, Shoulders, and Upper Back Body
Yoga with Adriene
The YouTube channel, Yoga with Adriene, is a fantastic resource for every level yogi. Her video, "Yoga for the Neck, Shoulders, and Upper Back Body", is one I continue to return to and is something I have shared countless times with students and colleagues. The run time is a non-invasive10 minutes and will benefit you for long after! Click the photo to visit the video.
breath
alternate and single nostril breathing
Recently, I have found an incredible amount of power in breathing. Alternate and single nostril breathing were some of the first strategies introduced to me and continue to serve me daily. Each of these breathing techniques can be used to introduce calm, focus, and energy to your day.
Click the picture to visit an article resource for alternate nostril breathing. This article is linked to individual pages for left and right nostril breathing.
mind
Rise and Shine
Andy Hobson
Mornings are difficult for me, especially when I have a busy day planned - I'm sure you can relate! Meditation has become a regular part of my mornings and Andy Hobson's guided morning mediation is one of my favorites to revisit. His meditation,"Rise and Shine" can be found through an app (Insight Timer). The app has an invaluable amount of resources for meditation and related material, and has offered expansion and variance into my personal practice. This particular guided mediation is only 6 minutes and can be done at any time of day.
If I can offer any advice from my own mediation experience, it would be to try this guided meditation (and others) in the morning. There is something very effective about being mindful and gentle with yourself first thing in the morning. Starting the day with this sort of outlook permeates my whole day positively. Click the photo to try this meditation.
breath
Box breathing
Another super powerful tool from breath-work is Box Breathing. The box breathing strategy asks for equals breaths in, holding, and out. This practice can bring benefits of focus, calm, and concentration.
There are a huge amount of resources available for trying this technique on your own. I have provided a written and audio resource to try. Click either of the links on the right to give it a try.
