Recently, I worked with a talented young violinist named Michael who came to our session barely able to lift his arm to play. Nerve pain had been shooting through his shoulder and neck for weeks, yet he'd continued practicing through it until reaching a crisis point.
Michael had recently won a prestigious job in a world-class ensemble and felt tremendous pressure to maintain his practice schedule despite his body's clear warning signals.
“I've practiced the least in my entire life this year to reduce the pain, and I'm still having problems,” he told me anxiously. “What will happen when I'm performing full-time?”
During our session, instead of trying to fix his pain, I asked Michael to simply notice the sensations in his body without judgment.
“It's achiness,” he said.
I encouraged him to stay with that feeling, then guided his attention elsewhere: “What do you notice in your hips?”
“My hips don't feel anything,” he observed.
“That's peace… just be with it for a moment,” I suggested.
This realization—that parts of his body were perfectly at ease even while others were in distress—shifted something profound in his perspective.
This is “the essential step” most musicians skip: developing present-moment awareness of your whole self – free of judgment – as the foundation of all musical practice.
I explained to Michael that practicing an instrument is secondary to practicing awareness of our ‘Primary Instrument'—the mind-body-self. When we skip this step, we create habitual tension patterns that lead to pain and limitation.
When musicians integrate this body-mind awareness into daily practice, transformations occur:
To help Michael, I suggested a radical awareness experiment I call the “5-5-5” experiment: 5 minutes of mindful self-awareness (using touch-free Alexander Technique ), 5 times per day, for 5 days. It’s something like taking antibiotics – you don’t skip a dose for it to work its magic! 
A week later, he reported his pain was reducing and his playing had notably improved when he took time for this mind-body work before lessons.
A Summer Sanctuary for this essential work:
This summer, I'm offering Sanctuary for Strings: Where Practice Meets Purpose Beyond Technique, an intimate 8-week program where professional string players learn to integrate this life-changing awareness through:
🌿 The Art of Freedom® Method – connecting purpose, mind, body, spirit, and artistry so you can bring your whole self to your music and fall in love with your sound again – while making a real difference in the world!
This isn't about practicing more or harder—it's about discovering the essential step that transforms practice from the inside out, making it more effective, sustainable, and fulfilling.
As I told Michael, “You already are a really amazing musician. But you don't believe it because you're skipping this essential step.”
When musicians stop skipping this step, they experience profound changes: chronic pain disappears, performance anxiety transforms into excitement, and they rediscover the joy that first drew them to music.
Sanctuary for Strings has a flexible schedule that runs June 6 – July 31, and is limited to just 12 participants for deep personal attention. Several spots are already filled. Scholarships are available.
If Michael's story resonates with you—if you've been practicing through pain or feeling trapped in patterns that no longer serve you as a professional string player—I invite you to explore whether Sanctuary for Strings might be right for you.
With love and light,
P.S. If you're ready to discover how this essential step can transform your relationship with your music and your whole self, message me about Sanctuary for Strings today. With only a few spots remaining, I'd love to connect with you soon about this life-changing summer journey!
Are you curious to try a more holistic approach to music-making so you can break through to the next level on your artistic journey with ease?