Your eyes may narrow and your jaw may begin to grip without your even realizing it.

Are you holding your breath?

Now compare that with standing at the edge of the ocean, or overlooking a mountain valley.

Without trying to relax, your gaze widens. Your breathing changes. Your face softens. Something in you becomes more available to the world around you. 🌿

I've been thinking a lot lately about the relationship between attention and music-making.

Many musicians assume they're playing with their hands. In reality, they're playing with their attention.

The moment your attention narrows exclusively to the notes, straining to see the music, concentrating on what your fingers are doing… worrying about whether you're getting it right… your whole self begins to organize around that experience.

Your body reflects the quality of your attention.

What if the opposite were also true?

What if, instead of trying to “get” all the notes, you allowed yourself to receive the experience?

To take in the sound.
To include the space around you.
To remain aware of your own breathing, your balance, and the room you're playing in.

I've found that some of the most compelling performers aren't necessarily concentrating harder than everyone else.

They're present differently.

Their attention has a spaciousness to it that allows both freedom and precision to coexist. They're awake, relaxed, and at home in themselves—and that changes everything. ✨

The next time you practice, notice your face before you play the first note. Without trying to change your expression, invite yourself to get curious.

Take in your surroundings with a childlike sense of awe and wonder.

Now, include the awareness of your fingers, the music, your audience…

Then simply notice what happens when you begin to play. ✨

Love & Light,
Jennifer 🙂