When your body is in pain, it’s hard to pay attention to anything else. And when you’re trying to make music – or have a conversation with a student – that can be a real problem! 😟

Having worked with hundreds of musicians in pain, I know that distraction and mind-wandering are serious concerns, and it’s really important to know what to do about them if you want to keep enjoying your music-making and teach up to your usual high standards.

What typically happens when you’re injured or suffering from physical discomfort is that part of your body is crying out for your attention. That’s what pain is: your body’s natural alarm system doing what it’s supposed to do: it’s there to alert you to the fact that something’s wrong – there’s a potential threat to your well-being – and you’d better do something about it NOW. 🆘

However, what happens next is the REAL problem.

👉 All too often, when we feel pain, we startle in reaction to it because – deep down – we’re actually afraid of it. Instead of being grateful that our alarm system is functioning well and simply heeding the warning by doing something different from what we usually do (this is actually something very specific that I teach), we fight it, ignore it, freeze up, deny it, push through it, or try to run away from it.

What if, instead of rejecting our pain, we could learn to love it?! Not in the sense of wanting more of it, of course, but in the sense of appreciating this wonderful self-care mechanism which has the sole purpose of taking care of us and helping us heal.

💠 What if we could learn to embrace it, appreciate it, listen to it, and learn from our body’s innate wisdom?

💠 What if we could stop labeling pain and parts of our bodies as bad, unwanted, or negative… and be open to the positive gift we are being directed towards, which is healing, wholeness, and a more loving, inclusive vision of reality?

Hmmm… isn’t that capacity for a bigger vision what you really need in order to make great music and teach well? The ability to expand your awareness to include more, dream big, create fantastic ideas, and paint enormous waves of colorful sound 🌈 that you communicate with your whole mind, body, and spirit?

But when your body hurts, it’s hard to focus on creative dreams and ideals. When you’re in pain, it’s like having a screaming toddler tugging at your pants, crying for your attention while you’re trying to get your work done. Will it ever stop?!? ☔

Well, like most toddlers, when you include it in your awareness with lovingkindness… when you give it a moment of your full-bodied, heartfelt attention… when you listen to it and give it a bit of tenderness and affection, it normally starts to calm down.

But then, once you’ve tended to it and it starts crying again anyway, at some point you just need to reassure it that you’re still there and go back to your work. 🌤️

Don’t “spoil” your pain or train it to need and receive constant attention. After all, you need to be able to pay attention to your work, AND care for all the other toddlers (parts of your body) who are NOT crying… those who are sitting happily in their spots, coloring and creating beautiful artwork all on their own. They deserve at least as much attention as the parts that are complaining, don’t you think?

Are there any neglected parts of yourself? Of course! We’re all guilty of ignoring the quiet, “good” aspects of ourselves. What if you could give every part of your body equal attention, love, and care? How much do you appreciate the miracle of what’s going on in your body behind the scenes, working well all the time? ⭐⭐⭐

The Art of Freedom® Method teaches you the principles and exact process for bringing attention and loving care to your whole self quickly and easily, so you can start feeling better and get back to enjoying your musical work again sooner!

✅ You’ll learn a super-practical way to quickly jumpstart your natural healing mechanisms by realizing your freedom to shift your attention gently back and forth from your pain to what’s already working well, and then make an empowered choice to focus on what you really want.

✅ This process allows you to focus on what’s essential and bring your full concentration back to your creative musical process, instead of being held hostage by your pain.

✅ By waking up your curiosity and opening up to what’s possible, you’ll learn a better way to approach your instrument, practice, perform, and teach, so that your pain feels heard and can quiet down, and you can pay full attention to your student and your music.

Soon, you’ll see your musical skills improve, and you’ll know you’re on your way to healing your whole self and becoming the best musician and teacher you can be.

If your pain is hijacking your activities with constant distraction and mind-wandering, and you want to bring your heart and soul back to your music, you’ll want to learn The Art of Freedom® Method for conscious living and masterful artistry.

I’m starting a new program in July called Tame that Pain Now: Play Smarter and Feel Better in 30 Days. If you’d like more information, just private message me or send an email to Jennifer@ArtofFreedom.me. I’ll ask you a few questions to determine whether you’d be a good fit and send you more details. This program will have limited availability, and there’s a special bonus for early registration, so make sure to message me now. 💌