Yoga & Meditation

One of the best ways to combat that oh-so-familiar stage-fright for auditions and performances is through yoga and meditation. Once the nerves start assembling themselves in the pit of your stomach, you know it is time to breathe, to sit in silence, to visualize yourself succeeding on stage or in front of your audition judges, and to follow your breath. This will always assist in quieting your mind and calming your nerves.

I spent years and years not doing this. For years I suffered - not performing at my best, screwing up auditions - because of those silly nerves!! My voice would be shaky, I wouldn't sound as good as I had practiced, and I never had figured out a way to deal with this. This past year, I slowly began incorporating meditation before major events such as interviews and auditions. Simple breathing exercises really made a difference in slowing down my heart and quieting those butterflies. A popular one I use is called "Pranayama" - breathe in for 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, exhale 6 seconds, hold 2 seconds. You execute this breathing style in three different positions - 1) hands on hips, palms facing the ground, 2) hands in armpits, palms facing the ground, and 3) hands up and behind you, on your shoulder blades. But really, you can do any sort of breathing exercises, guided meditations, or any other type of relaxation that slows down your breathing and in turn slows down those nerves.

Because our bodies and our minds flow together, a good way to slow to connect these two before meditating is through yoga. Doing any sort of short or long yoga flow of any style is also meditative, and can also put you greatly at ease prior to singing. I recommend a short, comprehensive yoga session (Rodney Yee has some youtube flows you can follow that are excellent), followed by silent meditation. During the meditation, recite affirmations to yourself: "I am talented. I am a great singer. I am confident. I am beautiful. I am an excellent performer," and visualize yourself in the audition or the performance, rocking it out. Then, the law of attraction will go to work for you, as it always does.