And Where THAT Leaves Relaxation

This morning I further amplified something I’ve been doing in my practice for many years. And if you are working with one of my courses – and PRACTICING – I’m happy to say that you are doing it too.

And you might not even realize what it is.

But whatever it is, and I’ll get to it eventually, it doesn’t answer the question posed in your inbox today. Specifically, where does ‘timing is everything’ leave relaxation?

It doesn’t leave it. In fact, without relaxation there can be no timing. Not really.

You see, trying to time, or coordinate, the many precision movements the body makes to play without relaxation is about as hit or miss as duck hunting with a blindfold on.

So getting relaxed is something that by all rights should ‘go with the territory’ when it comes to violin playing.

When it comes to ANYTHING you are becoming effective at, in fact.

And what, may I ask, is the greatest single tool God gave us for staying relaxed. Why, the ability to breathe.

When I type and breathe, like right now, it sure feels good.

The only thing is, we – yea, you AND me – often forget what’s good for us. We forget how potent and important this gift of breath truly is.

Some folks are so forgetting, in fact, they won’t Consciously draw air into their lungs for weeks on end. They’re too busy loading up their shoulders with the weight of the world.

Well, if this is you, too, all you’ve got to do right now is chuckle, and then draw a nice, deep sweet breath of air all the way down to your toes. I bet you’re feeling an order of magnitude better.

All the best, Clayton Haslop