Practicing the saxophone every day is relaxing and rejuvenating, I often feel energized and clear-headed after a practice session. I always start my practice session with focus on breath. Filling the lungs using the Dirga breath (see below) while practicing long tones or the overtone series. I teach this in my saxophone lessons. Deep breathing and especially the study of breath (Pranayama) is a lost art in our busy modern world. Why is this important? Breath is our first nutrient. It is more important than food or water. Normally, breathing is involuntary. Your nervous system regulates your breath so that you can focus on other things. Which means that we often lapse into shallow breathing especially if we have stress in our life. Pranayama is the Sanskrit word that refers to breath work in yoga. "Prana" means "life force" and "yama" means "to control", so pranayama means to control the breath. The Dirga Pranayama, or complete breath, which is the proper way to breathe for playing the saxophone, has three parts;
A book about breath I highly recommend is: The science of Pranayama by Sri Swami Sivananda
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4/2/2024 11:45:35 am
Picking up the saxophone? It's not just about the cool factor (though, let's be honest, that's pretty sweet too). I'm diving into the surprising health benefits, starting with how playing sax can seriously transform your breathing! 🫁 Stay tuned for part 2!
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