O2 to CO2

I feel anxious just looking at this...

Today I feel compelled to muse on a subject that is of universal appeal, though perhaps not interest: oxygenating blood.  Or, for musicians and pretty much everyone who has a phobia of the circulatory system (don't ask me why): breathing.  Breathing is at the heart (or lungs, rather?) of everything I do on the horn.  It is the foundation of my musicianship, of my expression, of my physicality, and obviously, it's pretty easy.  I mean, everyone breathes a million times every year and hardly thinks about it.  But breathing is this amazingly powerful gift that we all have so I'd like to share my brief thoughts about it.

I've been thinking about breathing in the context of horn-playing for many years now.  I've done it wrong a lot; you can in fact breathe "backwards" as I did for upwards of 5 years of my life, and tension can creep in everywhere if you're not aware of your breathing.  I've also done it right on occasion too, and a good breath is one of the most transformative actions anyone can undertake.  I work at a public high school in NYC with not-so-advanced students who can barely get consistent sounds out of their instruments.  They have played for several years, in some cases, without ever getting a truly good breath of air into their instrument.  Showing a 16-year-old girl with body image issues and low self-esteem the power of her own lungs is, hands down, one of the most rewarding things I have ever achieved as a teacher or musician.  The difference in the sound of their instruments, in their posture, in their self-awareness when they take a truly deep breath is astounding.

In my own daily practice, I've found my breathing to be inconsistent lately.  It's funny how something so basic can be derailed so quickly.  Any kind of mental anxiety, physical tension or laziness, or lack of focus is captured in the quality of my breath.  Conversely, I can overcome almost any kind of technical or musical struggles with relaxed, deep, happy breaths.

Ahhhhhh.

A fringe benefit of my concentrating on breathing lately has been these unexpected periods of almost meditative-like selflessness.  I try to focus on the image of a mill wheel turning constantly and slowly, with my air flowing over it like water.  It's a beautiful, calming image and makes me fearless on the horn, if I can actually get into that zone.  It's no surprise that most mindfulness techniques begin and end on the breath.  Our breathing is our constant companion in our lives, but it's also a window into our state of mind, our power to concentrate, and our capacity for optimism.  So happy breathing, may your blood be rich with oxygen...*shudder.