The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 091 Priming Power with Dr. Renée-Paule Gauthier

Episode Date: February 19, 2021

In this second episode of my series on building an amazing practice routine I share my favorite tips about a powerful ritual that can transform the results you get in the practice room: PRIMING. When we're priming, we prepare the body and mind to be fully engaged and productive. By setting up a priming ritual before a practice session, you can significantly affect your level of presence and focus.  The pay off?  Get more results during your practice. A total game changer! (I also squeeze in a little gift at the end: my priming guided visualization exercise!) Enjoy!   DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE GUIDED VISUALIZATION HERE   Frustrated with your playing?  Unsatisfied with you career?  Ready for a change? Whatever your challenge, you don't have to go at it alone, and I can help.    THE MUSIC MASTERY EXPERIENCE will be back in June 2021 This is my LIFE CHANGING, highly personalized group coaching program where I show you how to implement mindful & effective practice techniques, how to make them habits, and get RESULTS! The Music Mastery Experience gives you all the tools you need to elevate your performance Save your spot at http://www.mindoverfinger.com/mme and get access to all the early bird bonuses   Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe for access to my weekly live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians!   THANK YOU: A HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly, who works really hard to make this podcast as pleasant to listen to as possible for you! Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Thank you to Susan Blackwell for the introduction!  You can find out more about Susan, her fantastic podcast The Spark File, and her work helping creatives of all backgrounds expand their impact by visiting https://www.susanblackwell.com/home.   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/    

You're listening to the Mind Over Finger Podcast, episode number 91. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger Podcast, discussions on mindful music making, efficient practice, and building a purposeful career. And now, your host, violinist, teacher, and high-performance coach, Dr. Renée Paul Gaultier. Hi, everyone. I hope this episode finds you doing amazingly well. As you might know by now, if you've been listening to the podcast, this winter, I'm bringing you a series of four episodes all about building your amazing practice every third Friday of the month. In this series, I'm covering many of the components that I think are beneficial for a productive practice session.

I'll be talking about planning and scheduling, priming for an efficient practice, building an effective warm-up regimen, and finally, I'll take you through my favorite practice session breakdown. Today is all about priming. But what is priming? By definition, to prime is to make something ready for use or action. In psychology, priming refers to, and I quote, the implicit memory effect in which exposure to a stimulus influences responses to a later stimulus. Or, in other words, being exposed to one thing can influence how we're going to behave and think later. So for me, priming is a powerful ritual because by setting my space and body, my goals, and my intentionality, I send a signal to my conscious and subconscious mind that some good work is about to get done. This helps me awaken my awareness and prepare for efficient practice.

We want to make sure that we're in alignment before we take action. When we take the time to do that, even if it's just for a few seconds, we narrow our focus, we maximize our time, and we boost our intellectual and creative abilities. So by setting up a priming ritual before a practice session, you can significantly affect your level of concentration and consequently get more results during your practice. When we're priming, we're preparing the body and mind to consciously and productively respond to the stimuli ahead. You want to choose an appropriate location for your practice, check that you're feeling physically ready, have clear intentions, and form clear goals, and you want to take the

time to establish an open and productive mindset. Those steps are going to help both your mind and your body reach a higher plane of efficiency and understanding. Like meditating and practicing, priming is a highly personal matter, and it's going to be important for you to take some time to experiment and find the routine that suits you best. There's a specific order in which I like to do things, but I don't think there's a specific order in which they should be done necessarily. Go with whatever fits your life, your personality, and your needs. So here we go. First, let's talk about setting the space. Setting the space is both a physical act, getting settled in a functional workspace, and a mental act, mentally getting settled in the practice room. To maximize your

focus and your clarity of thoughts when you practice, it's preferable to select a workspace that's going to support your ability to concentrate and make it easier for you to stay on target. If possible, find a space that's comfortable and where you like being. If you have the ability to practice from home, I think it's best if you have a permanent practice spot that gives you everything you need and where you feel happy. Make sure that you have all the supplies you need nearby, stand, parts and scores, tuner, metronome, pencil, a recording device, a mirror, your notebook, a glass of water or a cup of coffee, anything you need. Also make sure to turn off all electronic devices, TV, phone notifications, computer, etc. because any interruption causes a tension residue

and will greatly disrupt the flow of your work. And you shouldn't just turn off the distractions you can control, like the ones I just mentioned, but you need to tune out those you cannot control. Ambient noise, room temperature, outside interruptions, all of those. This is particularly important if you don't have access to the ideal physical setup. Often we need to practice in a dingy space at school or a less in private location at work, or we might be at home but there might be a lot of activity in the house. Whatever the context, you need to mentally seal of the workspace and not be afraid to protect it against distractions, or as I like to call them at times, invaders. You accept undesirable noises, uncomfortable temperatures, or bad lighting as the

reality you must deal with. And those are actually great adversity training elements that you can use as part of performance preparation. Interruptions will happen, and when they do, it's important for you to stay in a positive mental state. Consciously accept the circumstances as they are and gently turn your attention back to your work. We notice what's happening, we deal with it in the best way possible, we take a deep breath, we smile, reset our intention, and we go back to our task. It's not going to be helpful to get frustrated by distractions because frustration will negatively affect your mindset and, as a result, the quality of your work. You want to get into the habit of mindfully accepting what is and not letting yourself getting irritated over elements that

are out of your control. For example, if someone comes in your space, find a way to gently make it clear that you're working and that you're not available at the moment. Get back to your centered mental space and back to work. When you do that, you positively strengthen your ability to refocus quickly on the task at hand and to zone out disruptions in the future. Now, let's talk about setting the body. In the next episode of this series, I'll talk about the importance of a sound warm-up regimen. But what I'm talking about here is simply anything that can help you feel physically comfortable and fit for practice. When I have a lot of time, I love to do a yoga session before I practice. That can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. When I don't have the luxury of going

for an hour, even just some gentle movements for five minutes will make a big difference on how I feel on my instrument. So think about it a little bit. What could help you feel physically fit for practice? Would it be some gentle stretches, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, maybe some Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais exercises, or maybe it's walking your dog around the neighborhood for a little bit. It doesn't really matter what it is as long as it works for you. Let's talk about setting the mind now. We want to get our brains ready for action by taking a few minutes to get centered and connected with ourselves. This is a really important step because mentally committing to remaining fully present and positive during the practice session will powerfully impact how it unfolds.

You can do breathing exercises, sitting meditation, visualization, or centering exercises. All of those can help regulate your heart rate, relax your muscles, and align your mind and your thoughts in preparation for the physical and mental efforts ahead. Now, you're going to be tempted to skip this step. I know it. But I beg you, don't. You might feel like you don't have the time, but I'm telling you, you cannot afford to skip that step. It will save you time and maximize your work. I've prepared a short guided visualization exercise for you at the end of this episode. I like to do something similar to this at the beginning of my practice session. So I hope you try it and that you find it helpful.

but even if you're in the worst crunch possible, please, please, please take a little time to breathe and get centered before practicing, even if it's just for 30 seconds. Now, there's a quote by Tony Robbins that I really like when it comes to talking about setting goals. Here's what he said. Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. As any life coach or a time management expert would say, we need to know where we want to go or we go nowhere. So mindfully planning your practice will set you up for success. By assessing how much time is available and what needs to be done,

you're going to channel your energy and your efforts in the right direction and this will enhance your productivity by creating mental and physical awareness of your thoughts and actions. If you've listened to my previous solo episodes, episode 86 gear of 2021 or episode 73 performance reboot you know that i recommend reverse engineering and writing down clear long-term plans broken down into well-defined smaller steps the practice session itself should be separated in different sections as well covering different aspects of practicing and performance preparation the famous violin pedagogue ivan galamian recommends

an intelligently balanced division of practice hours divided between building time, so time devoted to overcoming technical problems, technique work, learning music, bringing it to tempo, all of those things, interpreting time, or in other words, time allocated to developing musicality, and performing time, one of performance approaches. What I do is look at how much time I have, what needs to be done, what's the most efficient way to go about it, and I make sure to keep time for a solid warm-up at the beginning. I think it's important to be realistic with how much you think you can accomplish, but also see if you can push yourself out of your comfort zone. And when it comes to making your plan, I also suggest to make it easy to go right and hard to go wrong. Use a

way to keep track of your plan that will be really easy for you to manage. For some people it's going to be a simple plan written on a post-it. For others it's going to be a really detailed breakdown in a fancy practice journal or a colorful excel sheet. Or for my modacity lovers out there it could look like a super well-crafted practice playlist. It does not matter what means you use as long as it feels efficient and easy for you. The last thing you want is for that step to become one more obstacle to overcome in your practice. By establishing clear goals for the practice session, you're going to ensure that every single day is a step towards success.

Whether you sit down for one hour or five minutes, having an overall vision and specifically targeted goals of what you want to accomplish will greatly affect the direction of your practice session and the results you get. And when I say five minutes, I mean it. Don't forget that great work can be done in a very short amount of time if you're mindful and if you work efficiently. Those spare minutes really add up at the end of the year. There are countless ways of setting up a priming ritual,

and it's up to you to tune into your needs, analyze your learning style, and understand your personality to figure out the approach that will suit you best. Priming can take only a few seconds or a stretch out to an extensive length of time. There's no right or wrong way to do it. Once you've heightened your physical, intellectual, and expressive awareness through priming, you're ready to tackle the act of deliberate practice, starting with your warm-up regimen, which I'll talk about in the next episode of this series.

now i've prepared a short guided priming visualization for you it's going to play here at the end of the episode and i'm also making it available by itself for download if you'd like to be able to access it easily regularly you can find that in the resources page of my website at mindoverfinger.com resources and before we get settled and comfortable for visualization i want to remind you that early sign up has started for the music mastery experience my life-changing highly personalized group coaching program it starts on June 1st and over the course of three months I take you through a massive transformation in your music making I'll give you all the tools to bring more presence intentionality joy and

efficiency in your practice and you will start to experience the results you want consistently in performance and in your musical life. Jamie said this about the Music Mastery experience. I feel like I can now make goals and make plans to achieve the goals. It feels possible to learn more music more quickly because I have the courage and much more confidence to use the tools effectively. I can learn to open up and let music out. I can let myself have fun while playing. Those are some of the results you can expect when you join the Music Mastery experience. I like to keep the group very small, so there are going to be a limited number of spots. It's not too early to save yours, and by signing up now, you get access to all the early access bonuses.

So go to mindoverfinger.com slash MME and let's talk. And now, for a little change in mood, let's get to the priming guided visualization exercise. I invite you to settle in for a few moments. And let's take some time to get grounded, get aligned, and get ready for the wonderful work ahead. If you're not already, please come to a seated position with your back supported and your head free. And take a few seconds to really come to a state of effortless comfort. As you're getting comfortable, gently turn your awareness to the flow of your breath and start noticing it. notice the inhales

and the exhales feel the air going in and out of your nostrils and feel your ribcage expanding and contracting over each breath cycle. We're going to use this flow of breath to make the connection between our mind and our body very vivid. And let's make our breathing even more intentional now. Start by inhaling through the nose for two counts and exhale through the mouth for four counts. Again in

through the nose for two, out through the mouth for four. And repeat this a few more times. In through the nose for two, out through the mouth for four. In through the nose for two, out through the mouth for four. Doubling the length of the exhale like this calms the vagus nerve and it's one of the most important nerves in the body. It helps regulate many critical aspects of our physiology, including our heart rate and our blood pressure. And with this gentle flow, we access more creativity, more inspiration, and we find solutions to our problems more easily.

Now let's expand this a little bit. Inhaling for 3, 2, 1. Exhaling for six, five, four, three, two, one. Again, in for three, two, one. Out for six, five. Letting your body relax and soften. and continue with this, or if you're up for it, let's expand even further, inhaling for four, three, two, one, exhaling for eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, in for four,

3, 2, 1 Out for 8 Letting the muscles surrender Now let the breath flow freely Noticing how comfortable you feel And let's come into our body And into our senses starting with what you're hearing

pay attention to what you're hearing the most obvious sounds maybe the sound of my voice or people moving around the house or cars in the street and the most subtle sounds the hum of your fridge the space heater

the fan of your computer and bring all of those sounds in your awareness and as you're letting these sounds flow through you turn your attention to your sense of touch to what you're experiencing in your body right now.

Feeling your bum on the chair, your back leaning against the support, the air flowing in your nostrils, the clothes moving on your skin as you're breathing. And as you're absorbing these sensations, start noticing what you're seeing. Maybe it's total darkness or some lights filtering through your eyelids. And let your attention slide to your sense of taste.

What are you tasting right now? Maybe the acidity of your last cup of coffee, peanut butter toast, or your toothpaste. And finally, notice what you're smelling. Maybe nothing. Maybe your lotion. maybe there's essential oils floating in the air or the aroma of the cup of tea

sitting next to you and now come to experience all of this at once simultaneously, acutely, deliciously hearing what you're hearing feeling what you're feeling seeing tasting

smelling and be at home in yourself in this moment here and now in this state of presence of well-being turn your attention to the work ahead and set your intention for today's practice.

How are you going to show up for yourself today in the practice room? What mindset do you want to permeate your work today? What do you intend on accomplishing in this session? How do you choose to react in the face of difficulties and challenges in your work today? How will you react if frustration shows up? Still aware of your breath, of your body being relaxed? now imagine yourself picking up the instrument or sitting up at the keyboard

and playing with physical ease imagine and feel comfortable movements, efficiency imagine yourself enjoying immensely the experience of playing the instrument and as you do that be aware of your positive attitude in your work

your curiosity and your ability to handle anything that comes your way in this session imagine yourself solving problems with clarity and patience take one deep inhale

and feel the positive energy and enthusiasm flowing up your spine and as you exhale fully release expectations and welcome the musical experience you're about to have in its entirety continue to breathe in this state of awareness and physical and mental well-being and when you're ready open your eyes and get started

some people might prefer a more energetic state of being at the beginning of a practice So in the next episode, I'll have a breathing exercise that can help you with that. I hope this was helpful. That's it for today. Thanks for tuning in, and à bientôt!