The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 172 Inner Mastery

Episode Date: May 19, 2023

In this episode, we finish our journey on the topic of mastery and we take a  dive into the transformative power of presence, introspection, and self-exploration! Join me as I: ⭐ Discuss the significance of inner mastery for classical musicians  ⭐ Explore the importance of looking inward, nurturing self-exploration, and cultivating presence in practice, in performance, and in life ⭐ Share techniques for nurturing presence, introspection, and self-exploration   Enrollment for the Music Mastery Experience, the most comprehensive, life-changing, highly personalized group coaching program for musicians is now open! In the, Music Mastery Experience we cover everything from practice methods that work, to performance preparation strategies that have you perform with confidence, and mind management techniques that will remove all the obstacles and self-limiting beliefs that hold you back. BUT: you will go beyond just strategies and methods.  You will get to the root cause of issues and unlock everything that's keeping you stuck.  You will experience amazing results at every level of your music-making and of your life. If you're ready to make big dreams, plans, and more happen in your musical life, book a call today at MindOverFinger.com and let's make it happen.     DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THIS EPISODE HERE   Join my mailing list HERE and become a Mind Over Finger VIP member!   As a VIP member, you will you receive my free guide to a highly productive practice, a transcript of each new podcast episode delivered to your inbox every week, and all the insider information about my coaching programs, including VIP prices on most of them.  March bonus: get 10$ off the Performance Anxiety Solution when you join the mailing list HERE!   Do you have specific questions for me or my guests you would like answered on the podcast? Share them with me HERE!   Mind Over Finger Visit MindOverFinger.com for resources on mindful practice and information on how to work with me. Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a highly productive mindful practice and to get the transcripts of the Mind Over Finger Podcast episodes delivered to your inbox. Join the Join the Mind Over Finger Community  for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians. www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/     THANK 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.

You're listening to The Mind Over Finger Podcast, episode number 172. Welcome to The Mind Over Finger Podcast, discussions on mindful music making, efficient practice, optimal performance, and building a purposeful life and fulfilling career. I'm your host, violinist and certified performance and life coach for musicians, Dr. René-Paul Gauthier. Hi, everyone. I hope you're doing extremely well as you're tuning into this episode. Today is not only the last episode in our series on mastery, it's most likely the last solo show of season five. That's right. We're getting to this stage already. It's really hard for me to

believe how time has flown by so quickly yet again. And we've covered so many wonderful topics together this season. And I hope you get back and catch all of them if you've missed some. and hopefully also revisit your favorites and of course don't forget to get in touch with me to let me know your insight what the episodes helped you with and in which ways they might have inspired you and also don't hesitate to let me know what other topics you'd like me to cover next season now don't worry i have some great guests lined up for this summer so stay tuned let's get into today's topic over the past few weeks we've explored together various aspects of mastery, including the elements that support us towards mastery, why our resolutions fail,

how to manage our energy, and how to get over pitfalls. And this week, we're going to take a deep dive inward, and we're going to focus on the inner elements that form the foundation of our journey towards mastery. We're going to talk about introspection, self-exploration, and presence. So I've talked profusely, I think is the word, about the importance of being clear on our purpose, of focusing on the journey itself, on the process itself. So in a certain way, we've already talked about parts of the inner journey. Now let's get deeper into it, because there might be a lot of things coming from the outside. We take action. We take in information. We're influenced constantly by our outer world,

other people. We keep track of our progress. We keep track of the various milestones we hit. And it's super easy to get lost into the outer stuff, to get swept into the whirlwind of activities and thoughts and to-do lists and opinions and everything else. But if we want to keep moving forward towards mastery, it's important to limit the outer distractions and go in to pay attention to what's happening inside. You want to notice and monitor your thoughts. You want to receive and observe all your feelings and mostly start trusting yourself. Give yourself permission to experiment, to feel secure in taking risks, to get creative and personal when you're problem solving. And be confident in your ability to face challenges head on, to step out of your comfort zone and handle anything that comes your way, positive and negative.

Be confident in your ability to grow into your full potential with all that it entails. with presence and awareness you can really create something amazing so let's start with that presence presence is what makes mastery happen in zen philosophy this concept of presence is often referred to as being here now or living in the present it's all about being fully engaged in the present moment one of my clients clued me into the expression of being where your feet are and I love that. So thanks, Nicole. And it's not difficult to imagine how different the things we do are when we're fully present and aware, when we know what we're seeing, when we know what we're hearing, when we know what we're experiencing in the world. In my work in the Music Mastery

Experience, bare awareness is one of the core principles of the deep practice model. It's about cultivating a state of heightened awareness and attentiveness to the present moment, free from distraction. What we want to do is bring our complete attention and focus to the present activity, to experience it deeply and fully, mentally, emotionally, and physically. And in the context of mastery, that applies both at the micro and macro level. It's both about being present when you're working on one note, crafting one dynamic, and when you're connected to your long-term goal and overall purpose. And don't forget that presence is not something that you have or you don't have. You can absolutely cultivate it. You can do that by engaging in

mindfulness practices like meditation, yoga, martial arts, or deep breathing exercises. These modalities are really effective in training our mind to focus. Another way to cultivate presence is to incorporate it into our daily activities. You can bring awareness and intention to any task and any activity you're engaged in. Driving, washing dishes, walking in the park. Try it when you're having a conversation and watch your relationships change. and obviously the practice room is one of the best places to practice and cultivate presence so challenge yourself to play through a passage and to channel your attention on one thing with

great focus it could be the tone quality it could be how a certain movement feel one specific articulation it could be a specific part of your body anything goes one of my favorite exercises is to do a body scan when I play long tones. Or I repeat one passage several times and I focus on one specific element each time. And then I play it again. And I try to take in all of these elements at the same time. It's a fantastic exercise. I hope you try it. And then please let me know how it went. So presence is going to significantly impact everything you do on the road to mastery. And with presence, we have the ability to flow naturally into introspection and self-exploration. So let's go there. Introspection is the process of looking inward. If I'm to use my big Dr. Gauthier

words, I would say that introspection is exploring the depths of our consciousness, our thoughts, emotions, and experiences. It's like shining a light on our inner world to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. And it's easy to see how this is absolutely essential as we're striving to increase our skills, to gain mastery, both as musicians in the practice room and as humans operating in the world. What does introspection look like in the practice room? Well, a lot of it is up to you, but here are some suggestions that you can try. Try them, tweak them, and come up with your own. Just experiment and have fun. Let's imagine you're practicing your instrument. Introspection during practice could involve observing your thoughts and feelings as you play.

You notice how certain passages make you feel. Do they evoke joy, frustration, excitement? And then you pay attention to the thoughts that come up as you're playing. What are you thinking when things feel tough? What are you thinking during the challenging sections? And what are you thinking when things are easy and pleasant? Are there self-critical thoughts that slow down your progress? Or positive affirmations that encourage you to push forward?

When you're aware of your internal landscape, I love that term, you can identify patterns, discover areas for growth, and cultivate a more mindful and focused practice. One thing you can try is to put some time aside for reflection after your next practice session. Take a few moments to sit quietly and ask yourself questions like, how did I feel during this practice session? What were my strengths? What challenges did I encounter? When you journal, or even just by contemplating these questions, you create space for introspection and self-awareness. A second thing to try is to incorporate mindfulness techniques into your practice. Take a minute to prime before you start. Take a few mindful breaths and bring your attention to the present moment. You see how

presence works here. Then as you play, notice the sensations of your fingers on the instrument, the sound of each note, and the emotions that arise, the thoughts that are running in your mind. This awareness is going to deepen your introspective experience and foster a more profound connection with your music. And if it sounds too daunting to have this going for a whole session, try with a timer. Put five minutes on your phone timer, and for those five minutes, pay attention to how you're feeling emotionally, the processes that are happening in your head mentally, and the physical sensations you're experiencing. What are you thinking and feeling as you're problem solving something difficult? How are you reacting to challenges? And do all

of this with curiosity and open-mindedness, no judgment. But if there's judgment, notice it because you're introspecting, right? Okay, then when the timer goes off, just resume practicing as you usually do. But I think that this little exercise will stay with you and impact the rest of the session even without you trying. So you see how all of these things, presence, introspection, focus, they're things you can train yourself to get good at a little bit at a time. So embrace the power of introspection in your musical journey, my friends. And to presence and introspection, let's add self-exploration because they all go hand in hand. Now, what does that mean, self-exploration? It's going to mean something different from person to person. For me,

it means to give myself permission to explore at every level. Explore layers of my identity, letting myself be inspired by imagination without putting limits on it. And in the practice room, that means giving myself permission to try things, to experiment without judgment, to embrace the possibility of failure and still try something. Exploration. What else can I say? So give yourself permission to explore your unique musical voice and express your authentic self through your instrument. It's about connecting with the music on a personal level and discovering how it resonates for you, what you want to express, how you can make that happen. For example, as you play a piece, pay attention to the moments that stir strong emotions within

you. Is there a passage that reminds you of a memory or evokes a particular feeling? allow yourself to express those emotions through your music infuse it with your personal essence experiment with the many ways you can execute your personal vision technically give yourself space and time to problem solve to try over and over to discover find the solutions to the problems. Uncover them. Get creative. And the great thing to have fun with is to set aside some time to experiment with improvisation. Allow yourself the freedom to play without constraints and let your intuition guide you. Notice the musical choices you make when you don't have limits anymore and how they reflect your inner expression. Or just maybe embrace diverse musical

genres and styles. Pay attention to how each style resonates with you and how it allows you to explore different facets of your musical identity. How does that influence your musicality, your technique, your skills? Or listen to five different interpretations of a piece and have some fun trying on those musicians' ideas. Like borrowing a piece of clothing. Not to copy, of course. You're not keeping the garment, but to gain insight on what they can teach you. What fabric is this made out of? What pattern did they use? What stitches did they sew it with? What accessories did they use? Is that cut flattering for me? Is it comfortable? You see where I'm going here, right? So try it on and see what you'd like to bring home. And another thing is to turn your own

musical choices upside down and see what you think. Do the exact opposite of what you're going for. You want it short? Try it long. You're going for a joyful character? Well, what would it sound like if it was decisive? What if you pushed a tempo here or slowed down? Or try what it would be like with what you think is distasteful vibrato? Get bold. What amazing discoveries will come out of this? Many, I think, if you're like me. Just get creative and push the envelope with what you're willing to try. This is really going to expand your musical universe. Let self-exploration become a compass for you as you dive into your inner world and you take action, you're going to uncover more and more of your unique musical voice and develop a profound

connection with your instrument. You're going to elevate your skill level immensely. And you've guessed it, you're going to feel a greater sense of mastery. So try this this week. I invite you to dive in those three elements, presence, introspection, and self-exploration. And because this is inner mastery, we begin with questions, because questions are the most powerful forces of change in our lives. Ready? Here we go. So for presence, what anchors me to the present moment? So reflect on what allows you to fully immerse yourself in the here and now, in the practice room and in your life in general. Is it a particular activity, a sense of connection? Discover what truly grounds you and brings a heightened sense of awareness to your present

experience. Introspection. What self-limiting beliefs or fears might be holding me back from fully expressing my musical potential? Here, take a moment to explore any self-imposed barriers that may hinder your musical growth and self-expression. Are there beliefs or fears that prevent you from taking risks, experimenting with new styles, or embracing your unique artistic voice? Reflect on these limitations and consider how you can challenge and transcend them to unlock your true musical potential.

In self-exploration, ask yourself, how can I dive deeper into my musical expression and refine my artistic mastery? reflect on the multifaceted aspects of musical expression consider the nuances of dynamics and phrasing tone and emotional interpretation how can you further explore and refine these elements to elevate your musicality and connect more deeply with your audience explore different approaches experiment with various musical interpretations and challenge yourself to stretch the boundaries of expression. In your personal reflections on these questions, embrace the freedom to explore, to question, and to challenge your own assumptions. Allow these inquiries to guide you on a transformative journey of self-discovery and growth. And remember, the answers will evolve

over time as you gain new experiences and insights. And I hope your exploration is filled with wonder, and that it leads you to a more profound understanding of yourself and the world around you. So this concludes our exploration of mastery for this season. But mastery is a big, big, big topic and a never-ending story, so you can be sure to hear more about it in the future. And if you would like to explore things deeper this summer, if you're ready to step into possibilities and leave behind the fear, the uncertainty, the anxiety, the lack of confidence,

and you want support. As you're reaching the next level in your musical journey and your path to mastery, I have what you're looking for. If you're ready to unlock your true potential, to overcome stumbling blocks and take your career to the next level, I invite you to join the Music Mastery Experience, the most comprehensive coaching program tailor-made for musicians like you. I get it. High-level musicians often struggle with self-confidence, performance anxiety, uncertainty, low self-esteem. And the Music Mastery Experience is specifically designed to tackle these challenges head-on and help you conquer them. I'm going to guide you through a transformative journey of self-discovery. I'll help you dig up the root causes of these issues

and I will equip you with powerful tools to kick them to the curb. And the music mastery experience goes beyond honing your technical skills. We dive deep into the realms of introspection and presence, teaching you how to tap into your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. By developing a heightened self-awareness, you're going to gain the confidence and clarity needed to unleash your true potential as a musician. You're going to get personalized guidance to help you navigate performance anxiety and build unshakable self-belief. You'll experience a newfound freedom in performance. The Music Mastery Experience is about personal growth and about giving you the skills and strategies to thrive in your musical career. Don't let self-doubt hold you back any

longer. Join the Music Mastery Experience today and say hello to a future filled with confidence, success, and musical fulfillment. Go to mindoverfinger.com slash mme now to get the journey started. Of course, I have the link in the show notes for you. All right, my friends, this is what I have for you today. As I said earlier, I have fantastic interviews coming for you this summer that I cannot wait to share with you. So stay tuned. Much love going your way and à bientôt. Thank you guys so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Mind Over Finger podcast. If this content was helpful for you, please share with everyone you think could benefit

from it. Take a screenshot, share on social media and tag me. I'm Mind Over Finger everywhere. So reach out, send me a DM and let me know how this content helped you. Let's keep the conversation going. As always, I have all the information related to this episode in the show notes. You can find them via your podcast app or by visiting mindoverfinger.com where you can also find more free resources on efficient practice and performance preparation, links to sign up to my free workshops, and information on how to work with me. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to receive your free guide to a productive mindful practice, transcripts from the Mind Over Finger podcast episodes delivered to your inbox every week, and more. Also, join the Mind Over Finger

Facebook community, my private group, for access to my live videos and to exchange with a community of like-minded musicians. So make sure you're subscribed to the podcast. And if you have specific questions for me or my guests that you would like answered in an episode, share them with me using the link in the show notes or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook. That's it for today. Again, thank you and à bientôt! Thank you.