Routine and daily practice

                                               Daily practice has always been a  problem for me and the last few months of activity in my life have proved to be the kryptonite to me. Between work and relationships, between only having 24 hours in a day and also minding my own self awareness...shakuhachi practice has suffered. Last week I had decided this was going to cease and I would get back on the practice schedule. Since then, it has worked and I have been getting the lungs, fingers and embouchure in shape for essential learning. It always amazes me how quickly my lung capacity and dynamics disappear after only a few months. Fortunately, the embouchure remains and I can play.

                                                      The internet has lately become a great place to scurry back to for refreshers on basics and to get caught up to where I was before life crept back in. YouTube, individual blogs, shakuhachi sites...all have been invaluable to me. And getting the few songs in my fingers back helps a great deal,too. I have been doing my best to stay away from Facebook as it has been a horrible place to be for the most part. No need to detail as to why, with the current political climate in disarray. And this has helped me focus on my Buddhist philosophical studies as well as shakuhachi lessons.

                                                         This brings up the playing of my shakuhachi when meditating or in mindfulness. Fellow shakuhachi player, performer and teacher, Kiku Day, discusses this so very well in her work entitled "Mindful playing, mindful practice: The shakuhachi as a modern meditation tool".
I won't go into great detail here as the work is on the internet to see and read in full (highly recommended), but she brings out some delightful points about meditation and musicians of which I agree..." I believe it is not an easy task to apply meditation to music playing and that it requires as arduous training as any sitting meditation form. I find that people, myself included, are confused by the notions of concentration, flow, and meditation."  This I wholeheartedly agree with! And I have struggled to find that connection between the three dynamics of music, meditation and mindfulness.

                                                         So, I have been trying to re-shape how my meditation and practicing are done, hoping that I can find a happy medium that keeps me stimulated in playing and not "bored" with routine that eventually has me wandering away. Now, this doesn't mean I stop all shakuhachi related activities, far from it. I listen to it daily, watch videos and research history,etc. But the PRACTICING...never something I have been good at.

                                                          Therefore, I shall try my best to play and meditate daily, to combine the two when and if it is appropriate and works. This is my goal for the rest of the year. When December arrives, I hope to see what has happened and where I stand in all of this.

                                             Kiku Day's blog and page ...         Kiku Day




                                                 

New year, New focus, New challenges.

                                                    It has been close to four months since the last blog post and I have been negligent in posting. Shame on me! There have been various reasons as to why but I won't bore you with them as they seriously do not matter! What happens next is key in this journey as it has been years along and my playing is still on an intermediate level and nothing more. With only a few real songs under my belt (the usual numbers for beginners) where my talent lies is with improvisational playing, just composing and enjoying the moments with my flutes. Not only at home, but out and about. Even shooting photos of them to add to my portfolio.

                                             What do I REALLY want to do with my shakuhachi and Native American/Celtic flute playing? Become a performer? As student of the history and lore? Or to simply enjoy the meditative aspects and play for my own pleasure? Well, a tough question to answer in some ways. yes to all of the above but less the affirmative to being a performer. I do want to be able to play in front of others to share my love of the instruments and how much they mean to me but not really interested now in performances otherwise. Call it my fear of not being good enough to play well and that my perfectionist philosophy gets in the way. Fortunately, with both the shakuhachi and Native American flutes, there is a lot of wiggle room in playing that can make the resulting music just fine!

My desire to play the shakuhachi and native flutes for meditation is a strong YES! These are parts of my soul in many ways and when blowing into them, bringing them to life, making music...it is indeed making me a part of the earth, the universe and contributing to it's love and peace. Whether my neighbors believe that is a different opinion. :-)   

                                 
When playing, I will frequently burn sage and Palo Santo wood to purify the space and energize things. It is a beautiful part of my meditation and I cannot imagine doing things differently. When I go to a local park and play, perhaps while i walk or sit next to a tree, the sounds are carried on the breeze and off to whomever hears it, be that the neighbors, canines, cats, insects or my favourites...TREES!!


                                               My goal therefore is not to become a performer, a player in front of audiences. Not to say I won't record my music and share that with the world as I have done that and will continue to. My journey in playing and learning is to enrich my soul, my heart, my mind and to enjoy the travels in life. It sure takes a LOT of pressure off of this student when the thought of playing in front of others ( a few exceptions to that) is not hanging there as a specter. Just be, play, enjoy with NO pressure!


                                                               * Namaste *