Sun Salutation

Practicing guitar can be difficult on the body. To be locked in the same position with one arm swooped over the body of the guitar with your head cocked in a gaze at the fretboard is ultimately not healthy, if you don’t take regular breaks. The same can be said for staring into a computer, whether it’s work or play.

Sedentary Life

A way to combat the strain of a sedentary life is to get up regularly and stretch. I recommend three minutes every hour. This doesn’t sound like very much but it can be difficult to do.

Yoga

I am a novice yoga practitioner. Years ago, I went through a number of Lilias Yoga and You (lower video) classes on video. They were great. She’s an excellent teacher who has a relaxed presence that is unpretentious. During this period I developed a few twenty minute yoga routines that integrate a some T’ai Chi moves I learned as a young adult. These routines have helped me deal with the strain of playing musical instruments (guitar, kacapi, gamelan, and glass instruments), as well as staring into a computer (composing, arranging, audio editing and writing).

 Surya Namaskar video

Here is a video that shows the twelve postures of a surya namaskar, or sun salutation. Once learned, it can take less than three minutes to complete.

 

 

 Lilias Folan Yoga video

This video shows Lilias at work teaching yoga on PBS.