My little secret is that I, like many flutists out there, suffer from crippling performance anxiety. My stomach turns in knots before a performance, sweat drips from my brow (even in the dead of winter), and my cheeks quickly turn flush. One of the universal symptoms of performance anxiety also takes me prisoner during these times - my breathing becomes short and shallow. Not great for a flutist – we need air to play! In this blog, I share some of the easiest breathing and grounding exercises I have learned over the years to find my air (and sanity) again backstage. Add these to your arsenal of tools to combat the effects of performance anxiety before they literally take your breath away.
Tip #1 – Invest in a Breathing Bag
A Breathing Bag is exactly what it sounds like: A rubber bag with a mouthpiece that you can breathe into and out from. Simple, right? Yes! It is not a tool that will increase your lung capacity because, let’s face it, your lungs are your lungs. There is no magical trap door that will allow you to make the space in your lungs bigger. Instead, it shows us how much air we have to work with, how to manage that air, and what actually happens to our air when we play. An important added benefit of the Breathing Bag is that it helps calm our nerves. When someone is having a panic attack, it is common to ask them to breathe into a paper bag. Why? Anxiety bullies us into taking shorter, more shallow breaths. Filling up a paper bag helps us take longer, fuller breaths. When we can breathe, we can think. The brain likes oxygen. The Breathing Bag is like an upscale, reusable version of a paper bag.
In the moments before a performance, take a few deliberate full breaths in and out of the bag. Hold the mouthpiece with one hand and the end of the bag with the other (not too tight). Make sure to wrap your lips around the mouthpiece. Take a nice, deep breath and breathe into the bag. When the bag is full, you are left with a visual representation of how much air you have at your disposal. Without pausing, breathe that same air back in. When you get to the end of that air, repeat by blowing back into the bag, again without a pause. Do this for at least 5-10 minutes and watch your anxiety go down and your ability to breathe return to normal.
Tip #2 – 4 x 4 Breathing (Square Breathing)
This is a super easy exercise that requires no other special tools or gear. Using the palm of your hand, trace along the left-side edge of the palm with the index finger of the opposite hand while counting to four and inhaling. Next, hold your breath while tracing to the right for four counts. Then trace along the right side of your palm while exhaling for four counts. Finally, hold your breath while tracing to the left for four counts. You are essentially outlining a square on your palm while inhaling for four, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding again for four. Easy peasy! Repeat as many times as you need to help bring down your anxiety and return your breathing to normal. This is such a great breathing exercise because it also activates your sense of touch making it super grounding. Give it a try as you read the rest of this blog.
Tip #3 – Breath Builder Practice
Another great breathing tool to invest in is a Breath Builder. A Breath Builder is a plastic device with a long straw-like tube connecting to a small circular plastic compartment housing a ping pong ball. The objective is to breathe in and out of the plastic compartment through the straw with enough air to keep the ping pong ball suspended at the top. There are two holes at the top of the plastic compartment, a small hole and a larger hole. To begin, leaving all of the holes open, exhale through the Breath Builder using the large, attached straw with enough force to raise the ball and keep it suspended while you inhale and exhale for roughly one to two minutes. Take a break for a minute. Next, cover the largest hole with one of your index fingers and again breathe in and out of the Breath Builder with enough air to keep that ping pong ball suspended. It won’t be as easy this time! After a minute or two, take another breath. Finally, cover both holes with your index fingers, and repeat the same inhale/exhale process, ensuring that the ball remains suspended. And that’s it! If you start to feel dizzy or disoriented, stop. This is the result of taking in more oxygen than your body is used to handling. Your body will eventually get used to this the more you practice with the Breath Builder. This is a great distraction from your performance anxiety and a great way to focus just on your breathing away from the flute.
Tip #4 – Five Senses 5-4-3-2-1
This is another excellent exercise that requires nothing more than your brain. The Five Senses exercise is another grounding tool. Often when we are nervous, we develop tunnel vision. This exercise opens up that tunnel vision to the bigger picture of our current reality. First thing’s first, identify five things that you can see (ex. flute, music stand, lamp, rug, and metronome). Next, find four things you can hear. This can be as simple as the buzz of a light fixture, the traffic outside, or the gentle hum of an air conditioner. Next, find three things around you that you can touch (ex. your flute, your keys, your music). Now identify two things you can smell. Perhaps you can smell the pages of your music or a trinket in your pocket. Finally, find one thing you can taste. This could be as simple as the air you breathe through your mouth or the water you drink from your water bottle. This exercise helps you focus on your senses, isolating them one by one, leaving you more grounded and your attention off your anxiety.
Tip #5 - Take a Finger Breath
“Dr. G, what the heck is a finger breath???” I was taught this handy dandy exercise by Keith Underwood when I was in middle school and I still use it to this day. Make an “L” shape with your left hand using your index finger and thumb. With your lips relatively far apart, place the lips along the outside of your index finger (yes – it’s supposed to look a little cray). Inhale deeply. Your inhale should sound loud and ferocious! This is what it feels like to take a nice, big breath. Feels good, right? Take a few more! The louder the sound, the better the breath. This exercise counteracts the short, shallowness of your typical anxious breathing.
Meditation apps also offer various guided breathing exercises and breathing meditations. These are great if you remember to use them before a performance. The exercises listed here, however, are easier to remember and even easier to master. Use them before your next performance and watch your nerves vanish and your breathing return to peak condition.
What breathing techniques do you use to combat performance anxiety (or anxiety in general)? Do you have any great experiences with the techniques listed here?
Happy fluting (and breathing!).
****
About the Author, Rachel Taylor Geier:
Rachel Taylor Geier holds a DMA in Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, an MM in Flute Performance from San Francisco State University, and a BM in Music Performance from DePauw University. Former applied instructors include Immanuel Davis, Linda Lukas, Anne Reynolds, and Rhonda Bradetich. Dr. Geier currently teaches and freelances in Davis, California and hosts a popular Flute Friday Blog Series.
