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Mindfulness for Performers: Actors, Singers, Dancers, Musicians

@mindfulnessforperformers

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🧘‍♀️Stay present. Ease anxiety. Build resilience. Be kind to yourself.
🪷Mindfulness for actors, singers, dancers, musicians
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The old me would have been a wreck before these auditions. This time I wasn’t. A big part of that is mindfulness — staying present, and not gripping the outcome so tightly.

#musicaltheatre #auditionlife #performanceanxiety #performermindset #performerlife by @mindfulnessforperformers

When you notice your mind grasping at something you want, gently let go as much as you can. It sounds passive, but it’s a very active process. You do it over and over. The goal isn’t to get rid of desire. It’s just to hold it a little more loosely.

Get my free list of mantras for auditioning performers. They’re all about letting go of outcomes. Link in bio.

#mindfulnessforperformers #performanceanxiety #auditiontips #performerlife #musicaltheatre by @mindfulnessforperformers

I really wasn’t sure I’d ever audition again. Mindfulness helped me get back in the room.

#musicaltheatre #auditionlife #performanceanxiety #performermindset #performerlife by @mindfulnessforperformers

@mindfulnessforperformers

An homage to the late bloomers by a musical theater voice teacher — inspired by the post “To B.F.A. or Not to B.F.A.” by @actortherapynyc

After 15+ years teaching musical theater and college audition prep, I can tell you the flashiest talent in the room is not always the one still standing years later.

School isn’t the real world: it’s the training ground. The career is where the real race starts. And figuring out who you are, what you’re best at, and what you actually want takes time, experience, and experimentation.

If you were overlooked early, it might just be a gift. Grit, curiosity, inner stamina, and the willingness to keep growing will carry you further than early applause ever could.

Save this for a hard day, send it to a performer who needs it, and tell me below: were you a late bloomer, too?

#musicaltheatre #voiceteacher #collegeauditionprep #performingarts #theatrekid by @mindfulnessforperformers

Singing, acting, teaching, socializing: some days ask a lot of your voice.

When it starts to feel worn down, the instinct is to push through. But an overused voice responds better to awareness than effort.

A throat scan borrows from mindfulness body-scan practice: you move gentle attention through the jaw, tongue, throat, and breath — noticing where you’re holding without forcing anything to let go. Often, just noticing is enough for the tension to soften on its own.

Try this the next time your voice feels tired. Save it for your next long day.

#voiceteacher #vocalcoach #vocalhealth #vocaltechnique #musicaltheater by @mindfulnessforperformers

I’m really bad at meditating, and that’s kind of the point.

My mind wanders the whole time. I’ll settle in to focus on my breath and thirty seconds later I’m running through my grocery list or replaying something I said in 2019.

For a long time I thought that meant I was doing it wrong. But the wandering isn’t failing at meditation — it basically is meditation. I notice I’ve drifted, I come back, and I do it again. And again.

I don’t have to be good at it to get something out of it. The benefit is in showing up and practicing, not in how quiet I can get my brain.

Here’s what I’ve actually noticed it helps with as a performer:
- Less spiraling after a rough audition
- Staying present instead of getting stuck in my head
- A nervous system that settles a little faster
- More self-compassion when I make a mistake
- Focus that holds up under pressure

I’m not calmer because I finally got good at meditating. I’m calmer because I kept doing it badly.

#musicaltheatre #actorslife #auditionlife #performanceanxiety #mindfulnessforperformers by @mindfulnessforperformers

Mindfulness Myth No. 5: “Mindfulness and meditation are the same thing.”

Mindfulness is an umbrella term that includes formal and informal practices. Meditation is one of several formal mindfulness practices. (Others include movement modalities like yoga, qigong, and tai chi.)

But we can practice being fully present at any time. (This is called informal mindfulness.)

Online courses coming soon. Visit the link in bio to join the email list and be informed when courses are live.

#mindfulnessforperformers #performanceanxiety #auditiontips #performerlife #musicaltheatre by @mindfulnessforperformers

Two weeks ago I posted about returning to auditioning for the first time in 11 years. Here’s an update.

I turned down a small part in one show, and I wasn’t cast in the other.

I’m disappointed. But I’m not spiraling. Mindfulness doesn’t make rejection not hurt, but it certainly helps shape my response.

#musicaltheater #rejectionisredirection #auditionseason #theaterlife #performerlife by @mindfulnessforperformers

Mindfulness Myth No. 4: “Mindfulness means sitting still for 20 minutes.”

It can look like that, but it doesn’t have to. Yoga, qigong, and tai chi are all formal mindfulness practices. You can try a walking meditation.

And of course you can be mindful at any time: while practicing, showering, or waiting at a callback.

Online courses coming soon. Visit the link in bio to join the email list and be informed when courses are live.

#mindfulnessforperformers #performanceanxiety #auditiontips #performerlife #musicaltheatre by @mindfulnessforperformers

I really wasn’t sure I’d ever sing again. So getting back in the audition room meant a lot. (Part 2 coming tomorrow.)

#musicaltheatre #musicaltheatreperformer #auditionlife #sopranolife #voiceteacher by @mindfulnessforperformers

Mindfulness Myth No. 3: “Mindfulness means staying calm and relaxed.”
It’s not a relaxation technique, although some practices can be quite relaxing. At its core, mindfulness is about noticing and accepting what is. You can be completely activated — heart pounding, fully amped — and still be mindful.

Online courses coming soon. Visit the link in bio to join the email list and be informed when courses are live.

#mindfulnessforperformers #performanceanxiety #auditiontips #performerlife #musicaltheatre by @mindfulnessforperformers

Mindfulness Myth No. 2: “Mindfulness will get rid of my nerves.”

Not necessarily. But mindfulness can help you learn to tolerate and accept uncomfortable feelings. It can change your relationship to anxiety, so it’s no longer running the show. And when you realize you can perform through nerves, those nerves may actually lessen.

Online courses coming soon. Visit the link in bio to join the email list and be informed when courses are live.

#mindfulnessforperformers #auditiontips #performanceanxiety #performerlife musicaltheatre by @mindfulnessforperformers